Jed Magen

Sep 19, 2023 | self.com | Katie Way |Jed Magen |Ashia Aubourg |Drew Schwartz

If you have bipolar I, you're probably familiar with the emotional peaks and valleys that the condition is characterized by. "With bipolar disorder type I, the person either gets very, very depressed or they get very, very high on what we call a manic state," Ludmilla De Faria, MD, a psychiatrist specializing in bipolar disorder and an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Florida, tells SELF. According to Dr. De Faria, mania is pretty unmistakable.

Sep 14, 2023 | self.com | Julia Ries |Jed Magen |Drew Schwartz |Danielle Kwateng

If a month or two passes and those side effects are still holding strong, keep your doctor in the loop. Yes, your medication might alleviate mood swings, but if it's at the cost of constant nausea, numbness, and sluggishness, it's possibly not the best fit. "If it comes to a place where [side effects] are starting to impact your functioning and making you feel pretty miserable, that's when you want to say, 'Is there an adjustment we can make?'" Dr. Gallagher says.