Educate Yourself About Your Disorder

• When living with bipolar disorder, one of the first things to do is educate yourself on this disorder. Understanding why symptoms appear and learning about their preceptacants will put you a step ahead. Do some reading on all the wonderful people in history who also lived with this disorder, such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Ernest Hemingway. There are also many contempary people who are very open with their diagnosis.
  
  If it is encouraging when seeing that a bipolar diagnosis did not stop any of these people from following their dreams. It does not have to stop you either.
  
  

Monitor Your Symptoms

• Know what your early warning signs are -- the ones that show up before the symptoms become full blown. There are many precepts that are common among people with bipolar disorder. Non-stop shopping or insomnia are two of the more common ones for a manic episode in its earlier stages. By identifying what your early warning signs are, you can keep yourself in check. When the signs first appear, it is time to call your doctor.
  
  Many people tend not to seek help for the symptoms at the beginning stages of their mania because they feel so good. It is important to do so before they progress into symptoms that will be harder to control. People experiencing moderate to severe manic symptoms can be in danger of the mania develop ing into psycosis. This is totally avoidable by seeking treatment when the earlier signs appear.
  
  It is equally as important for you to seek treatment when the first signs of depression appear. People are more apt to go to their doctor sooner when this half of the Bipolar diagnosis appears. It is uncomfortable to live with and people do not usually waste time in seeking treatment.
  
  

Ask For The Help Of Your Family And Friends

• Another important piece of managing your bipolar disorder is having the support of your family and close friends. These are the people that you live with every day. They know you well and, when your behavior changes, they are often the first ones to notice. By incorporating these people into your self[management regimen, your disorder will have a much better chance of being controlled.
  
  You can ask them to take part by monitoring your behaviors when they believe they are seeing a change. Ask them to communicate with you about any concerns they might have that your symptoms are appearing. Your close friends and family can sometimes recognize this before you do. You can help them to do this by offering them education on your disorder and giving them some materials to read on the subject.