Does bipolar get worse?

[LyssaWells]

Hi I'm 17 years old. I'm a female. I have bipolar 2  I was wondering if it can get worse

[stormbear]

Hi,

I've just stabilized from a psychotic /depressed mixed state that began in late August . I didn't go to hospital ,i didn't speak to anyone except mother and brother , only left the house no more than 4 time's .To be honest i was a complete train wreck and i do feel the aftermath from it .  My memory suffered also .Eventually my mother phoned up and got me emergency appointment with my psychiatrist after i took accidental overdose on my med's and painkiller's , my only intention's were to knock myself out so i could sleep after not having slept in 30 hrs.
So the psych adjusted my med's and i began to stabilize in 9-10 day's .  This episode is the worst my illness has been in 3 year's .

[weaver71]

I had my first episode at 14, realized it was bipolar at 20, and finally took medication this year, at 42. I am BP1, and lived my life around the disorder and still felt it progress to a psychotic breakdown. I would say that as my body aged and couldn't recover from severe episodes, it got way worse for me. The moods I could handle, the craziness of starting over was what really wore me down. The mania of BP1 is really the destroyer. Depression is hard, but I never wake up on a different continent. Also, google 'kindling,' that is the word for accumulative bipolar. It is common for it to increase, worse is a judgement call.

[007Bunny]

Itbecame worse with age. It changed. Highs became higher, downs deeper and longer. Lack of sleep is the big issue. X

[thatquietgirl]

Untreated, bipolar disorder can become a lot worse.  With treatment, you can learn to manage it successfully, though you will always need to watch things like caffeine intake and sleeping habits (or anything else that might be a trigger) to keep yourself in check.

[dorik314]

Hey, I'm 18 and currently pregnant. When I was maybe 12-13 years old, a psychiatrist said that he believed that I was border-line bipolar but he couldn't make a diagnosis because I was young and I saw him once. Honestly, I feel as I am way past border-line bipolar. I do believe that I am bipolar and not mildly. Especially being pregnant. So, to answer your question, I believe that if you are not helped or medicated, that bipolar disorder can become a lot worse.