Hello there first of all...I am ctrygirl on here and I haven't been on for a while...but i read your post this morning on one of those "can't sleep nights" that we are all too familiar with....anyway honey, NO NO NO the two are NOT the same. Yes sometimes it seems like the symptoms cross each other but NO they are NOT the same...no worries honey...although I am not saying one is better to have than the other, there are just a lot more problems and issues that comes with the other diagnosis that aren't features of BP. I DO see people, hear voices, and even smell things that aren't there EVERY SINGLE DAY OF MY LIFE>..i have learned a coping skill for i see them during the day..a fleeting person walking by that no one else seems to see...therefore i gauge my mind to determine if the entity or whatever you want to call it is real by THEIR reactions..when i see no one else hears or sees what i am hearing or seeing then i chaulk it up as a hallucination. Of course I am on meds that deal with what they call Psychotic features.....a side illness along with OCD, anxiety disorder,panic attacks, TACTILE hallucinations/sensations (oh those are horrid for ahug feels like a punch, pencil feels like a tree limb well u get the point), and 6 other disorders that came right along with my BP and are still with me to this moment even..including INSOMINIA (chronic) and even the strongest of sleep meds don't knock it out....I get average of 3 hours sleep a night and that really plays on one's body and mind...However BACK TO YOU darling.....Please do NOT mistake the two disorders....they are completely different entities and your psych doc can confirm that. If you are having hallucinations you do need to let him/her know though....There have been a few times when i wasn't able to determine if some of the things i was seeing were real or not! for instance once i literally was dodging people in the grocery store that I SAW but WEREN"T THERE! and my husband asked why i was walking as I was like "around people or something" and I said i didn't want to run into them DUH...and he said honey there is no body there...another time I saw a VERY FRIGHTENING hallucination and was home alone...coming out of the shower and there was this MALE person standing there (uhm not really butto me it was!) and he was saying things NOT conducive to my health (we'll leave it at that) and well i went into survival mode and closed eyes and chanted to myself "you're not real, you'renot real" and opened eyes STILL THERE AND STARING RIGHT AT ME! YIKES! SO i did it again, and sat on edge of tub ....looked back up and he was gone. Yet sending me scourging the house to assure myself no one WAS there! THat is how real they can seem! Another time i saw...LITERALLY SAW...a man's face melting in front of me ...thank goodness my husband was w me and saw my face go completely pale and gave me car keys to exit the building immediately..once the fresh air hit my face i was starting to breath again. Please get a book like Kay Jamison's The Unquiet Mind...or any of her books...she is a psych WITH BP ...and very very easy to read/explains the ins and outs SHE herself went through...and it is uplifting in my personal opinion and would EDUCATE YOUR BF IMMENSLY...it just seems unless others HAVE this disorder they dont' and really can't understand it no matter how hard they try...it is a unique yet also complicated disorder....we are NOT cursed and we are not weird...we are the dreamers of the dreams, the creators of great art and works of literature, actors, artist, mothers, sisters, brothers, and on it goes...dont' let the stigmas get to you darling I know they used to me beyond words. I have learned that it is not a disorder to fear..BUT when things change as you say you are now having hallucinations you need to inform your doctor....and keep up on the latest research and treatments for they don't always share those with us and oft put us on things not conducive to helping...so beware there and research your med before taking but never stop taking without doc advice. Somehow i hope that this mini book (geez sorry)helps in some way no matter how small. You remember this you are a very unique person, a child of God's light...and yes there will be hard days, beyond hard, but there will be days of wonderment and realization of the beauty around us...for i firmly believe bps are so much more in tune with their environment...maybe i'm wrong, but being one I know i've noticed how different per say, that i am in my observations of details compared to others....check out this site and see how many FAMOUS people are BPS too! It will amaze you and uhm MAYBE your Boyfriend would like to read it too. I know my husband was amazed! here's the link;

 http://bipolarworld.net/Bipolar%20Disorder/Articles/art14.htm

you take care and know you're never alone...there are so many on here that love and care for each other and don't even KNOW each other really, but this pulls us together, and warmth can be found here!! Take care and great to meet you honey!

ctrygril 

rklyn26

2/19/10 12:24pm

Oh my Gosh!! You just brought tears too my eyes . Thank you i needed to hear this and i appreciate it.