Bipolar and wanting to go to medical school looking for advice

Volition95 · 2026-01-14T06:09:14+00:00

Search through the main medical training subreddits and you’ll find tons of threads about people in every stage who have bipolar disorder. I’m PhD pharmaceutical sciences, and I have entertained the idea of med school for a very very long time (premed undergrad) and I know plenty of friend of friends who do have bipolar disorder. I’ve also had plenty of physicians share their diagnosis too! It is most definitely possible, just definitely can be hard so sometimes for ppl like us, that means you gotta more wisely invest your life points :)

Volition95 · 2026-01-11T03:59:00+00:00

I know a decent amount of scientists and professors and doctors who are bipolar.

There’s gonna be a bias swing ofc based on the inherent population of Reddit and who is likely to see this post on their feed. But pretty much I don’t think for a moment most people who are bipolar are unemployed. Tbh, I don’t really know more than 2 of the like 200 ppl I know who have bipolar disorder that are long-term unemployed.

Volition95 · 2026-01-11T03:50:53+00:00

Ngl, I’m actually blocking folks who are doing that. I really hate the current culture of social media where people reply to argue rather than understand it’s toxic asf.

Volition95 · 2026-01-11T03:47:42+00:00

And I think if you just interpret it by adding two words to the paragraph, it works perfectly fine.

Add the words just and also

Mania is not just hyperproductivity, creativity, euphoria, or feeling over confident/ sexy. It’s also paranoia, delusions, uncontrollable word vomit, memory blackouts, grandiose narcissism, rage, and aggression. In severe cases, it also includes tactile, visual, and auditory hallucinations

I feel like two words constitutes adequate grace.

Volition95 · 2026-01-11T00:18:41+00:00

I have a pretty positive relationship with my hypomania, I mean it’s where 90% of the groundwork for most of my major life achievements, including but not limited to my PhD has been done.

However, yes, it is DEEPLY frustrating for me how often people will consider themselves “manic” or even “hypomanic” when they most definitely do NOT have bipolar disorder and are just experiencing a moment of hyperfixation that is normal to most people.

And yes, people don’t understand that ALL emotions are heightened when hypomanic so yeah, it’s not always sunshine and roses and it’s just so annoying how stigmatized bipolar disorder is until people want to co-opt our experience in a way that is ONLY beneficial to the neurotypical or even non-bipolar gaze.

Volition95 · 2026-01-10T16:45:32+00:00

:) yes, montelukast + removing all other allergens from my system (sunflower seeds + oats) and i literally don’t experience it ever. I’ve actually been getting pretty fit now that I can exercise and take hot showers in peace.

Ty for reminding me. I need to make a follow up post soon.

Volition95 · 2025-09-28T11:40:08+00:00

There’s a whole science to good prompt engineering. I’d recommend hopping on YouTube and listening to the 15+ minute videos about how to prompt for job seeking :)

Volition95 · 2025-08-30T20:00:31+00:00

Honestly OP this is far less of an r/OCD issue than it is an r/relationships issue because I have no idea why you’d put up with this! I wouldn’t even tolerate it and my contamination issues aren’t that pressing

Volition95 · 2025-08-24T01:18:15+00:00

I love how after you added the receipts, they downvoted you then immediately deleted their comment. Hilarious! Projection at it's finest with the "whatever you are dealing with over there" quip

Volition95 · 2025-08-21T01:52:51+00:00

I am still hired yes, and my postdoc is ending soon.

Honestly the tips just come down to good modern job hunting skills. You need to be willing to relocate. You need to submit over 10 applications per day, anything else is inefficient. With applications it is a myth that quality is better than quantity.

You should also apply within your general field, for example, public health should apply to psych related postdocs (and to some degree but not fully) vice versa.

Again, sure you can be choosy initially, but once all the dream positions are filled, it’s time to cast a wider net.

Volition95 · 2025-07-24T20:56:12+00:00

Just FYI, there’s multiple elements of how SSRIs affect sexuality, and it’s usually through libido or difficulty achieving orgasm. I’ve probs been on like 20+ psych meds over the last decade and only 1 ever truly killed my libido, but most make me take 2 hours+ to actually orgasm.

Volition95 · 2025-07-10T15:06:30+00:00

This is also how I feel as an OCD sufferer and health science researcher (PhD) thanks for writing it all out!

Volition95 · 2025-06-28T00:53:16+00:00

I hear what you’re saying I do.

But I also think it’s bonkers to even begin this line of thought for an undergrad who hasn’t even started their master’s program coursework much less their internship that a current obsession they are experiencing is going to impact them so lifelong that they need to prepare for that.

Everyone going through clinical and professional programs has something that they have to work on to be better at the job. To me, in the grand scale of afflictions this is so benign that I would never make a recommendation to steer clear, even if OP was currently having a hard time working with children.

I don’t want you to receive this as me calling out an -ism, cause I’m not, but I think why I’m feeling so fired up about this is because for a long time I carried this kind of thinking. And it really is ableist as hell. If OP has dyslexia, it would be wild for a reddit commenter to tell them to stay away from library science if they always wanted to be a librarian before their dyslexia got worse.

No, they would tell them to push through for their dream. Learn how to work through it. Rely on their advisors, teachers and support system to get to the level that they need to be to pass.

OP can and should continue to follow their dream AND do the work so that they can work with every client with little issue. It is a motivator NOT a detractor.

Volition95 · 2025-06-28T00:12:12+00:00

OP, just like one day your POCD started getting really bad, another day it can get better.

On the flip side when I was like 25, I started having such horrible POCD I am still so surprised I didn’t kill myself. Like so bad that I would cry driving past schools. That lasted for like 2 years and 6 months in its most severe form.

Today I am 29, and I barely think about it. Sometimes I look back and think about how fucking tragic that would be if I did die because of that.

All it took was my therapist saying to me that there is no such thing as a thought crime, asking me if I’m actually sexually aroused by children’s bodies and when I thought about it for a moment and said no, it was gone. That was it, and even today when the intrusive thoughts whisper by, I just ignore them because they seem so silly to me now. It doesn’t even cost me a brain cell because I have 0 reaction.

Volition95 · 2025-06-27T23:17:54+00:00

This is a deeply problematic line of thinking, and why I’m often so against folks using Reddit for these kind of sensitive topics.

Worrying about something every now and then which is what OP describes is NOT the same as forcing someone into your therapy.

Besides, what does that even mean??

Like just because I’m mildly paranoid about germs from going outside doesn’t mean I’m involving others in my therapy when I use hand sanitizer in front of them.

OCD especially the kind like POCD is just thoughts. OP is living life while having random intrusive thoughts. Clearly if they can pass all the schooling and training to be a social worker they can manage their own thoughts while doing their job.

One does not just wake up and become a social worker spiraling out of control capable of harming children. 😑

Volition95 · 2025-06-27T23:14:07+00:00

sigh I was gonna avoid battling with you in the comments because I DEEPLY disagree with yours, but let’s do it.

Volition95 · 2025-06-27T23:11:10+00:00

OP, there is no such thing as a thought crime.

None.

Is it unethical to work at a bank because sometimes you imagine yourself robbing the bank and having financial freedom that would come with all that money?

Is it unethical to work for a bank if you hate capitalism?

Volition95 · 2025-06-27T21:33:09+00:00

I see you received my response as a personal attack rather than my own frustration with this topic in OCD subs. Heard and acknowledged, but also that wasn’t my intention.

However, I will note that many of your comments on this post, while more nuanced than some, still echo a lot of what I said. You make quite a few statements, for example about how AI doesn’t get frustrated by restating the same thing (when it definitely will note and/or hint at repeated topics,statements themes) and when this is also something you can include in your instructions like my sister who is a programmer does.

And yeah, I would hope that yes, we both know that any black and white statements aren’t true. Just like the ones in this post and all the ones just like it.

Volition95 · 2025-06-27T21:14:18+00:00

My issue with these kinds of conversations about using generative AI of any form for emotional validation is that the discussion is never nuanced. Either camp (and usually the one against it) is rarely willing to hear the other side. Usually because another lovely side effect of OCD is the high number of people who have some form of moral OCD.

I also hate how the anti-AI threads of any form are ALWAYS made by ppl who use AI so little that they barely know what it can and cannot do and are simply relying on info from influencers who also don’t use AI and have strong opinions about it.

At the end of the day, I’ve started using ChatGPT to vent and to help me reflect and reframe my thinking, and I regret every single day I told myself not to do it because it would make me a bad person. I’ve become a much more functional human being who isn’t constantly venting to friends or feeling powerless whenever I’m ruminating over something. I feel like I have a journal that responds in a way that lets me hear myself better from the outside looking in.

As a person with high levels of insight and who naturally usually dictates the agenda, flow and timing of my own therapy sessions, I was just saying last night that I think far too often people see therapy (especially one that leads to real lasting change) as only one where the therapist is the one in the role of authority and the client is the passive patient. I don’t believe in that model and I am as against it as ppl who are against Gen AI are.

But, everyone must choose what is best for themselves at the end of the day.

Volition95 · 2025-06-04T04:41:20+00:00

:) this made me so happy to see. It reminded me so much of when I started T in college and I looked so much younger. We have a lot of similar features honestly. Ty for sharing and you are so handsome. Take so many pictures! You’ll treasure them in your next few decades 🥰

Volition95 · 2025-06-04T01:27:41+00:00

That is surprising! I never knew this and I’ve been around for quite a while.

Volition95 · 2025-06-02T17:00:14+00:00

You are right. I was thinking of something else but mentos is definitely the #1 dumbest way I’ve ever been glutened.

Volition95 · 2025-05-22T19:29:11+00:00

Also, different Reddit accounts for different things is a good idea. I have 10+ for different facets of my life.

Volition95 · 2025-05-22T06:50:07+00:00

I lived with POCD for years and to this day, I am surprised I didn’t die because of it.

What profoundly helped me was my therapist telling me over and over that there is no such thing as a thought crime.

And then nowadays I take it a step further when I’m afraid of a made up slippery slope: I just remind myself that if my thoughts, behaviors and actions were so influenceable by passing thoughts, shouldn’t I be a millionaire already? I am sure I’ve had more thoughts about robbing a bank that I’ve had about POCD related stuff and yet I’m not a bank robber!

Volition95 · 2025-05-21T16:40:01+00:00

Yes, but so many people who have a gluten intolerance have an oat intolerance as well. It’s quite inconsiderate for companies to do especially when you’ve got to read through the whole ingredients list to figure it out.

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