Psychological Support (bipolar depression)
i have been hesitant to respond to this thread, much less read. i used a “friend” partly out of sarcasm, mostly embarrassment. i am ashamed of this “condition”, but easter was really depressing.
i absolutely hate this more than a lot of people can imagine. i often don’t feel in control, most of the time, and it has caused a strained relationship with a few of my closest friends. that makes me sadder more than anything, because i can be an *******, but more importantly i don’t want to disappoint. i also have an issue with unresolved conflicts, no matter who caused it.
i have suffered with most symptoms throughout my life, but i was fortunate with my marriage to have a wife that kept the isolation at bay. i am 39, 19 of those years spent with her. with her, i was never as depressed as i often feel now. without her, it has uncovered a lot of traits that i knew were there, but i thought that they were normal. unfortunately, my manic episodes have evident a very long time, but worse now is that they are a lot more pronounced.
i am rather social, by nature, when thrust into a situation, but the anxiety i feel knowing i have to spend time with others, is usually really high. only with some of my friends it is not pronounced.
i have enjoyed messageboards since the days of bbs. they allow me to participate when I WANT to.
it is crazy because i often feel isolated/lonely, but i avoid people whenever possible. one of my good friends saw this thread, immediately called me. asked if i was interested in visiting saturday, yet for as much as i want to, a part of me was looking for an excuse not to.
one of the friends that i have alienated (mostly), it makes her really upset when i have a moment, usually on the low side. she has broken off most communication because she has her own problems, and i just magnify how she feels. it makes me sad that for as hard as i have tried, i can’t change, nor chane her mind.
i did not understand bipolar, prior to diagnosis, but sadly, it was only when i started to take notice. it really bothers me that looking back, the symptoms have been there, yet not detected. i often wonder how much different i would be knowing sooner, but in reality, without my wife, i would most likely be in the same situation.
anyway, thank you all for the support.
I have gone back and forth on whether to respond to this, fear of revealing too much about myself. But whatever.
I've dealt with chronic anxiety/depression all my life, my sister is bipolar and manic depressive (she's in a mental hospital right now actually). Long history of depression, suicide, alcoholism, prescription drug abuse, etc. in my family, it all goes together.
With something like bipolar/manic stuff, my (imperfect) understanding is that it needs to be managed with drugs, first and foremost. The person sees it as altering their personality, it feels wrong to them. When I took meds for my anxiety, I absolutely understood that. I felt in a haze. I wasn't so sad anymore, but I also didn't get any joy from the simple things I typically enjoy - music, or a good taco, or whatever. But I had the luxury of getting off the meds once I had righted the ship a little bit and figured out alternatives - therapy, meditation, etc.
Your friend probably doesn't have the option to ditch the meds, sadly. But there are probably ways to integrate things like meditation/breathing exercises, self-talk and things like that into their life that will help. Diet, exercise and sunlight are HUGE factors in day-to-day mood management. It might all sound like a bunch of hippified crap (it did to me at first) but it works and the fact I'm still kicking around is testament to that.
If your friend is truly in a really bad spot, a stint in a mental rehabilitation center might be the best option. There is obviously a lot of stigma around that, but it's really not so different from an extended therapy session, with the added bonus of removing the person from the everyday life situations that are proving harmful to their health.
But ultimately only the person can do it for themeselves and so many people have to hit rock bottom before they reach the conclusion they have to do something about it. If your friend continues to decide that the highs are worth the lows then there's not much you or anybody else can do about it.
thank you.
i absolutely agree with you. the meds help, infact have probably kept me alive. on the other hand, there have been a few medications where i just felt like a zombie or wanted to sleep all day. actually, being between meds right now, has let me feel more like myself than anything. unfortunately, along with it are the manic highs and lows. oh well.
I commend you for the above post. You have practically laid out the life of one of my older sisters. Best succinct description of the issues I've ever seen.
thank you. it is a pretty accurate description of how i normally feel. it sounds crazy, but that is my life.
I'm Bipolar Type 1 with mixed episodes and rapid cycling .....I have a youtube channel where I talk about my daily struggle, what works, what doesn't etc.
TriPolarTroy
and a FB page ---->
TripolarTroy's Manic World
i don’t fb, but i will totally check out the youtbe channel. thank you so much.
As a therapist, don't be afraid to drop the professionals a letter if things get too bad. I can only work with what the client brings to my attention and they often downplay how bad things get. I wouldn't be able to respond without a release of information but outside help when things get awful is needed.
thank you, my therapist is wonderful. unfortunately, she isn’t there with me at all times, she has been a great influence on how i spend some of my free time. it was hard, but only once i realised, only being completely honest eith her was i able to be straightforward and tell the truth/full details.
brings me to another, um, quirk, i have had male therapists and a psychologist, but i couldn’t tell them everything. it didn’t “feel” right. i guesx it is the male in me. i have both a female therapist and psychiatrist, purposefully, and much more comfortable.
Personally, I'm not a fan of psychiatrists, especially for teens. They tend to be medication pushers and don't really talk to their patients much. They are likely to be over booked and run a near assembly line. We've gone through 3, and those 3 are very much alike. The last one's office was just terrible and rude too. Done with it.
An assembly line is good for people who just need medication, but it's bad, to actually know your patients and make sure that the medication is still the best course of action.
I think a therapist.. a LCSW or a Psychologist are better options. You can still see the Psychiatrist, or use a primary doctor, so long as they're on board (but they'll want some sort of therapy going on).
So, my suggestion would be to find a talk therapist or psychotherapist where that friend can go see more often, and call or text in an emergency to work through something. Also, I know my job has a "family resource" number, which I believe can put you in touch with a therapist over the phone to just talk about stuff. Maybe there is a hotline out there?
i would agree, but my psychiatrist is very personable and is persistent in making sure any medications prescribed, how i feel taking them. most of my session is spent on how i have spent my free time. i had a iffy feeling about psychiatrists, before my last one (she moved). after several sessions, medications prescribed have helped. my poior pcp has tried to help, but mental craziness just isn’t his specialty. whats weird is that i am completely honest with him, but he is also a froend of my wife’s family, so i have a comfort with
NAMI.org
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Compassionate & very knowledgeable group that will help you to help your friend.
Good luck!
thank you. i will have to check it out. i appreciate it because i’m hesitant to google for help, because reading everything that i have, it is just more depressing. a lot of sites and information is written more for caretakers.