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Anyone with Bipolar spectrum disorders?
Mental Health | Last Active: May 5 10:05pm | Replies (61)Comment receiving replies
Thank you so much for sharing. Bipolar is so hard to understand, I wait and pray for the day when research will find out the mysteries of this disorder and exact treatment will be available without the guessing game of trial and error. If you have bipolar and wherever you are with it at this moment, if you aren't currently getting treatment, please get it right away. Please take your medications or seek a change in them if you feel you need to, but above all, don't give up and don't stop taking your medication.
Replies to "Thank you so much for sharing. Bipolar is so hard to understand, I wait and pray..."
Thanks for the encouragement. I'm under care of both a psychiatrist and a counselor. We are trying a new medication as the previous prescriptions weren't working. The mood tracking program that I linked has been the biggest help of anything since the diagnosis, however. It gives me a clear sense of where my head is on a day-to-day basis, and since I gave both my counselor and psychiatrist access, they're able to get same info.
So, new meds being introduced (Lamictal, so it has to be eased in), regular counselor and psychiatric appointments, the mood tracking program, and really paying attention have all been put into place since being suicidal and hospitalized last fall. I've gone from feeling hopeless to hopeful, and that's significant.
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Bipolar is a very frustrating disorder. There are diagnostic tools and treatment protocols for cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses; however, bipolar disorder is still very hard to assess and treat. It takes a skilled clinician who understands the science of the brain as well as someone who knows what types of behavior to look for and what types of questions to ask. It is sad that so many people go undiagnosed when there are medications and treatments available. Based on my own experience, the best approach for dealing with bipolar is a combination of medication, therapy and support groups. Over the past several years, I have studied current research on possible causes and treatments for bipolar. To date, there is no single defining gene or defect that has been universally attributed to causing bipolar. The University of Michigan’s Heinz Prechter Bipolar Research Program has been doing some excellent work to identify possible causes of bipolar and develop solutions to help people with this disorder. The website is https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/prechter-program. There is a Zoom Webinar on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm (EST) titled Mind Matters: Bipolar and Addiction: Insights from Experts and Inspirations from Experience. You can register online. I hope this information helps.