Below are some lessons I have learned along the way.

Bipolar Advice #1: Medications

Medicine, I have learned, is just a part of the solution. I believe that at the beginning I put too much faith in my medicine. To me, it was the be-all and end-all of my treatment. I have learned since then that medicine takes you only so far and my bipolar advice is that therapy, support groups, friends and family, and your faith in God takes you the rest of the way.

I have been on so many drugs, I have lost count. To be honest, I was probably a bit melodramatic back then concerning side effects so I’m sure whatever happened was blown out of proportion some of the time. Try your best to look at new medication with unbiased eyes. It is important to be aware of the possible side effects. Do not focus on the side effects. Focus on what the drug was prescribed for you to take.

Be patient in the process of tweaking your medicine. It has taken me nine years to get this latest cocktail of drugs. It is not perfect, but pretty close. Each person’s body chemistry is different. Be flexible. It might take you only a few months to get your medicines right for you or it can take longer. However, time allows for trust in a medicine. What happened would be I became too trusting too soon of the latest med prescribed to me. My word of advice to you is to be patient with the new medicine your psychiatrist is prescribing you. Who knows? It might do nothing for you, totally mess with your symptoms or be the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Bipolar Advice #2: Psychiatrists

So far I have had four psychiatrists in nine years. My bipolar advice?  Bipolar is a bitch. It chews you up and spits you out. That professional sitting across the room from you holds the key to information that can unlock the deep mysteries of bipolar. A trusting doctor/patient relationship needs to be established. I have shared very personal information with these doctors in hopes to get closer to bipolar stability. In the meantime, one psychiatrist helped me to discover that I have CPAP. My latest doctor is exploring whether I am having absence seizures. You must feel comfortable with your physician. Keep a mood journal and use the data from it to help you share with the doctor what the bipolar is doing in your life.

Bipolar Advice #3: Psychologists/Therapists

I have had just about as many therapists as psychiatrists. My bipolar advice would say this is a relationship that above all else needs to be built on trust. From day one, I have felt a level of trust with my psychologist that has helped me to talk about my life and my many issues. DO NOT SETTLE! If you have a bad therapist, fire them and find a new one! There are plenty out there. Take your time and try them out. If it doesn’t feel right, go somewhere else. I did just that. The therapist was not communicating professionally, so I canceled all appointments. Besides, I did not feel like I could be myself with her. It was the best decision because it brought me to my psychologist that I am seeing now. He is very knowledgeable about bipolar. Due to my history with therapists, I was a bit gun shy.

I use my memo section on my smart phone to jot down topics and issues I want to discuss with my psychologist. It is very helpful because I always have my phone with me and it takes just a few seconds for me to type what I want to discuss. I used to rely on my memory and wait until the appointment to write it down somewhere. Bad idea. I mostly forgot what I wanted to discuss with my psychologist.

Conclusion

These are my bipolar advice from my perspective. You can read another blog or another website and find completely different ideas. Take a look at these websites for some help on your journey with bipolar.

http://www.dbsalliance.org/site/PageServer?pagename=home

http://natashatracy.com/

Disclaimer: I do not agree with 100% of what she says.

The post Bipolar Advice appeared first on Life Conquering Bipolar Blog.

I believe there are pros and cons to Talkspace. I like the idea of being able to communicate with your therapist at any time. I have had moments where I could hardly get out of bed. If I could have texted my psychologist, he could have helped me through that critical time by giving me suggestions on how to handle the situation. If someone is feeling suicidal, this is one more person they can reach out for help instantly.

I believe Talkspace is a good idea for short periods of time like when you go on vacation and you cannot make an appointment with your therapist. Another scenario could be a special event like a reunion or when you are about to roll out a big project in front of your boss and co-workers.

In my opinion, for ongoing therapy for the mentally ill, a face-to-face meeting is what is needed. There is so much that is lost in translation over a text. The therapist in a regular session in their office, is trained to observe the client, not just listen to the words coming out of the client’s mouth. There is so much that can be seen in body language, facial expressions, eye movements and hand gestures as well as heard in voice inflections. All of this data can help the psychologist treat the client more thoroughly.

I know for myself, my words can say one thing but the tone of my voice and my body movements reveal my true feelings every time. In the end, I would like the texting easy access to my therapist, but the best method for me is to meet with the psychologist in his office so he can see me and treat the whole me.

You may find the entire article and video on Talkspace at the link below.

Talkspace Article

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