Recently Diagnosed....

Hi, as the title suggests i've recently been diagnosed with Bipolar II. In the past i've suffered extremely with bouts of severe depression [[as have most people, i'm not trying to steal the limelight here ]] resulting in 4 attempted suicides. But on the other hand of the spectrum i also suffer from long bouts off mania.

 

My family are not so supportive of the diagnosis and are pressuring me to stop with sessions i'm having. I feel stuck in a rut, actually more now than ever i guess.

 

I'm really unsure what to do.

 

Cue the helpful advise????

 

 

XxX Amber XxX

 

amber,

i'm not sure if i am a wonderful people, but here i am .  you are cherished at this site.

i don't think there is one psychologist or psychiatrist onywhere in hw.  we are NOT doctors (even if some of us want to play doctors on tv soap operas).  but we have been there, are there, or are going there.  i hope this makes sence.  being bp myself, i know i don't always make a lot of sence.

a diagnosis a a best guess label that a professional puts onto a wadge of symptoms.  i was disgnosed as depresses for over 40 yrs.  was it a misdiagnosis?  or was it that back then drs didn't have the menu that they have today.  about 9 yrs ago a pmdoc (pain management doctor) muffed an epidural steroid injection and i was in unbearable pain.  after suffering for about i wk, i attempted suicide (i have attempted suicide at least 5 times in 60 yrs).  the pdoc (shrink) that i saw first diagnosed me as schizophrenic.  about a month later he changed the diagnosis to schizoaffective.  i was not happy with either of these diagnoses.  i finally challanged my psychologist to help me find a more accurate diagnosis.  he got out the dsm and together we went ofer the symptoms for bp and schizoaffective.  guess what?  bp fit more than schizoaffective.  wasn't i lucky?

the point is that it is only a handle to help the dr treat your condition and to help him/her find the best medications (rx) to treat your smptoms.

i am truely blessed in my condition in that i have a supportive wife, no matter the dx (diagnosis).

try bringing your parents with you when you see the pdoc.  perhaps the dr can help get them to support you. 

best of luck

warren

Hi Amber,

Welcome to HW! -- I'm so glad that these lovely peeps (yes, you very much included Warren!) have already popped up with some great advice. I hope you'll feel really welcome here.

I'm so sorry that your family is finding your diadnosis and treatment hard to accept. This is usually the case when people don't understand the complexity of this illness and, as Lazy has said, giving information to them about the condition and encouraging them to join you at a pdoc session is often a very good way of getting them better informed and more supportive.

My ex is bipolar and I have always *tried* to be supportive, though as he's not accepting his diagnosis it can feel like a bit of a losing battle. The first book I read that *really* helped me understand was David Miklowitz's Bipolar Disorder Survical Guide. It lays out the diagnostic elements very clearly and is great on what the various hang-ups about this disorder can be (for sufferers and family). I didn't have hang-ups about this myself -- partly I think because I have sudffered from depression and anxiety/panic attacks for most of my life and have reached the stage where I understand the value of medication and, at times, therapy, in living my life as normally as possible. But reading that book helped me to understand some of my ex's ang-ups, and I think it would really help your family.

You are doing absolutely right by taking your diagnosis seriously and attending pdoc sessions: this is *crucial* for managing bipolar. -- Please don't stop. Your family will I hope, in the long run, come to accept this (and, as said already, there's stuff you can do to help them with this), but that is about *them* not your needs, and your health depends on you doing things for *you* right now, not stopping treatment because they think you should just be able to "snap out of it" -- all of us here know that's not possible. Give your family time, but give yourself treatment hun. We're all here to support you.

Rosie x

when i was first diagnosed with depression, about 1960 (yes, i'm that old), mental illness was considered taboo, with images of snakepits.  our family dr lobbied my parents to keep me from therapy.  the stigma radiated to my school and my friends.  there were parents who refused to let their kids associate with me.  a person with mental illness would find a hard time obtaining employment or keeping employment.

thank all the gods, those days are pretty much over.  but, for some people, the stigma still exists.  i know someone who refuses to get her child treatment because she refuses to accept the stigma that her child is mentally ill.

there are many reasons (excuses) for not admitting mental illness.  to me, that's like refusing to accept a diagnosis of cancer.

warren