Bipolar disorder.. How do you deal w/ it?!
Question: I was diagnosed when I was 17 yrs old and now I'm nearly 30. Depression hits me from time to time but I've been in a bit of a rut since the weekend. Any suggestions on how to get me through my depression? I take Prozac 20 mg daily and I forgot to take it for a couple of days so maybe that is why I'm feeling slightly depressed now. I did have a "high" for about 2 weeks which was GREAT & I didn't want to come down =( Now I'm depressed.
Answers: I was diagnosed when I was 17 yrs old and now I'm nearly 30. Depression hits me from time to time but I've been in a bit of a rut since the weekend. Any suggestions on how to get me through my depression? I take Prozac 20 mg daily and I forgot to take it for a couple of days so maybe that is why I'm feeling slightly depressed now. I did have a "high" for about 2 weeks which was GREAT & I didn't want to come down =( Now I'm depressed.
I deal with it day by day and try and have a sense of humor about it. I make an effort to be responsible for myself and proactive in my health which means taking care of myself by be aware of my mental state, maintain my therapy and medication regime religiously, getting good sleep, avoiding my triggers and stressful situations, exercising and eating well. It also means being ready to ask for help if necessary...
Its important to have a really good support network that can step in and look after you during an episode, a combination of your mental health people, family and friends to ground you when you're not able to look after yourself.
The most important thing though is to remember though you have an illness, the illness is not you. Also having this disability doesn't mean you should have an inability to succeed in having a relatively normal and happy life.
you don't have bipolar disorder
it's a made up disease
swallow reserpine tablets
While there is no cure for bipolar disorder, people with this illness can lead rich and fulfilling lives. Good luck
I think that the scariest part of being bipolar and having a depressive episode is not knowing when it will end. I was diagnosed at 16, i'm 22 now. In any case I suggest that you get back regular with your meds and also just remember that you had a happy time and it will return. You have to know the bad so you can know the good.
You also might try blogging, reading, watching movies (you can see some cool stuff on youtube), and surrounding yourself with people you love in real life or online. Don't give up.
Unfortunately the down always follows the high - I've been coping with this for 30+ years. My psych gave me six guidelines to follow - keep safe, eat properly & regularly, take medication, meditate, exercise even if it's only a walk and sleep only at night. Hard to follow sometimes but it does help on both the highs and lows.
Try to remember to take your meds. Perhaps you need to increase your dosage? Talk to your doctor about that.Also look into getting some Cognitive Behaviour Therepy or some other therepy. Drugs on their own rarely work in the long run.
You shouldn't be on an antidepressant - you should be on a mood stabaliser. Talk to whoever prescribed the prozac. Lithium and sodium valproate are both very effective mood stabalisers.
http://www.abssn.org
check out the bipolar section as well as the coping techniques. both have heaps of info as well as ways to deal with your moods.
good luck
my dad had it and killed him self so in regards to the first answer- don't be so naive you insensitive jerk, come tell my mother and my family that its a made up disease. tell them that and then come see my dads grave.idiot.
now back to you iam so sorry this is effecting you .you need a meds review if you are finding it hard to cope you need to seek help.you need support find it where ever you can.