Anyone out there bipolar which is succesfully treated?!
Question: I was just wondering if anyone out there has been diagnoses with bipolar disorder and was successfully treated for it. By successfully treated I mean that you can work and have good relationships with people and take care of your family and generally not be financially reliant on others.
Answers: I was just wondering if anyone out there has been diagnoses with bipolar disorder and was successfully treated for it. By successfully treated I mean that you can work and have good relationships with people and take care of your family and generally not be financially reliant on others.
YES YES YES! My husband is diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and is treated with depakote to stabilize his moods, and his moods swings can be very significant. He has a great job making much more than I do, is a wonderful husband, assists me with raising my 2 kids, we have a large home in a great neighborhood.
It is a choice to allow this type of diagnosis to control you, so don't...... There are numerous ways to treat bi-polar disorder, and you may have to try a few different things, meds and therapy has worked for him. We still have ups and downs, but it's not because of his diagnosis...that's just life.
My friend James is bipolar and schizophrenic (crazy that it's both) and he's been successfully treated. He also has OCD that's had good results. Right now he's in a graduate program for his master's degree and applying for a PhD program in the near future. He has a tight circle of close friends but isn't overly social. Honestly, if I didn't know him well I'd think he was just a little eccentric, but he's told me his list of medications and I can tell when he forgets to take them regularly because he gets a little erratic. Hope that helps...
Medication can be extremely helpful, along with coping skills for dealing with every day life. It is extremely important to remain on medications, even when you start feeling better. A lot of times, when someone is suffering with a mental illness or disorder, they will start treatment, and then when they start feeling better, they stop taking their medications or other treatments, which can cause a severe downward spiral causing suicidal thoughts and actions.
There are many treatments that can help a person live a normal, wonderful life. Check out bipolarboy.com. It's an awesome site, and he is a wonderful example of someone who lives every day with the disorder. (He's a great speaker also!!!)
I think just being a survivor of this illness is a success story. I finished a three year program in counselling and am working in mental health. I am working on taking care of myself and have 3 grown children. Medication, talk therapy, peer support, exercise have all helped to keep me well.