Manic/bipolar depression?
I am stage 2(the worst stage to have) of Manic bipolar depression. I have been diagnosed with it for about two years now. I have to take flourexetine for it…which I dont think is working very well. But what I am on here for is I am getting worse and I used to have to see a psychiatrist with no prevail…so is there any website or anything that might help me in understanding what the hell is wrong with me! It would be great to have all this bull shit that goes on with me gone. Everyone views me as a fricken psychopath…and I cant help it…it was suggested that I go to an insane asylum by my psychiatrist but my friends who went says that they just over medicate you and that it sucks. Please I really need help any link or advice would be great.
sorry I put stage two depression I have the one where I have terrible manic depression episodes I always confuse stage1 and 2 all i can get straight is that its the worse stage to have in the illness. I hope that helps at all.
Tagged with: depression • Manic/bipolar
Filed under: Bipolar Manic Depression
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There seemed to be some words printed on it
I unfolded it and read,
~”thank you for the world so sweet,
~thank you for the food we eat,
~thank you for the birds that sing,
~thank you God, for everything.”
You should contact your local mental health center and ask to be set up with a case manager. i worked as a case manager for children with mental illness for several years. they help you with getting info and can help with any referrals you needs and may be able to point out services that could be helpful to you that you didn’t know existed.
a support group may be helpful to you, it sounds like you could use someone to talk to and relate with. whatever you do, just don’t stop taking your meds, even when you feel better, that means they are working.
NIMH site has info…
check out this site:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/bipolar-disorder/complete-publication.shtml
go to DailyStrength.org and find bipolar support group
http://psyweb.com/
http://www.dbtselfhelp.com/
http://www.psychdrugtruth.com
http://www.antidepressantsfacts.com/
http://pjentoft.com/file-8-grounding.html
good luck and email me if you want
One school of thought has it that antidepressants trigger mania, even sometimes with mood stabilisers being used. Don’t quit them, cold turkey, though: they need to be weaned off, over weeks, with medical advice. I’ll include my standard posts on bipolar disorder, and depression. I advise you to closely examine the http://www.1-800-therapist.com website, and use the locators in section 1, at *ezy-build, below, and the phone book, to find a psychologist (because they don’t prescribe, they are less likely to be affected by the hype of the sales reps from BIG PHARMA) who believes in minimum necessary medication. DEPRESSION: See depression treatments, at ezy-build *(below) in section 2, and consult a doctor, to eliminate thyroid problems, etc. as possible contributing factors: also seek a referral to a therapist using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy. It is your decision, and yours alone, as to whether to take any antidepressants offered, but, before you do, read section 1, and check medications out at http://www.drugs.com so you will be on the lookout for side effects, like sexual dysfunction. My strong recommendation, however, is to follow the advice of my doctor, his associate, and also Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP, and Dr. Mercola, as well, at http://www.mercola.com and avoid antidepressants (pages 2V, and 2Z refer, & antidepressant websites: page 2). The reasons why we all share the same view on this are explained in full, as you will find, if you read the whole section. All of their advice, (except prayer, because many people are not religious) I have incorporated into the “core treatments”, including others as options, such as herbal remedies, Inositol, or SAMe. If you are diagnosed with clinical (major) depression, antidepressants may be necessary for a while, which will give the treatments time to become effective. The antidepressants themselves need at least several days, or even many weeks to become effective. It’s a good idea to taper off them slowly, with medical advice, after several months, say, to a couple of years, at most, because they are only effective in the long term for about 30% of people. Because of this, you would be well advised to begin the treatments immediately, and maintain them. I’d just thank your mental health care provider, and pocket the prescription, trying the treatments for a few months, to see if they are sufficient for you, before considering filling it (unless clinically depressed, and having great difficulty functioning, or suicidal, in which case I’d take them). If the amount of daylight you have been exposed to recently has reduced, perhaps due to the change of seasons, see Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) in section 2, at * http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris and, instead of taking 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, daily; replace 2 of them with cod liver oil supplements for the winter months only! (or, as probably a better alternative to the 2 cod liver oil supplements: 1 teaspoonful of cod liver oil, with a little butter, to ensure its use; I take mine on sourdough rye bread, or toast, covered with fishpaste, and pepper, to mask the strong taste). Consider having your doctor test your vitamin D levels. BIPOLAR DISORDER. See bipolar disorder, at ezy-build * (below) in section 10, and take the quiz, if unsure, and if the results are positive, ensure you get an expert diagnosis from a mental health professional, not doctors, who are much better dealing with physical ailments, and don’t diagnose complex disorders like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and borderline personality disorder often enough to develop any real expertise. Bipolar disorder usually involves major moodswings, which occur without apparent cause, and often over many months, or a matter of years, rather than days, as with most people (unless rapid cycling). I’d take 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements daily, replacing 2 of them with cod liver oil supplements in the winter months. I recommend trying Lithium Carbonate, or Lithium Citrate (regular tests are necessary, for these), before trying the other mood stabilisers, but if you aren’t good at taking medications regularly, drinking adequate water, and keeping up your salt intake, something else may suit you better. Always check out anything first at http://www.drugs.com/, so you will be aware of the risks, and on the lookout for side effects. (Personally, if I wasn’t bipolar type 1, and didn’t experience hallucinations, or serious delusional states, I know I’d first try the orthomolecular and Omega 3 fish oil supplements, vitamins, minerals, and mostly raw food diet, for several months. I’d aso eat in accordance with my “nutritional type”. Enter that term in the searchbar at http://www.mercola.com/ ). If not considerably improved, after several months, consult your primary mental health care provider. If bipolar type 1, an antipsychotic medication may also be needed. Everyone should take the Omega 3 supplements, or preferably “krill oil” for its other health benefits: use the searchbar at http://www.mercola.com/ . Some people refuse medication, using supplements, and a selective, mostly raw food diet (I do not recommended trying this, if bipolar 1, unless you aren’t troubled by hallucinations, or delusional states). Maintain the treatments for the depressive phase, in section 2, at * http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris Make an informed decision.
You need to contact your local Mental Health Community or call your insurance company and be referred to a new Psychiatrist.
You need more medication to stablize especially since you’re only on Prozac. You need to be on a mood stabilizer: Lithium and Depakote are examples.
Have also been diagnosed as bipolar and it is difficult. It is even worse when you feel like nothing is helping. You said your psychiatrist suggested you be commited…permanently or just for a short time? I personally spent a month in a mental health facility about a year ago, it did help. It gave me a chance to focus on what was happening without interference from daily life…allowing me to separate what things were problems caused by me or by being bipolar from what were stresses and problems of everyday life. If you go somewhere for treatment like that, unless you are a danger to yourself or others they cannot keep you there if you feel it is not helping. My suggestion would be to follow the advice of your psychiatrist with the provision that it is voluntary, and you can leave when you feel you should (again, as long as you are not a danger to anyone, legally they cannot keep you there without your consent)
Welcome to the bipolar club! Don’t be afraid or weary. It can be successfully treated. You can feel well again – without depression, feeling overly drugged, and have mania under control.
Firstly, why you were put soley on flourexetine (prozac) without a mood stabilizer or antipsychotic, totally boggles my mind.
If I was in your position, I would seriously talk about medication with the psychiatrist. Ask what is the game plan? What are the meds for?
Adjustments obviously have to be made. To be honest, I am suspect of your psychiatrist. In fact, I’d go about finding a new one. I do not care for his treatment – at least from what I have read from your description of him.
Antidepressants taken alone without other meds for bipolar is a disaster waiting to happen. They only make you feel worse – which is what I believe you are experiecing.
Get on good meds – they’re out there, and you’ll make a 180 degree turn in your mood. You’ll find stability.
Talk to your doc or find another one asap. If you have any other questions, feel free to email me.
Wow! You have gotten a lot of good advice so far. Here’s a summary of what I think is really good advice:
1) Get a mental health worker to take you on. Contact your county social services department. These folks know all the ins and outs and can help you access care.
2) prozac without a mood stabilizer can make you worse. I spent thousands of dollars and did phone sex with strangers and drank 12 beers a day for months when I was on prozac, and it all stopped when I quit the prozac.
I think what you have is mixed moods. I have that all the time, it is very very bad. I am almost always suicidal, but I have been able to shield others from it.
Hospitalization may be a good idea for you for a few days. I would suggest a private hospital and not a state facility. Then you can have the social worker there find you a better psychiatrist and also set you up for case management.
YOU NEED WAY MORE HELP THAN YOU ARE GETTING. Going into the hospital is probably a really good idea for you. You can tell the doc there that you are concerned about not being over-medicated. ***Write those concerns down ahead of time before you go, so you can hand them to the doc (otherwise you will forget).***
Good luck, I hope you can get more help. You are too impaired right now to do all of this on your own! I have been thru this many, many many times. You can also see if a relative or close friend can help you get more care.