what’s the difference between bipolar and manic depression? and can one live life w/ these illnesses w/o meds?
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010 at
8:43 am
and can one live with these illnesses w/o therapy?
Tagged with: between • Bipolar • depression • difference • illnesses • Life • Live • manic • meds • these • whats
Filed under: Bipolar Manic Depression
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Bipolar and Manic-depressive are the same thing.
And while I suppose they COULD live without therapy and medication, I wouldn’t recommend it.
Bipolar and Manic Depression are the same thing, so that makes it a little easier.
Bipolar’s the new name for manic depression.
I lived for twenty years without meds or therapy, because I was undiagnosed.
Looking back on it, ‘living’ is a word I wouldn’t have used. My life was a miserable train wreck, ruled by my illness.
There’s a lot of good chat rooms on line where you can talk to people who are bipolar in depth. Look up Bipolar Chat rooms or Message boards.
It’s probably easier than me trying to explain what living unmedicated is like in the short space I’ve got here.
Good luck.
One could go without the medications, but why? Yes, it takes some time and experimentation with medication and dosages, but it is worth it to find a treatment that works. Also, by being on medication, it encourages someone with bipolar disorder to see a therapist. Medication plus therapy is the best way to live with bipolar disorder.
There are two types of Bipolar and ,yes, while Manic Depression is another name for bipolar, you need to see which type of “bipolar” you have.
THe main difference is with or without psychotic episodes and with or without delusions.
I have seen people living productive lives without meds.
But, there is an awareness that you need to have about yourself, your surroundings and you need to have a couple of people that you trust to help you identify when you are changing.
This is hard and most people either
A. don’t have such people in their lives,
B. haven’t identified their own patterns of behaviors, thoughts, etc.
C. Don’t have time.
You might need meds for a while to help, then only use them when you feel much stress and you feel the stress is making things worse.
I know that doctors will say that you need meds all of the time.
But, I have seen it work in some (very aware patients) that they do not.
I hesitate to mention this, though, because it is rare.
You would have to almost psychoanalyze yourself.
The manic behaviors are coming on,
Okay, I am feeling that bout of depression,
Oh, that is a self defeating thought,
Hey, that is not a wise decision (although it feels like it at the time),
etc.
Yes, it is a chemical imbalance and for that reason, most often needs meds.
But,
1. meds alone will do little good
B. sometimes you can raise chemical levels in your brain by your diet, activities and other such behaviors
C. w/o some good self analysis, you will always be so dependent on the mesdsand this is not good
4. you need to check out the side effects of each medication
For awhile, I would recommend a good health professional to talk to and if you are going to go on meds, how to regulate and such.
But, find the right prof.
Ask many questions about the way they treat.
How many clients do they see a day?
How much med do they prescribe a day?
Which prospective do they ascribe to: behavioal, e ecological, cognative, etc.
Go to websites and find out the differences in treatment.
Then, you are in charge of your treatment and not the psychiatrist.
Remember that psychologists can not prescribe meds, but are good at talking and working things out.
THere is no quick fix.
Don’t cut community ties.
Be upfront and honest with family.
Get yourself a good support system.
I would recommend God! Whether you believe it or not, growing spiritually helps your mental, emotional and physical well being.
Nothing, it’s just terminology. Manic depression is the outdated term.
Yes, one can live without therapy or medications. Quite often this illness is overdiagnosed. Just because a single doctor says you have it, doesn’t mean you do.
they are the same thing, the name was just changed to bipolar but i prefer the term manic depression.
I dont know if one can live without meds. I know the doc told me i will be on them all my life. My highs are so high that when i come down, lately i’ve come close to suicide. And i have tried suicide before as well.
As far as therapy goes, i dont think therapy is really as crucial as the meds are. but it def. is helpful.
Maybe it differs from case to case, as you can really never generalize anything i suppose.
Good luck!
Bipolar disorder seem’s more understanding than
manic depression
bipolar and manic depression aren’t the same thing! i know because i am bipolar! I’m a guy and i haven’t met a girl with bipolar, so raging hormones could be a factor, if you have extreme mood swings ( and i mean happy to depressed to sad to angry and then back to happy in less than 5 minuets)
DO NOT try to avoid medication they are essential to keeping you mentally stable! and avoid depression meds they can bring out the symptoms and make them worse!