Realize just how lucky you are!!!!

So, you've just been diagnosed with bipolar disorder (bp, for short).
You're probably scared, angry, and unwilling to believe that some smart-assed doctor would stick that kind of label on YOU! I know how it feels. Believe me, I've been there, and so has everybody here. Isn't it lucky that you found US?
Isn't it lucky that you were diagnosed when you were????

"Yeah, right!!!" you're probably thinking: "Lucky?" "How can it be lucky that I was diagnosed with this disease?" "How can it be lucky that I'll be stuck with a label that's just a euphemism for "crazy'?" "How can it be lucky that I'll be on meds for the rest of my life?" "How can it be lucky to know that I have trouble working or keeping a job?" Well, if you stop to think for a moment, you'll realize how lucky you really are.

Now that you have the official "diagnosis," you can get off the roller
coaster, at least for awhile, or, at the worst, ride a more gentle version, with the help of the meds. I call that lucky! You can get support from people just like you who know what it's like to ride the
roller coaster the medical community calls bipolar disorder. That's lucky!!! You're no longer alone!!! Lucky again!!! If you can't work at a paying job, there are social security benefits available to help you!! That's a piece of luck!!!

Now, here's some hard advice that stems from hard experience. Again, isn't it lucky that you're reading this? Maybe you won't have to learn by trial and error as most of us did. Lucky once more!!!

1. Learn to be an advocate for yourself. That's the most important piece of advice I can give you. Tucked deep inside all of us is a fighter, a warrior, and that is what you must become.
You will need to fight your health insurance company to get the care
that you need.
You will need to fight your pdoc (shrink, psychiatrist, whatever you
want to call him or her...the one who dispenses the meds) to get the right combination of pills--sometimes called the right "cocktail" in the trade that will help you lead a life in which you'll feel at least partly "functional ” and maybe even a lot better than that!
You will need to hire a lawyer to help you get the social security
benefits to which you are entitled by law : SSDI/SSI programs from the Social Security Administration.
You will need to enlist others to aid you in your fight (family,
friends, therapists, physicians, our message board, chat room and others like it, you-name-it).

Isn't it lucky that you know this right off the bat?

2. Take your meds as instructed. This is going to be a tough one. Once the pdoc gets your med cocktail right (most of us take more than one medication, one for depression, one for mood stabilization, one for sleep, etc.) You'll start to feel better, probably for the first time in ages. Do be aware, however, that these meds have subtle effects and can take up to two weeks before you start feeling them work. That's where the danger comes in. Once you start to feel better, you'll probably think you're back to "normal," whatever that is, and think you don't need your meds anymore. WRONG!!!!!
It's the meds that help you stay normal. TAKE YOUR MEDS AS INSTRUCTED.
They'll help you stay alive and out of the hospital. If they're not working, talk to your pdoc until he gets the combination right. Don't give up.
3. Have a plan of action. Make a list of people you can call or chat with when you're in a bad way (either really depressed, suicidal, or manic and want to go out and do something outrageous like a shopping spree, a drunken bender, have a orgy, whatever). Use that list, which should include both your therapist and your pdoc. Talk to someone you trust (your husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, mother, whoever) to plan what to do when you're in a manic episode. This generally means handing over your wallet (with the credit cards), the bills that need to be paid, etc. to that person. This is essential, but hard to do. Once you recognize the patterns and symptoms that lead up to these episodes, though, it will become easier to do.
Keep a journal so that you can recognize the patterns of symptoms
that indicate a depressive or manic episode has or is close to arriving. You can keep it simple. Just tell what kind of day you had (good, bad, wonderful ~manic~ ).

4. Learn about your disease. CHECK OUT ALL THE SITES, TALK TO YOUR THERAPIST IF YOU HAVE ONE, AND I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU READ ABOUT IT, TALK TO YOUR PDOC, ETC.

That's about it, except get the work books, too. Come to the chat room and talk to us about anything you want. One of us probably has had the same experience you have, and will be able to answer questions, give support and encouragement, and offer direction. We're friends helping friends.

Isn't it lucky that you've found such wonderful friends who know exactly what you're going through? We're here for you!

 

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