[Lesborah]

Originally Posted by Matías.

Yea I know it can be really hard for the people close to you, when I was with my family my disease literally torned the family apart, I never really was sucidal but I did other stuff I don't want to talk about now

Yeah it's really important to have a very close family ! I am so glad we didn't tear up

[Nicolás89]

Originally Posted by debby

Nah I know she has a type but I forgot it because she has some medication, and she's found the right dosage when she feels a bit down, her psy changes her dosage up , and if she feels better, she reduces it , etc.. they found the right balance !
do you see someone right ?

Well right now I am at a place where the doctors have maintained the same dosage for a while & him & I expect to keep it that way for 3 years more at least.

Yep, I see a psychiatrist once a month & a therapist twice a month.

[kittyking]

Originally Posted by debby

My mom is clearly bipolar and nothing from that list was enough And I am sure it's the same for Matias.

About that list : i guess it's directed to really sad people (not depressed)
a depression is really serious, it can't be cured by doing all these things :/ but you are right, many people either take this too lightly or think sadness=depression.... and that's not a good thing at all !

Well, actually it was directed towards people who get severe mood swings. I simply commented on how to deal with things in bad times because in my opinion there is nothing wrong with being in a happy state :shrugs: People with bi polar in my experience are happy at times, sad at others. If you're sad all the time and it never changes, then most doctors would call that depression.

I know a bit more about this subject than I'm letting on, but Matias I wasn't speaking about your case directly. A commonsense approach would be 'if it aint broke, don't fix it'. I know of some doctors who feel obligated and in fact pressured to diagnose people with mental illness' which they may or may not have. Drugs often follow depending on the severity of the condition, and if these are given to the wrong people; even in small doses, it causes problems. These aren't limited to the individual but also their family and society in general.

Sadness is not depression, as I've said sadness is very natural. The reality is that no one has a perfect life. It's full of ups and downs. Doctors forget/ignore this basic fact.

[Lesborah]

That just sucks.
I am so happy to be over with medication and therapy, but you guys have to be on treatment for life. Oh well, as long as you are happy and healthy, that's the most important !

[kittyking]

Originally Posted by debby

Nah I know she has a type but I forgot it because she has some medication, and she's found the right dosage when she feels a bit down, her psy changes her dosage up , and if she feels better, she reduces it , etc.. they found the right balance !
do you see someone right ?

I hate to point out the obvious here, but does it really matter which 'type' she is?

People with mental disorders, it doesn't matter which type or the severity of it should be handled individually. What's right for someone isn't right for another, and grouping people/treating them 'like one of those folk' has more con's than pro's.

[Nicolás89]

Originally Posted by debby

Yeah it's really important to have a very close family ! I am so glad we didn't tear up

[Lesborah]

Originally Posted by kittyking

Well, actually it was directed towards people who get severe mood swings. I simply commented on how to deal with things in bad times because in my opinion there is nothing wrong with being in a happy state :shrugs: People with bi polar in my experience are happy at times, sad at others. If you're sad all the time and it never changes, then most doctors would call that depression.

I know a bit more about this subject than I'm letting on, but Matias I wasn't speaking about your case directly. A commonsense approach would be 'if it aint broke, don't fix it'. I know of some doctors who feel obligated and in fact pressured to diagnose people with mental illness' which they may or may not have. Drugs often follow depending on the severity of the condition, and if these are given to the wrong people; even in small doses, it causes problems. These aren't limited to the individual but also their family and society in general.

Sadness is not depression, as I've said sadness is very natural. The reality is that no one has a perfect life. It's full of ups and downs. Doctors forget/ignore this basic fact.

But bipolar disorder is coupled with depression so... welp I really need to read that book, I've promised my mom to do it for years, it's time to read it !

Yeah that's true. My doctor hates unnecessary treatements , especially Valiums.
Once I had a small breakdown at highschool for some reasons, my mom gave me a half-Valium, and the doctor was like "ok to calm her down, but don't give her more valiums, these pills will be enough, and NO SCHOOL for a whole week ok? Valiums are too extreme" but last year, I had a severe breakdown , and he gave me Valiums and sent me at the psychiatrist.

I was lucky to have a doctor who is naturally wary towards this kind of stuff because indeed, it can be dangerous after awhile, like addiction... and things can quickly get ugly.

[Lesborah]

Originally Posted by kittyking

I hate to point out the obvious here, but does it really matter which 'type' she is?

People with mental disorders, it doesn't matter which type or the severity of it should be handled individually. What's right for someone isn't right for another, and grouping people/treating them 'like one of those folk' has more con's than pro's.

That's mostly why I never really bothered to remember her type.
I guess these types are easier to find the typical treatment as there are different kinds of bipolar disorders (so types), but then it's up to my mom to find the right dosage and how she feels ?

[Nicolás89]

Originally Posted by kittyking

Well, actually it was directed towards people who get severe mood swings. I simply commented on how to deal with things in bad times because in my opinion there is nothing wrong with being in a happy state :shrugs: People with bi polar in my experience are happy at times, sad at others. If you're sad all the time and it never changes, then most doctors would call that depression.

I know a bit more about this subject than I'm letting on, but Matias I wasn't speaking about your case directly. A commonsense approach would be 'if it aint broke, don't fix it'. I know of some doctors who feel obligated and in fact pressured to diagnose people with mental illness' which they may or may not have. Drugs often follow depending on the severity of the condition, and if these are given to the wrong people; even in small doses, it causes problems. These aren't limited to the individual but also their family and society in general.

Sadness is not depression, as I've said sadness is very natural. The reality is that no one has a perfect life. It's full of ups and downs. Doctors forget/ignore this basic fact.

Well my doctor doesn't earn anything prescribing me pills, he literally gives me all I need.

About the bolded part, that's not really true in my experience at least.

Originally Posted by debby

That just sucks.
I am so happy to be over with medication and therapy, but you guys have to be on treatment for life. Oh well, as long as you are happy and healthy, that's the most important !

Well not for life but at least 10 years more in my case.

[Lesborah]

Originally Posted by Matías.

Well not for life but at least 10 years more in my case.

Oh I thought it was for life, since you can't cure the bipolar disease.. But to each their own treatment.

[Nicolás89]

Originally Posted by debby

Oh I thought it was for life, since you can't cure the bipolar disease.. But to each their own treatment.

Yea my doctor has told me that if I reach full stability there's really no point on giving me medication, if it is checked regularly that that's the case of course.

I don't really want to take medication for the rest of my life.

[kittyking]

Originally Posted by debby

But bipolar disorder is coupled with depression so... welp I really need to read that book, I've promised my mom to do it for years, it's time to read it !

Yeah that's true. My doctor hates unnecessary treatements , especially Valiums.
Once I had a small breakdown at highschool for some reasons, my mom gave me a half-Valium, and the doctor was like "ok to calm her down, but don't give her more valiums, these pills will be enough, and NO SCHOOL for a whole week ok? Valiums are too extreme" but last year, I had a severe breakdown , and he gave me Valiums and sent me at the psychiatrist.

I was lucky to have a doctor who is naturally wary towards this kind of stuff because indeed, it can be dangerous after awhile, like addiction... and things can quickly get ugly.

Not everyone who has depression has bipolar, only a small percentage do.

Doctors these days are far more likely to give you strong drugs such as valiums (prozac etc) than ever before, and the rate of those with mental disorders is steadily increasing. You can't say there is no connection there. Well done for your doctor stepping in and doing the right thing.

[kittyking]

Originally Posted by debby

That's mostly why I never really bothered to remember her type.
I guess these types are easier to find the typical treatment as there are different kinds of bipolar disorders (so types), but then it's up to my mom to find the right dosage and how she feels ?

I don't mean to offend, I thought I better say this first.

It's not up to your mum to figure out the right dosage for herself. It is however incredibly important that she is upfront and 100% honest when asked questions by her doctors. It's so easy to say that things are worse than they actually are. Slightly offtopic but a similar example.

You go lunch monday to friday at five different locations. You really enjoyed four of these, but tuesdays one wasn't particularly great. Your friend asks you 'which place should I go to'. Instead of making a recommendation, most people would say something along the lines of 'any except the place I went too on Tuesday', even though we would have had a favourite. Think back to the last time someone asked you that? It's far easier to say bad things than good things, where as the good things are just as important if not more.

Also its really hard to answer 'what dosage do I need', its much easier to answer 'In 3 months time I want to be in this state of mind' and work backwards from there. There is a lot someone with a mental disorder can do to help their own self. Doctors and drugs at best are an assistant, they are not a cure.

[Lesborah]

Originally Posted by Matías.

Yea my doctor has told me that if I reach full stability there's really no point on giving me medication, if it is checked regularly that that's the case of course.

I don't really want to take medication for the rest of my life.

But the treatement doesn't have a chemical influence on your brain?

Originally Posted by kittyking

Not everyone who has depression has bipolar, only a small percentage do.

Doctors these days are far more likely to give you strong drugs such as valiums (prozac etc) than ever before, and the rate of those with mental disorders is steadily increasing. You can't say there is no connection there. Well done for your doctor stepping in and doing the right thing.

Nah I meant bipolar persons who are depressed
Thankfully not all depressed persons are bipolar !

yes but it's also up to the person... I mean, the doctor has to say no or yes.... but then it's quite easy to get these strong drugs nowadays so the doctors have to be cautious and careful, but people need to not change their dosage as well.
I remember that in fall 2010, I had knees problems and I was taking pain killers. But as the pain was increasing (but I was also struggling with my mom, that was her last bad episode), I took too many painkillers. Then I suddenly realized it was awful and it was some kind of self harming etc etc, and I just emptied all painkillers in the toilets. The day after was awful, but I was proud of myself.

I had a friend who didn't want to stop his pills but increased the dosage so :/

[Nicolás89]

Originally Posted by debby

But the treatement doesn't have a chemical influence on your brain?

Some people can fully function without meds, I hope I can be like that someday.