Managing Bipolar Disorder with and without Medication

I have bipolar 1 and have gon through times when I diddint take my meds and it ended up badly. I ended up
Up in the mental hospital which humbled me to take my meds. I haven’t had a manic episode since I then.

A common theme in mental illness is the issue of insighT. Meaning is someone
Suffers from a mental illness they will refuse to beilivej that they have a mental illness much less take medication. This applies to BP to schizophrenia and to alcoholism. It makes tresatment difficult.

Just remember that when someone is suffering from a severe manic episode there symptoms ar indistinguishable from schizophrenia.

If you have any mor question please feel free to ask me

 

One question I do have is that you mention not having a manic episode after taking medication. Is that a typical result? And if there are no manic episodes with medication, what symptoms do you find most prominent?

 

CBT has been effective in management of bipolar disorder for some people. What I've seen usually contemplates the use of CBT in conjunction with some medications--mood stabilizers at the very least--but you might do some looking into this therapy as part of your research.

 

I have a friend who went off her bipolar meds because she wanted to get pregnant. Her doctor gave her something else but it wasn't as effective. She did get pregnant so she couldn't safely go back on the original meds, and it was hell. She was hospitalized for a good chunk of her pregnancy and when she was out her boyfriend had to monitor her constantly, with help from family and friends, so she was never alone.

So, yeah, another voice saying meds help, and quitting meds is not a good idea.

 

Bipolar is very responsive to medication but no for everyone. Some people will experience mania and depression despite medication. The symptoms I experience now are classifed as psychosis. Not mania. I’m technically diagnosed as schzoeffective disorder which is a mixture bipolar an schizophrenia. And I currently experience the schizophrenia end of the spectrum and no medication I have tried has helped with it

 

Interesting. Thanks