Posted on: Sun, Jan 6 2008 11:11 PM
Posted by: jeannie Posts: 3
i understand what you are saying, i also suffer with mental illness and it very well can be disabling for many people, not exactly the same as a phycial disability, but it is great to be able to chat and make new friends that can relate to your life situation.
Posted on: Tue, Jan 22 2008 12:24 AM
Posted by: tsprague1 Posts: 7
Shawn,
I'm glad that you found this site. I'm glad that I did, too. I just joined today.
Your message hit me hard. My older son's name was Shawn, and he was bi-polar, also. So am I. In fact, pretty much my whole family is.
How old are you? If that question offends you, please disregard it, okay?
Your county should have a mental health facility where you can get help. If you are having halucinations (auditory - voices, even if they seem to come from another room; visual - seeing things move or that just aren't there), having thoughts that you know are not accurate but can't stop thinking about them (like believing that people are sending radio waves to you, or you know that you are doing something this not right, but you can't stop) and you can not get seen quickly, I think that you might want to go to the hospital and see if they can help you. Sometimes, you get admitted to the hospital. It's not very scary, unless you've never done it before. Basically, what they are doing is getting you into an environment without the outside world to see how you react and to see if you need meds. It is very safe for you, and you can usually feel all that tension that has been inside you unwind, because you are protected in there. Usually, you are not there more than 3 days, and most places will release you with follow up appointment with a psychologist. When you get admitted, if you do, they will do the paperwork needed to get you medical help.
Don't be afraid to the tell the Doctors, Psychologist or whoever you see, what you are actually thinking and what has been happening that brought you to them. They have dealt with what you are going through before, nothing that you tell them will make them think badly of you.
Terri
Http://www.tlsprague.com
Shawn's Mom
Http://northwest-wanderer.spaces.live.com
Posted on: Wed, Jan 23 2008 5:34 PM
Posted by: GuardianAngel Posts: 9
1Thank you for starting this post. I have Bipolar Disorder II and it manifests itself in mood shifts or swings between depression and irritability. However, I have recently started a medication called Lamotrigene (aka: Lamictal). Once I got up to 100 mgs. a day ( it takes a while to titrate up to a therapeutic dose, you have to start with 25 mgs) my mood shifts or swings completely disappeared. I do take the lamotrigene with paxil 20mgs. a day since I also have depression. This combination really works for me. Lamotrigene is not an anti-psychotic but an anti-seizure medication. The anti-psychotics can cause weight gain, diabetes, and heart problems which the anti-seizure meds don’t tend to cause. I recommend that folks with BP ask their physicians about trying an anti-seizure med before an anti-psychotic. 200 mgs. of Lamotrigene might work better for folks with BPD 1 but the 100 mgs. is fine for me.
Also, I have heard that BPD affects 5 to 7 percent of the population.
Anyone else taking anti-seizure meds for this condition?
Also, my physician got me on the patient assistance program from Glaxo Smith Kline, which manufactures lamotrigene. You can get on this with if you have no income from employment and have a doctor serve as your advocate (he or she can enroll you over the phone from his/her office) Once you get on this, the med is only $10 for 60 pills and you can get refills at your doctor’s office. The usual price for this med is up to $200 a month in America (in Canada, it’s available as a generic, go figure).
I hope this info helps folks.
Judy
Posted on: Tue, Feb 19 2008 10:34 PM
Posted by: Blue Eyes Posts: 68
hello Nonnibee, my name is robyn and I am new to this site with in the past week. I am a RBK amputee and my 26 year ols was diagnosed with Bipolar last April '07. One of his best friends gave me the insight to the fact that my son was Bipolar because his sister is. I had suspected it and talking with his friend and his friends sister I was sure. I urged,cried and begged my son to get treatment and he flatly refused. In april '07 there was an awful incident with him in my home and he terrified me and was out of control. Within days I had him hospitalized and had to do it by Court Order, it was the hardest thing I've eveer done...he was SO angry with me, but after a few days realized I did what I had to do to SAVE him from himself...he was able to sign himself out after 9 days, sooner than I felt he should be released but he signed a form that stated he was going to be court ordered for 90 days to continue his therapy and meds or be put back in the facility for 90 days. Well, once his hospital supplied meds ran out he stopped everything and that was w/in a month. I, again urged him to continue but he refused, it was starting all over again. I called his caseworker and was going to have his courrt order lifted, as I could becuase I was the originator of it. I let him know this and let him know how much I dearly loved him and WAS NOT going to sit back and watch him do this to himself. I gave him an ultimatum....start back on the meds and therapy or goodbye for 90 days plus. I let him decide ....within 2 days he walked in with meds and appts. with his therapist. He is doing fine today, sure he hads his mpoments but its soooo nice to see my son feeling better about himself. Good luck to all of you and God Bless. xoxoxo -robyn
Posted on: Tue, Feb 19 2008 10:45 PM
it's Robyn back with more....my son was first started on RISPERDONE and put back on it after he had stopped but was then added CELEXA to it...The RISPERDONE did not seem to work for him, nor did he feel so. He was just recently changed to ABILIFY..has anyone been on that med and if so how does it make YOU feel. I have told my son (jeff) about this site and about postings concerning BIPOLAR and he just said "NO THANKS"...he is treating himself for the disorder but seems yet want to ignore learning more about it and hearing what others deal with and go thru...I DON"T push it on hom whatsoever,just trying to offer more support to him. I AM very proud of him right now. He has decided to continue his education and learn a Trade. He is currently attending our Community College ( Grand Rapids Community College) here in MI. and is learning WELDING. He is SO proud of himself and I am of HIM. He's going to be o.k.....he HAS thanked me for helping him and I told him...how could I not,sweetheart!!!!
Posted on: Wed, Mar 19 2008 8:38 PM
Posted by: TWeiss2 Posts: 125
Response by Tom Weiss deleted due to Disaboom Censorship. I would rather censor myself.
Posted on: Wed, Mar 19 2008 8:55 PM
Posted on: Wed, Mar 19 2008 9:10 PM
Posted by: bonniethesurvivor Posts: 1,138
There is a mental health community here, and many of us are trying to make it more visible and more supportive. Bi-Polar numbers are just not reliable because the diagnosis, as expressed in many of the posts, can take a long time, if it is ever even made.
Many folks just suffer from mental illness, or some suffer from physical disabilities and do not realize that they also have a mental health disability; that their depression has been triggered by the physical but can become chemical/neurological (see last week's series on depression). We need to see much more research on this, and more support.
Meanwhile, if you are suffering you definitely need to get help. Unfortunately, we once had a wonderful community mental health system in this country which Reagan disbanded, which is the reason so many homeess, mentally ill people now live on the street. (USA). Some communities do have community mental health centers though, funded state or local.
I agree, as so often, with TWeiss2, that it is hard to trust the medical establishment, the meds, but what are the choices? From my point of view, we do not have the option of giving up. If one is experiencing a psychotic episode, which one will know if there are voices, things are seen that other people don't, or experiences as a new, perhaps historical person, it would be good to seek help immediately. Perhaps a local minister or rabbi for example could help admit into a psychiatric facility for a short period for a medication work-up. Most good hospitals have wards for this sort of emergency, but the ER is not the best avenue into the system.
So please please feel that there are folks here who share mental health needs and concerns, and are looking for ways, traditional and non-traditional, to solve these issues.
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