Q and A
I have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I have tried a variety of meds but I am currently unemployable because of my health issues. This means I have no insurance for the meds which are costly! My current doctor is very unsympathetic, but maybe that is what I need. For me, the black cloud just seems to finally lift. I can’t point my finger to anything. I don’t know what triggers the depression phrase but I now know it will be coming as I have been struggling with depression for 12 years now. Does this happen with anyone else?
B.
Hi B.,
Well, it happens for me every day. I struggle with depression 90% of the time and have done so for many years. The difference for me now is that I know how to manage it. Depression is debilitating. It takes so much time to manage it and for those who don’t have a good treatment plan, it can take all of your energy as well. You say that your doctor is unsympathetic. There can be a few reasons for this- it may be that he or she is not the right doctor for you, but it can also be that you aren’t doing enough to take care of yourself. Doctors and therapist can really only do so much. They are a PART of your health care team. Not the be all and end all.
I know it may hurt to hear this, but those of us with depression have so much more strength than we think we do. Depression makes us think we are hopeless and helpless- we aren’t. This means that we can be a burden to those around us with our constant sadness and neediness. I know I was like this for years and it ruined many relationships. It takes a lot of courage to really look at how you are around other people and decide to do something about it.
As you know, I use the Health Cards to manage my depression and all of the other symptoms of bipolar disorder. They save my life regularly. Have you tried them? They work.
Triggers are hard to find unless you regularly write them down. Here are mine for depression:
- Being alone too much
- No structure during the day
- Hanging out with the wrong people
- Not forcing myself to sleep on a regular schedule
- Traveling
- Writing deadlines
- Weather
The list is pretty long- I discovered all of these by using my Health Cards.
You must have a plan to end the control depression has over your life. Depression will make you sit around crying all day if you let it. You have to fight it. It can be done. You can’t do it alone, and a doctor is not enough. The more you treat it yourself, the better you will be and the more you will be able to work and afford your medications. It starts with you- don’t let depression thoughts tell you who you are and what you can or can’t do. You decide this.
All of my books give tips on how to really take your life back from depression. I am sick all of the time, but I’m well enough now to write books and have friends and just get out of bed in the morning. The depression is still there, but I can fight it daily. You can do the same.
Julie
Related posts:
- Bipolar Disorder and Focus: How do you do it Julie? Here is a reader question from Michelle. She asks important...
- Is it depression or bipolar depression? A Quiz! The following is an excerpt from an article I wrote...
- Reader Question: Work and Bipolar Mania Thanks to everyone for your reader comments and questions- here...
- Technical issues We apologize for the generic design and the delay in...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Recent Comments