Hi,
How’s it going?
I hope you have a great day today.
Yesterday was really funny. I was reading my blog responses and saw one obviously from a person that if I had to guess wasn’t doing well. She said: “you seem to repeat information over and over. are you bipolar?”
Actually several people who work for me with bipolar disorder laughed and laughed about this.For a number of reasons. First, we all think it’s funny that if someone see something, like a typo, writing fast, repeating yourself, etc. they say, “are you bipolar?” We laugh because if you look at the signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder “repeating yourself” isn’t one of them.
I actually don’t really repeat myself over and over and over and over. I do however repeat themes and important concepts, strategies and ideas.
One of them is getting the basics. You see this is where I come from. I come from a place where my entire life whether it was football or business, we drilled on the basics EVERYDAY.
I believe the basics are super important. When I speak to people who are dealing with bipolar disorder and having a hard time, whether they are bipolar supporters or have the disorder themselves, I notice that they do NOT know the basics. The basics are what kill them.
You can’t have a loved one who is really successful with bipolar disorder or you can’t be with knowing the basics.
So in responses to the post of “are you bipolar because you keep repeating yourself?” let’s look at the signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder. Here is an excerpt from www.bipolarcentral.com
“There are two types of Bipolar Disorder. Bipolar I is characterized by severe, debilitating symptoms, with extreme episodes, including some or all of the following:
Manic Symptoms
-Agitation, nervousness, irritability, feeling edgy, short-tempered,
-Feeling you can ‘do no wrong’, inflated sense of self, grandiose feelings, inappropriate or poor judgment
-Increased sex drive or desire, loss of inhibition
-Dressing or speaking in an extreme, or unusual manner
-Inability to focus
-Delusions, hallucinations
-Euphoria, or feeling ‘high’
-Heavy use of drugs or alcohol
-Boundless energy, sleeplessness, insomnia
-Rage, aggression or combative behavior
-Racing or disassociated thoughts, extreme talkativeness, rapid speech
-Reckless spending, high speed driving, high risk activities, decisions made without considering consequences
Depressive Symptoms
-Abnormally low, listless mood and energy
-Constant fatigue, increase/decrease in sleep, insomnia, excess sleep
-Feelings of guilt, worthlessness and unworthiness
-Inability to concentrate or focus, or to make everyday decisions
-Excessive drug or alcohol use
-Absence of self-esteem or confidence
-Extreme increase or decrease in appetite or weight
-Sadness, hopelessness, an attitude of ‘what’s the use?’
-Withdrawal from family, friends, co-workers
-No interest in activities, even normally exciting or interesting tasks
-Self abuse or injury, thoughts, talk, plans or attempts of suicide
Bipolar II is also called Hypomania. Bipolar II or Hypomanic episodes, and symptoms, are significantly less extreme than Bipolar I behaviors.
Also let me say again, I am NOT a doctor, therapist or attorney. I am NOT offering medical, legal advice or professional advice.
Diagnosing Bipolar Disorder:
Bipolar Disorder should be diagnosed by a psychiatrist, a specialist, equipped to recognize the symptoms. Accurate diagnosis is crucial, because treatment usually includes medication. If the wrong medication is prescribed, symptoms may worsen, or side effects may occur.
To diagnose Bipolar Disorder, doctors look for at least two years of numerous periods of hypomanic and depressive symptoms. In children, the duration of symptoms must be at least one year. Symptoms must cause significant impairment in social, work or school or other functional areas.
The bottom line is a good doctor is the key to getting a proper diagnosis and then getting the correct
medication.
WARNING!!!!
It’s VERY important not to get any old doctor. You need to SHOP for a doctor. You need to really find a good one. One that knows disorders like bipolar disorder really well. One that will work with the patient AND the family or supporters as well.
In my courses/systems below:
SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11
SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com
HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
I teach at length how to find a good doctor. How to shop for one. How to ask the right questions. How to make sure you keep them on track. I go through the ins and outs of dealing with doctors when it comes to bipolar disorder.
This is information that nobody seems to ever talk about anywhere else. I have no idea when the doctor is so important.
If you or your loved one fail to get the right doctor, you are pretty much doomed. I hate to get dramatic but it’s true.
My mom had TERRIBLE doctors over the years. If you listen to the success interviews in my courses/systems you will hear person after person say that for 5, 10, 15, or more than 20 years they had bad doctors and bad doctors misdiagnosed them, gave them the wrong medication, didn’t care, etc.
This is one of the basics of dealing with bipolar disorder. You need a good doctor.
The reason why I pointed this out, is many people just don’t know the basics. They look around and say so and so must be bipolar because well because he spells things wrong. Or he must have bipolar disorder because he has purple hair.
A doctor will look for several signs and symptoms not just one at one time. Make sense?
As another interesting side note, someone said, “you write really fast sometimes and you do these daily emails. I saw a typo, I think you have bipolar disorder.” I laughed and laughed. The person didn’t think it was funny that I was laughing at them.
I said “you know, my mom can be in a MAJOR bipolar episode and write perfectly well. As a matter of fact, she can edit while she is in an episode. She writes perfect all the time.” I asked, “So how does this go along with your theory??”
The person didn’t say anything. The point I was trying to make was writing fast, making typos is NOT a sign of bipolar disorder. Again, this person was a person who didn’t even know the basics of the disorder and his loved one had been struggling for years and years and years.
I asked this person about his loved one’s doctor and I found out he just “picked one.” I said that was wrong, wrong, wrong. He said there were no doctors in his area. I said “you sound like my dad for my entire life.” Let me tell you, there are doctors in your area. They exist. You need to work at finding them. I go through this at
length in my course. But the bottom line is, doctors are super important, the basics of bipolar disorder are really important.
Hey I have to run. I will catch you tomorrow.
Anyone willing to share the result of what happens when you don’t know the basics like you need a good doctor? Anyone willing to share a story about a bad doctor?
David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.
Post responses below
If the woman to which you referred in your last email had bothered to read anything, she would realise it is not you that suffers from bi-polar but your mother. So perhaps she should not comment about things she has not properly read or looked into as ignorance is not an excuse!
The worst doctor I ever encountered was a psychiatrist who was very cool and aloof, no warm fuzzies there. I went to my appointment and she had me sit in a chair while she sat at her desk…with her back to me! She asked how things were going, and I replied, “Not so well, my father died.” She didn’t say a word! She just kept writing what I assume were her notes from her last session. I was stunned and didn’t say anything more. After a few seconds she put her head up, said, “Oh, I’m sorry, go on.” Well, I didn’t have a lot I wanted to add to that so the session was pretty quiet. When I got home I wrote her a letter documenting the session and found another doctor. The doctor I have now is wonderful, but it took a lot of looking around.
Pam Moore
I just wanted you to know that I appreciate the information that you are giving me. I mostly just read, and don’t respond because I have nothing to contribute. I have a fairly new friend who is BiPolar, and our family has a friend that everyone supports. Both of our friends are adult. I like my Bipolar friends very much, and want to help, or at least not hurt them. My friend is vey much in control of her illness most of the time. She had to stop her meds in order to get an upper GI exam. She was delusional one
evening because of this. She said that she told her therapist, and he said it must have shocked me. I told her that it didn’t, and that she could say anything she wanted to me. My daughter, who is a nurse, and who works in Behavior Med at the hospital, said that I shouldn’t agree or go along with with her delusion. I asked if I could just not say anything. She said that would be ok.
My nurse/daughter supports the other
Bipolar person. Because of having to have a gallbladder operation, this
lady had to suspend her meds. Her mate is the stepson of my other daughter, so we all support her in every way that we can. Since my daughter is the Mother-in-law, it is no easy task, since it is negatively effecting her step-son, who is an alcoholic. The two have separated, but keep getting back together. They both have volitile tempers, so it isn’t doing well at all. She has been known to hit him with a baseball bat. Our sympathies are with both of them. However, he is seeing someone else while still coming back to her. We are afraid that she will kill him and spend the rest of her life in prison. Forunately, she doesn’t know about the other woman. This girl has attempted suicide several times. She is really a very loving person, and we all love her.
I have had two bipolar friends. One was found dead in her apartment. We
live in an apartment building with terribly ignorant people who got upset when she had a problem with her meds and began to threaten people. This woman was one of the nicest people I have ever known. She had never ever even shown any symptoms of being bipolar before, but of course she had told us that she was. We think she committed suicide. She came to visit me a night or two before it happened and brought me a bag of presents that she probably couldn’t afford. She reminded me that I had gone to the store and bought toothache medicine for her even when she told me not to. I think she was saying goodbye. She had a birthday card for her brother. She was doing this for me when people were saying that she was dangerous. We had a pleasant evening, and pleasant conversation. I think these two examples show that kindness goes a long way, and that people who aren’t understanding or have problems of their own such as addictions, can make it far worse. We all have our personality problems. We have no right to treat Bipolars or Epileptic paople like freaks. If our personality problems are more in control than theirs, we should thank God, and try to be understanding.
Maybe I had more to contribute than I thought!
Dear Dave,
I think it’s interesting that people wonder if you have bipolar, because you definitely have extremely high energy and motivaiton. Bipolar disorder does run in families, so it’s possible for children of people with bipolar to be a little off of center on the mood continuum.
When our son was diagnosed with ADD in third grade, both my husband and I recognized the traits in ourselves — and since he was diagnosed with bipolar in sixth grade (this is the correct diagnosis for him -not ADD) – we have also recognized some of these traits in ourselves. Neither one of us has real out-and-out bipolar like our son, but we can see how our genes could have gotten together to set him up for bipolar disorder.
We now know some techniques to help increase stability, like strict bedtimes and keeping a regular schedule (thanks for the good advice, Dave!). We also watch our diet and take family walks. These things have helped all 3 of us, and we have much calmer household.
Kelly
p.s. — Don’t worry, we also have him on meds and are working closely with his school for next year. The bipolar parent trap is to think that you have finally hit on the right parenting technique, and gotten everything right, only to have your life fall apart in front of you – again – and then start blaming yourself for being a bad parent. At least now, we know that trap, and we’ll be extra-vigilant when school starts. We are not afraid (well, okay, maybe a little) and we will be brave – and this year will be a good one.
Thanks, Dave!
My mother has bipolar disease; she has had it from about 1964 or so. Doctors then did not know it as bipolar but termed her schoizd (??) and over the years have diagnosed her as a whole litany of disorders. Today is personality disorder. As I understand it, personality disorder is part and parcel bipolar???
I took over her care in 1998. No one in the family wanted to believe she had a disease; that she could change if she wanted to. She had 9 pregnancies in 10 years resulting in 8 live births. (I couldn’t handle 2 kids, much less 8.) She was a hard case to handle but Dad did the best he could. The doctors had her so doped up all the time it’s a wonder we kids didn’t burn the hosue down.
Dad washed his hands of her in 1998. He had had enough. God blessed me with having the where-with-all to deal with her. It is damned hard, especially not knowing what I am doing. I have to treat her like a child sometimes. I have named her illness “Stella”, and I call it Stella when the illness is in full blown authority.
I hired an attorney, went to court to have mother declared unfit to take care of herself. The judge agreed with his findings. The poor woman was constantly going into the hospitals, getting on medications that would work and they would release her to the world. Within 3 months she was taking herself off the meds without discussing it with a doctor or me. It was a nightmare.
The psych doctor at the local mental health hospital is a real head case. Momma would say she did not like taking abilify 15 mg, so he’d say, “Well, I can reduce it for you” without even discussing it. It is a good thing I go into her meetings!
This last time she got off her meds I told her if she did it again I would speak with the docs about giving her meds in injection form. That is exactly what happened last week. Every 2 weeks I’ll bring her in for the injection. Once she is stabilized we can discuss the level of her care.
There was a new doctor this time around. He actually looked her in the eyes, spoke directly to her, read her notes, not scribbling notes from the previous session. He kept her on subject, time and again. He discussed her treatment with me in private. There are so many doctors that really need help themselves. Is that why they go into psych work? LOL
Pray for momma to have faith in the Lord above to take care of her.
Madeleine
Some people are always going to question you Dave they I believe feel are testing you at times and with all their problems they have to live with on a daily basis I guess they feel that you may know these answers and then some of them probably feel you know so much then maybe you are Bipolar they need to understand that you do all this research on Bipolar illness and this is why you know so much about it.
Now onto Bad Doctor’s-
Do you really want my opinions? I really don’t think so!
When you are on disability and the only Insurance is Medicare and Medicaid
YOU MAY AS WELL FORGET IT!!! The Dr’s stink and if you know any different please share that info
You hit the nail on the head today when it comes to doctor in general. More of them than not have should not have a license to practice any type of medicine because they are clearly Quacks!! I once had a OB/GYN talk me into having a D & C done in his office without any anesthesia! Assured me it wouldn’t hurt anymore than what I had already experienced with my cramps! Wrong and guess who didn’t get paid! It is the same with Psychiatrists and other mental illness experts. Often they are quick to make a diagnosis and start the scripts to help you get better, when in fact they are probably treating you for the wrong disorder. I think I wrote here yesterday that any medical person should have to pass a stringent test every year to be sure they are qualified to do whatever they practice instead of just providing a quick guess as to your ailment and then start up with the treatments. Yes, I am a little manic today because I’m watching my husband start his manic episode and he refuses to go to a Psychiatrist because he says they are all quacks, almost, but not quite. So I have him on the right meds that keep him stable most of the time and get a emergency script for tranquilizers to keep him from getting too bad. Wish me luck with this one, please.
a good doctor is important I thought I had a good one until I They told
me they found out they were out of my insurance network and slammed
me with a deductible over four hundred dollars .After my out of network charge and deductible came loose my doctor became a jerk all he had
to say to me was how are you going to pay and he gave me three months .
I paid my copay that day to be yelled at over something I had no control over .My doctor was caring and good to me until my insurance mishap.
they tryed to send me else where saying I could not afford them anymore.
I left and am waiting to go somewhere else making sure this time my insurance approves it but they will only pay up to 1500 hundred dollars.
So I am going to worry about that limit later. but the day I left the office
after that disrespect I was enraged and sad I hit my all time lows and for the rest of the day I just listen to music and lay around because nothing
else mattered to me . I thought of calling them up to tell them they were wrong but I figured I lose my temper which is very short so I kept it to myself. being bipolar is not easy or is it fun but its something you learn
to live with and manage over time .
you took offense when i asked if you are bipolar, but remember that some bipolar meds have the side effect of dementia. so that was not a dumb question.
Is Bipolar I related, in some way, to schizophrenia? What about schizoaffective disorder? I was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, and the doctor said it was a combination of symptoms of bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
Hi Dave, me agian two days in a row. My domestic partner was diagnosed with bi-polar a couple of months ago by a V.A. dr. Is he/she good? Don’t know as of yet. Is my dp on meds? Yes he certainly is and is taking them. Are they woking? They were until this past Friday…he has been in a manic episode since Friday…he goes tomorrow to the Dr., will he tell him about his episode? No clue…has the Dr talked to me about my dp, ? No, not yet. If he does then I would say he is a good DR. Believe me, if I had had a bat, my dp would have had a bashed in head. He has been verbally horribly abusive..setting me off where I am the “psycho-bitch”…he slammed me against my truck while choking me Sunday, becuz I slammed two doors instead of batting him in the head. Now, how do I relate this to his VA dr, he needs help or he will find himself at the curb. I’ve put up with his violence for too, many years…I am at my wits end.
The most horrible thing happened to me once when a new doctor switched my medication. See, i was going to a low-cost clinic and the doctor was actually a pain specialist and new nothing about treating bipolar disorder. Well, I could tell the depakote wasn’t working quite as well as it first did and I could feel the rapid cycling beginning again. He added Lord only knows what to my regime of meds. After two days, every bit of anger I had pent up over the years came screaming out of me in very inappropriate ways. While driving, a woman cut me off and flipped me off – – I turned around in my car and went after her – – I was about to drag her out of her car when I saw the sleeping baby. Did the baby stop my rage? NO way! I just started screaming at the woman for driving like an idiot with a baby in the car. My partner drug me back to our car before anyone called the cops on psychotic me. I immediately phoned my doctor’s and was given to a nurse practitioner, who (after I ripped her apart) told me that I had no business taking the new medication in conjunction with my other meds and told me to discontinue use immediately. That was very scary.
Dear Dave,
I was referrred to a psychiatrist by my medical dr. when my medical dr. had run all kinds of tests, then given me medicine for depression only and it didn’t work. (I really like and trust my medical dr.), but the psychiatrist turned out to be an “assembly line” type of psychiatrist. Despite making weekly visits to him, he did not notice that I was becoming more and more “zombie” like, slipping into a depressive cycle. By the time my boss said something to me, I was feeling suicidal. I had a great counselor that saw me that day, then walked me across the street to the hospital. (My psychiatrist had not returned my call after two days and also never returned the call from my counselor). When I was admitted for suicidal thoughts, I just told them that I didn’t have a psychiatrist and would take any one that they suggested that was covered under my insurance. I was very lucky to meet the new one I did, because he always looks me in the eyes and asks how I have been. He also returns calls within a business day. He also listens when I tell him about lack of sleep, anxiousness at home or whatever. He always remains flexible with my medication, trying to find the right balance between settling anxiousness and keeping me alert and functional at home and work. Later, I found out one of my co-workers has the same psychiatrist, and she raves about him (she has been with him for five years).
Back to the original psychiatrist, I consider that he almost killed me by virtue of neglecting to monitor my moods and medications that I was on. He failed to listen to me.
I sincerely hope that no one else has to experience this drastric of a situation in order to get to the right dr. for them.
David, I truly appreciate your daily emails and I learn from them, spelling errors and all. When reading your messages, it is important to look for the message and not get hung up on minor details like perfect spelling.
To answer the question about having a bad doctor and the importance of finding the right doctor: My husband has bi-polar and I am his support person. Until we made the switch to the current psychiatrist -who is wonderful – my husband and I both suffered at the hand’s of a psychiatrist who paid no attention to what he was told or what he was prescribing. He had my husband on Trileptal which was harming his memory. My husband’s NeuroPsychologist suggested and we requested a switch to Lythium. The bad psychiatrist prescribed such a low dose of Lythium that my husband eventually suffered a major break, I found him in a condition that mimicked schizoprenia and totally non-responsive which led to involuntary committal in a psych ward. To add insult to injury this “doctor” wouldn’t see my husband or consult with the hospital psychiatrist. The worst indicator of just how bad this doctor was: he changed my husband’s meds and didn’t schedule a follow-up/med check appointment for 6 weeks! That is FAR TOO LONG to go without checking on a patient when a new medication is introduced. My husband has travelled the long road back from this major break due to sheer will, good support (by me!) and a great doctor. The bad doctor would see my husband for 10 minutes. The good doctor gives my husband a minimum of 30 minutes every time. We are feeling so blessed and relieved. A GOOD DOCTOR MAKES A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE. Another thing that is great about my husband’s psychiatrist is he actually consults with the others on my husband’s “team.” That is the therapist (LISW and extremely good!!) and the family physician and occasional other players.
I can really relate to the other posts here from being so closely involved with my husband’s care. To David and all who post here: Keep up the good work and keep fighting the good fight.
How right you are, Dave! The right doctor – along with the right medications – is extremely important. I dealt with a WRONG doctor during my second hospitalization. He was “just” a resident, but he prescribed soooo many different meds for me – I seemed to him to be incorrigible – that I lost my appetite, and went down to 78 lbs (5’9″).
As they were sending people home for the Christmas holidays (so the staff wouldn’t have that much “work”), he told my Mom to send me somewhere to DIE. As the State Hospital was within her driving distance, she had me committed there. I was so far “gone,” I thought I was being sent to a “spa!” They put me on the medical ward, and a Filippino doctor looked at me, and on the spot, diagnosed pernicious anemia! I had had one-third of my stomach removed 2 years before – but my surgeon didn’t even WARN me that this could happen! I wasn’t producing red blood cells…
This doctor put me on Vitamin B-12 shots twice a day, mega-vitamins, weight-gain shakes twice a day, and double portions at meals. Within 4 months, I weighed 100 lbs!
If a patient has physical complaints, it’s usually easier for a doctor to determine what’s wrong – like diabetes, MS, high cholesterol, etc., and prescribe the right meds. BUT – when a patient presents with mental and emotional problems – the doctor can only “guess” at what may be wrong. This is where the RIGHT doctor comes in. A thorough examination of past and current behavior has to be done. Then, usually, a “trial and error” period comes, where different meds are tried. If the side effects are debilitating, the doctor will wean them OFF that drug, and try another, but only if s/he’s a good doctor. “Bipolar disorder” is a veritably NEW diagnosis, and the drugs to treat it are in their infancy.
If you are a bipolar survivor, it’s wise to keep a journal (or stay in direct contact with your supporter), writing down how you feel DAILY on a new med. Not only will you have concrete evidence of how the drug is working, but you’ll have something to tell your doctor when you see them.
As Dave says, the RIGHT doctor can keep you alive!!
My prayers are with all bipolar survivors and those who love us. May God bless you real good.
Hi Dave…hope your day is going good.
This email got my attention! Please bear with me if I jusp around a bit…I am a lifer in the world of Bipolar. It was first diagnosed as ADHD way back in the 60’s at age 7, when I was put on Ritalin unitil age 10. Then I went untreated until in my 30’s, and was diagnosed in 95 with bipolar, rapid cycling, and borderline personality disorder…mind you, this was right in the middle of some major things in my life, like losing my father. It triggered me pretty hard, as we as a family had some pretty bad things happen early in life, like the loss of our mother when I was very young, with two little sisters, and a dad that never really recovered from it.
I tell you what…I have had my share of bad doctors. I will also admit that I am probably not the easiest patient, as it is very hard for me to face up to being bipolar. You see, I am not so sure when I can trust how I feel or not, as many times, I was so sure about things, usually when manic or hypomanic, ending up in upsetting family, and losing friends.
I have been with my current pdoc since 03. The most stable I have been since 95 was a four year run on depakote, even tho I gained weight, and diabetes set in. When I had a break through episode, the doc started changing up the meds. Then we went through insurance changes and therefore doctor changes. It was a mess. I seem to have quite a sensitivity to meds anyway. In 2005, I ended up with really bad adverse reactions to the meds I was on, and was having parkinson symptoms and being called pratically catatonic, and we even had to hire a friend to come and stay with me for a few months. It was a nightmare. My support system (husband and sister mainly) stepped in and I was taken off all meds in Sept of 05, with my doc saying that maybe I had become med resistant, with a four day stay at the most awful hospital. I finally started to come out of the terrible symptoms in Dec of 05, and my sister started taking me to her health club. I continued to swing up into quite the manic episode that lasted into the first of this year. I upset my family quite a bit…which broke my heart (and theirs)…I felt like I was fighting for my life after what happened in 05. My family and I have a hard time talking about bipolar as I am so sensitive about it…about facing it. When things get bad, they will listen, mostly my sister. I know it is hard on them though. So I will internalize it most of the time. This year I went into what I call a mixed episode, that ended in total insomnia, depression, racing thoughts, anxiety, and strong emotions. I must admit I have been quite the emotional person all my life. I don’t know any other way as it has always been this way. I study, and am in some groups of bipolar people and supporters…but have a really hard time being objective with myself….and have been told that it is borderline personality disorder that causes one to not be able to be objective wth themselves. I am not sure what to believe anymore. I stay close to home, and family. I am not very functional right now, but am feeling much better since I finally told my doctor about my sleep. I don’t take any of the bipolar meds since 2005. I was taking xanax for quite a while, and that was just changed to valium for anxiety and trazadone for sleep. It def got me to sleep, thank goodness, but am hoping to come down off of both as the trazadone leaves me in a stupor…bad memory, etc…and also afraid of my body getting adicted to the valium….I am female and about to turn 49, and thinking seriously about depakote again….my pdoc is pretty flexible with the med thing…and she say she still doesnt understand what happened in 05. My sister had looked up all the meds she had me on in 05, and told me I was at the top doseage for psychotic episodes…and that she had never seen me psychotic in her life…my sister is a very intelligent woman, and I trust her more than anyone…she says she just sees me swing around pretty hard from being smart and witty to depressed and the mixed type episodes. I have wanted to buy your system for a long time, but have never had the money. I am considering talking to my husband and sister about it though. I used to be able to work, and be so creative…and I pray hard for some balance in my life again….it is so scary for me to look at it straight on Dave. I get riddled with guilt over it…thinking that I should be able to come out of it mostly on my own. I stay rather quiet now, afraid to say the wrong things or upset my family. I have also thought that I should be in some kind of therapy….years ago I did an outpatient cognitive therapy, which seems really good for me….I asked my dotcor about it and she said she doesn’t have anyone to refer me to, and didn’t seem to have any thoughts about it. I have been to several therapists over the years, to no avail. I wish I could find the right people to help me with this. I just want to be stable and function okay…just close to home…that would be a blessing.
Wishing you all the best,
Roz
My husband clearly has bipolar disorder, though he has not been diagnosed with it by any medical professional. He has been to many psychiatrists and therapist for the past ten years. He is so fed up and disillushioned with all the “quacks” that he is not willing to try any new doctor or meds. He is definitely not willing to go to a psych hospital. Any other advise other than “just keep looking”? Or does he have to get really really bad before it will sink in that he is ill??
Wow, Bad Doctors???? How about knowing I was bipolar one telling me not to have children? How about the one who told me I was making HIM depressed as I told him my life story and the problems I was dealing with. Or the one who said, “I know you have something, I just don’t know what it is!”??? Or the one who refused to write that I had a medical condition that was keeping me from work and I lost my career over it? Bad Doctors??? What about the one who called me a “Momma’s Boy?”, Or the one told me I was hopeless, and to just stop trying to get better, that I have been this way for 40 years and just better get used to it??? Bad Doctors???, What about the one who flat fell asleep in front of me as I was talking to him??? I may not be the most exciting person, but damn! LOL!
The world is full of quakers. I would say the ratio is maybe 95% bad ones and 5% good ones. I have a very, very, very good one now that returns my calls the same day, has my monthly Rx ready on time, He gives me 90 day supplies of the medications I take regularly that are not “contraband”. lol. One of the ones I take is Ritalin because I do have ADHD, with Bipolar, and the med really does calm me down. But I see him once every 3 months for 15 min, because I have stabilized very well. This Dr worked with me for a year to get the meds right. He looks me in the eyes, doesn’t write until I am gone, asks me how I am doing and is genuinely concerned for me. He is the greatest Dr I have ever had! So the good ones are out there. I just wish more could be done to get the bad doctors out of their office positions. I don’t know how to go about it, but man, there are some real LULU’s out there…
My advice is to be cautious. Keep trying to find a good one. Interview them as if they were going to be doing a job for you and you were the employer. You are paying them to treat you, they are not paying you to take bad medicine and poor advice and to be mistreated. You are paying them, they should be in service to YOU! And they shouldn’t have a problem with that attitude either!!! Not that I would shove it in their face, but my doctor knows he is there to help me, I am not there to finance his new house, or car! I am a patient of his, and he is my consultant. We are a team and we work great together. If you can’t trust your dr. find one you can, or the one you can best trust. But interview, interview and interview until you find the right one.
Bob
My sister has recently been diagnosed with and treated for Bipolar Disorder. The same psychiatrist diagnosed her with ADHD previously and prescribed dexys which she abused and ended up having a psychotic break which lead to the Bipolar diagnosis. She continues to take the dexys with her other meds. Do you have any info about this dual diagnosis?
David,
My late husband was a severe bipolar. The doctor he had kept changing his medications or increasing them. At one point, she suggested “Shock” therapy. On one of his severe manics, I had him commit himself. When he found out that it was a lock down, he fought back. They sent him to another hospital. There we found a great doctor with the right medication. As long as he took the medication, he was fine. Now, that he is gone to be with the Lord, I have ordered your Master Supporter Course, because I have a brother that has it and my “new” best friend from Grief Share has it. Keep up the great work. God bless you.
April
ABOUT A BAD DR. MY SON IS AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR. HIS WONDERFUL DOC JUST TOOK HIM OFF OF HIS MEDS!!!. TOLD HIM HE WASN’T BIPOLAR HE WAS TOO “NORMAL” OF COURSE HE WAS. THE MEDS WERE FINALLY WORKING. IT TOOK 6 YRS FOR ME TO GET HIM TO AGREE THE BIPLOAR HAD TO BE TREATED AGAIN AND HE AGREED TO GO AND TOOK HIS MEDS FAITHFULLY. THIS DOC IS A QUACK. I REGRETFULLY WORK FOR THE HOSPITAL WHICH OWNS THE OTREACH CTR WHERE THIS DOC WORKS. NOW MY SON HAS LOST HIS JOB. FOUND A NEW ONE AND HAS A NEW BABY TO SUPPORT. HIS GIRFIEND MOVED OUT WITH THE BABY BECAUSE HE CANT KEEP A JOB. NOW HE LIVES WITH ME AGAIN. SO SAD, HE WAS GOING TO COLLEGE AND WAS ACCEPTED INTO PREMD…NOW WHO KNOWS. SEEMS ITS ALWAYS 2 STEPS FORWARD AND 1 STEP BACK WITH THIS DISORDER. I ALSO HAVE BIPOLAR II, HIS FATHER WAS SEVERE BIPOLAR. I MANAGE QUITE WELL. HIS FATHER COMMITTED SUICIDE 6YRS AGO.
HAVING WRITTEN ABOUT MY SON PREVIOUSLY, I WOULD NOW LIKE TO FOCUS ON MYSELF AND MY RECENT DIAGNOSIS. I AM A NURSE. I CONTROL QUITE WELL FOR NOW. I USUALLY LAST AOBUT 3YRS IN A JOB. USED TO BE 1YRS. I DO NOT CYCLE SO OFTEN NOW.I HAVE BEEN BIPOLAR ALL OF MY LIFE. I COULD NOT GET DOCS TO EVEN APPROACH THIS SUBJECT FOR 25YRS.THEY SAID I WAS JUST HYPER OR DEPRESSED”WE ALL GET BLUE NOW AND THEN” I HEARD VOICES 3MONTHS AFTER MY DAUGHTER WAS BORN…THEN AGAIN WHEN SHE WAS 5. SEVER MANIA HAD PRECEDED BOTH. FINALLY A NURSE PRACTITIONER DIAGNOSED ME JUST LAST MONTH.. SHE LISTENED. SHE CARED/ I HAVE HAD SEVERE SYPTOMS WHICH BEEN WELL HIDDEN WITH MY “PERKY”PERSONALITY(I CUSS LIKE A SAILOR AND VENT CRAZILY ABOUT PTS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, I AM A GOOD NURSE-I TRAT MY PTS WELL THEN HIDE TO VENT-IT WORKS) MOST OF THE TIME. HYPERMANIA IS MY NORM. DEPRESSION JUST ABOUT KILLED ME WHEN MY HUSBAND COMMITTED SUICIDE. IT ALMOST TOOK MY SON, TOO. MY OTHER TWO CHILDREN, A BOY 17 AND GIRL 20, ARE OK FOR NOW. MY YOUNGEST SON IS ADHD, BUT COPES VERY WELL AND MY DAUGHTER HAS PMDD, I FEAR SHE MAY BE BIPOLER TOO. I COPED FOR YRS WITH ADHD, PMDD, AND BIPOLAR UNTIL INSOMNIA ALMOST COST ME MY JOB AND HEALTH. I CAN GO FOR DAYS WITHOUT SLEEP. I RAMBLE AND RAMBLE, TRYING NOT TO NOW IS DIFFICULT. I FIND EDITING EMAILS CATHARTIC. IT HELPS ME EDIT IN REAL LIFE, SOME…I CAN TALK A STREAM, I HAVE TO LEAVE PATIENTS ROOMS WHEN I CATCH MYSELF RAMBLING TOO MUCH. ELAVIL FOR SLEEP DOESNT WORK RIGHT. GROGGY FOR 2 DAYS, STILL CANT SLEEP, LIVING IN A FOG ALOT. I CANT TAKE IT WHEN I WORK. I WORK MIDNIGHTS. NEED THE EXTRA PAY DIFF. I HAVE TRIED SO MANY MEDS, TELLING THE DOCS I WAS JUST DEPRESSED, THEY WOULD GIVE ME ANTIDEPRESSANTS UNTIL I QUIT THEM BECAUSE OF SIDE EFFECTS. I ALSO HAVE FIBROMYALGIA. THE NEURONTIN SEEMS TO HELP WITH THE DEPRESSION FOR WHATEVER REASON. THE MANIA IS SO HARD FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND, AT WORK THEY CALL ME THE “ENERGIZER BUNNY”. I MUST SAY, IN FULL BLOOM, MANIA CAN GET ALOT DONE IN NURSING MY PTS. I WISH I COULD CONTROL MY ADHD WITH THIS, CANT FOCUS, I KNOW I AM BOUNCING BACK AND FORTH. I JUST TYPE SOMETIMES. WELL… I JUST WANTED TO VENT A LITTLE. THANKS FOR READING. I WOULD LIKE FEEDBACK ON MY SLEEP/OR LACK THEREOF. ANY TIPS. TRIED WARM MILK, SO LETS NOT GO THERE. BENEDRYL, ELAVIL, AMBIEN, TRAZADONE, RESTORIL, REMERON, PROZAC(CANT WAKE UP THERE) I SLEPT FOR 2YRS ON PROZAC-GUESS I CAOUGHT UP ON SLEEP FOR A WHILE, COULD NOT FUNCTION WELL THOUGH. I WAS IN NSG SCHOOL-THE FOG WAS TOO MUCH. I AM 43YRS OLD AND HAV NOT REALLY HAD REM SLEEP FOR MUCH OF MY LIFE. BUT THE DEPRESSION COMES-I SINK HARD AND DEEP. NOT AS DEEP AS I USED TOO, BUT DEEP ENOUGH. SCARY, I FEEL LIKE I RECOGNIZE THE SINKING MORE NOW THAN WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I KNEW IT WAS THER. I JUST LAYED IN BED. MY FATHER MADE ME GET UP. WISH SOMEONE HAD COUGHT THIS THEN………MY SON WHO HAS IT WAS DIAGNOSED AT 14. ADHD EARLIER. HIS MANIA, LOOKING BACK ON IT WAS MANIFESTED BY AGE 7. NEVER SLEPT. HE IS MY CARBON COPY. I FEEL COMPELLED TO FIX HIM, BUT I CANT FIX ME. I FEEL GUILTY FOR ALLOWING MY KIDS TO GROW UP WITH 2 BIPOLAR PARENTS. ONE WHO KILLED HIMSELF BECAUSE OF IT, AND ONE WHO CARRIES THE BURDEN ON HER SHOULDERS EVEN IN MANIA….WHEN WILL THIS ROLLERCOASTER LET ME OFF??
To JAMIE: I’m so sorry to hear of your tragic loss. I am glad that your son is getting treatment for his bipolar. However, has any psychiatrist followed you with an antipsychotic mood stabilizer like Lithium or Depakote? You list the most common psychotropic meds – like Prozac – but not the major tranquilizers like those mentioned above.
I have been where you are: racing thoughts, racing speech, no sleep, hyperactivity, etc. I was first diagnosed in 1968 with schizophrenia: that’s all they knew back then. By 2001, the diagnosis was bipolar disorder. I had three hospitalizations for what turned out to be full-blown manic episodes. My last was in 1977, when the diagnosis was manic depression. I was put on Lithium, and was on that for 20 years. I don’t want to scare you about it (most people thrive on it), but I got neuropathy in both legs from it. I was then switched to Depakote, on which I’m doing very well.
I highly suggest you find a nurse practitioner or psychiatrist who will do a thorough work-up on you and prescribe the RIGHT med for you. It IS possible to live well with bipolar disorder; I’ve been highly functional since 1977 (with a couple of hypomanic episodes treated outpatient). So – it CAN be done.
Whatever you do, my prayers are with you. May God bless you real good.
I feel the most important aspect in dealing with bipolar disorder is a good
doctor. When I was diagnosed over 25 years ago, I felt like a guinea pig
with being on one medication after another and I told my doctor that.
I finally found a doctor who would listen to me and was willing to work
with me to find medication that was best suited to me. It has been a long
and hard process but the end result is well worth it.
We are still looking for a good doctor for my son Patrick. My husband and I are having a hard time finding a doctor that will listen to us. My son Patrick is now 19 years old. It becomes very difficult now that he is consider an adult. He was just in the hospital. It was at Alexian Brothers in Hoffman Estates, IL. It was a joke. They only kept himf for a few days, and discharge him. The doctor at that facilty didn’t want to hear what we had to say. Patrick is very sensitive to medication. When Patrick was 5 years old he had a seizure. We went through several doctors thru the years for that. Then at 16 years old his doctor wanted him to get off the medication cause she said that he was not having seizures anymore. After several months getting off that medication he start having trouble with conscentration, sleeping, his grades start slipping. He was practically a straight A student. It took us about 2 years or more to find out that he was bipolar. It was a doctor out of network. She got for controlling a thought over my son. I felt for uncomforted around her. Then we thought we had a good doctor until this week. Jim and I are still looking for a doctor that will help us. If any one knows if a good doctor that will work we us, in the northwest suburbs of Illinois it would be greatly appreciated.
Laura (Patrick Mom)
Bad doctors…that’s a great topic…I have had many. My family thinks it is me…”oh, not another doctor!!” I can’t seem to keep them, but then…some of them aren’t worth keeping. The first one…told me to bake cookies when I become depressed and prescribed aromatherapy and colored scented fake flowers in his office – in lieu of medication. One doctor used to scream at me when he became frustrated. When i finally confronted him on his need for ‘anger management’ in dealing with his patients, he started crying, and replied, “I know, I am working on that.” One doctor would not prescribe any medication because he told me he does not practice euthanasia…He insinuated that I wanted him to assist me with suicide. One doctor had cactus plants all over his office – each one with a special light. There were literally hundreds of cactus plants, everywhere. Just wierd. The plants were his ‘pets.’ One hospital doctor prescribed GEODONE for every single patient, then did not know the drug came in capsule form – he told me to cut the capusule in half. He was not sure how, though. I had one doctor that would rudely eat his lunch during our session and forget half of what I told him. One doctor actually ‘forgot’ his hearing aids, so we wrote notes back and forth to one another. One doctor left me waiting for him over an hour for an appointment. He could not understand why I was angry that he made me late for work and why I did not want to re-schedule another appointment with him. One doctor told me, “I don’t know what you’re so depressed about, it is not like you’re dying of cancer, or something.” I have had atleast a dozen psychiatrists, and I must say there has been only one or two who are any good. Not good odds. My current psychiatrist wants to do both psychotherapy and medication management but can only see me once every five weeks, which is not sufficient, so now I have to go to a community mental health center to get more ‘intensive treatment.’ I am not sure how that is going to work out. Up until the last doc, for the last 6 years, I’ve been diagnosed as Major Depressive, now, I have Bipolar II. Makes me think that they are all wrong, or only one is right. That’s scary. Any suggestions:?
Hey Dave.
The reason I actually found out about your website and this one, was because I had just been put onto some new meds and was not reacting well to them.
Previously I have been told I have depression and was on medication. I only found out about bipolar because a friend told me that my behaviour was not normal, and that I should get some help.
I have been adicted to many different drugs from lsd through to pot and aerosols. So when I finally made it to the doc, he diagnosed me with manic depression. This instantly has made me twice as paranoid about every aspect of my thoughts and what I say. It also made my vision “watery”, like I was really wasted and everything looked wavy. So I went back to my doc, and do you know what he did? Said, “heres a new drug, try this”. That left me so upset and depressed that I overdosed on sleeping tablets and went nuts. I have recovered from my episode in hospital and am now seeking a good doc, one that will listen not over bear me. I dont really know why I told you but I guess my point is, is that a good doc is better.
I have had my fair share of doctors who should not be in this field. It makes me wonder why they chose this particular specialty. The doctor is so important to get help to maintain things in at least some semblance of normality. It effects your maintenance of bi-polar so much. But I did have this one psychiatrist who was wonderful!! This reinforced to me that you have to go through a lot of toads to get to a really wonderful person who could help me. I had no boundaries, no limitations I did not care about your space and my space. My mother was many mental health disorders and my dad did not believe in psychiatrists and so my mother just kept getting worse. And this psychiatrist figured out that I needed to relearn everything you learn as a child and this psychiatrist over three years actually was able to accomplish me relearning everything and now I am a much better person. Granted I am not cured but I can see things better as the challenges happen. Bonnie Podewils
i am interested – not working over the summer can use extra income.
My wife of 2.5 yrs. Our anniversary was 6-15-06, would make 3yrs.
But anyway I love her still even though we’re divorced now. Which I hate but the strees level is a relief. She has bipolar disorder, PTSD, raped at 14 buy someone. He was cuaght and sent to prison. I don’t know his name.
She was also molested by her half brother around the same time. Her grandfather killed her grandmother due to two different DRs. that were unaware of each other prescribed meds that caused severe drug interactions. He was brought into the family home when my wife was a teenager. her mother deadbolted the girls(my wife and her sister) in their rooms at night so as to protect them from their grandfather in case he tripped out. Later she started alcohol,marijuana,tobacco. Then some former dumbass boyfriend, who shall remain nameless got her to smoking crack cocaine about 5 yrs ago.
Now, I took her to a chemical rehab center 3 times for 14 days. why they did not keep her 28 days each time i dont know, my insurance would pay for 30 at a time. Go figure? She has been in the local hospitals BMU 4 times. she has tried suicide 3 times since 6-2005.
where and how does one get clean from crack cocaine? she was told by hr psychiatrist that she will have to get clean from drugs to really get a good handle on the rest of her problems. How can you treat mania when one is smoking crack? She is smart witty good hearted but worships at the alter of the glass pipe. HELP!!! she is a christian loves church and is saved but still refuses to let go and let God.
I love her but I have been in therapy for co-dependency and am now just breaking though to the fact that I was in denial and an enabler. Man ti is tough. so I can’t imagine how hard it is for her. I want to help her but I can’t make her do anything. I pray for her everyday. anyone have any good info to help? Cocaine sux! IT IS THE DEVIL’S CANDY, WITH TREBLE HOOKS FOR THE SOUL! Dual diagnosis is a bitch.