==>>Help with ALL aspects of bipolar disorder<<==
Check out all my resources, programs and information
for all aspects of bipolar disorder by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/catalog.asp
Hi,
I wanted to email a message today about the importance
of hope and faith. Many times with bipolar disorder
it seems like all is lost and there is no hope.
You kind of slowly start to give up hope and think
that you are losing the war and that there is
absolutely positively nothing you can do.
Many times there is. You just have to keep
trying different solutions to whatever bipolar
problem that you have.
Take a look at this email I got sent to
my feedbacktodave@leverageteamllc.com address.
===========
Hi Dave,
Today I persuaded my husband to go with me to
see the psychiatrist and he has agreed to take
medication and to let me monitor his mood swings!
None of this would have happened if I hadn’t had
your e-mails and encouragement. Now I feel there
definitely is hope and that I’m on the right road
although, I’m sure there will still be ‘pot holes’
ahead, I’m ready for them and will keep on with the
plans you suggest, nothing is so daunting anymore.
Just thought you might like to know.
Thanks again
Chris
========================
I am really happy for Chris. Sounds like she is
totally on the right track.
Some days I get up and I feel kind of depressed
because at any one time there are thousands of
people who are suffering either with bipolar
disorder or supporting someone with it.
But on the other hand, at any one time there
are thousands of people who are on my list
who are doing well.
The thing that I want to convey to you
is there is always hope when it comes to
bipolar disorder.
I have seen the worst cases turn around. My mom
was a really, really, really bad case and she
has turned her entire life around. From finances
to everything. The only thing that has not been
turned around is the fact that my brother still
doesn’t speak to her from her and he doesn’t
speak to me or my dad. But that’s okay. Other
than that, in a relatively short time, my mom
has come a long way.
Back in the day, some suggested there was no
hope and she would be permanently institutionalized.
If you are feeling discouraged right now if you have
bipolar disorder or you are supporting someone remember
the solution or success can be right around the
corner. You really have to just keep trying different
things.
That’s how I did it. Fortunately I was able to take
off work and spend a ton of time figuring it all
out.
I put together my material and especially my
foundational courses here:
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:
http://www.survivebipolar.net
Not to make a fortune but to help people.
I know that people think that I am just saying
that but people who work for me or know me
know that I really work hard at this and spend
a lot of time and it’s not about the money. I have
to charge for stuff because I have a big payroll
and huge advertising expenses. If I didn’t advertise
you wouldn’t see me. Remember however you found
me was the result of an ad that I paid for.
Anyway, in my material I work super hard to
give you the how to or solutions to virtually
every problem that I had to deal with concerning
bipolar disorder. And I have even gone further
by getting solutions that I didn’t have to
deal with and making a course for children/teenagers
and also for those with bipolar disorder.
The one thing that I haven’t done however is
talk about how important it is to have faith
and hope that either you or your loved one
with bipolar disorder can get better.
For many like Chris above you are just right
around the corner for a breakthrough. It might
seem like it’s just so far away but it’s probably
closer than you think.
I just wanted to send this because I have had a
number of emails of people who are rather depressed
that things are moving as quick as possible and
they were asking whether or not they should give
up.
I can’t tell you via email whether you should
or shouldn’t. I could teach a class on when it’s
time to cut it off with a person with bipolar
disorder but I found when I talk one on one
people are so close and just have missing gaps
of information that will make all the difference.
Many just have to hang in there long enough until
they figure it out.
Anyway, I have to run. I will catch up with you tomorrow.
Your Friend,
Dave
P.S. Don’t forget to take a look through the
different programs I’ve put together… each one is designed
to help you with a different area of bipolar disorder whether
you have it or you are supporting someone with it.
You can see them all and get the details by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/catalog.asp
P.P.S. Check out my F.ree blog with copies of emails
that I have sent in the past and lots of great
information for you:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/supporterblog/
P.P.P.S Check out my F.ree podcast. Hear me give
mini seminars designed to teach you information
you can’t learn anywhere else.
http://bipolarcentral.libsyn.com
This is my question…, my boyfriend is Bipolar. This was discovered while he was away at college. He went through what he called a nervous breakdown; he voluntarily was admitted to the hospital when they diagnosed him. He went on medication for about a month or so, felt fine and never took the medication since. About 5 years had passed and he was still doing very well, had his moments, but nothing that made you think twice of them. Now, this is the strange part aside from the fact that he was NOT incorrectly misdiagnosed. He recently relocated cross country from his family because of a great job opportunity he was offered. He took this opportunity however, it was obvious that bipolar symptoms began reoccurring and eventually had an episode. We were thinking it’s because he got lonely is what caused this episode to reoccur. We noticed from this that when he’s around the people who matter most to him, he is fine. But being away was difficult for him, he became moody, depressed, wasn’t sleeping, and talks irrational and as if he was invincible and shopped a lot.
What does this sound like? What confuses me is how he seemed so normal for years, and then this happens.
Is there such thing as episodes happening every so many years or not?
I have been doing enormous amounts of research night and day for the last month or so because I want to understand about this disease, and be able to help him when I can. Unfortunately I have yet to come across my answers I am searching for.
Can you help?
Life without hope is no life at all. For twelve years I had a wonderful Golden Retriever named, Keesha. I don’t know how many of you have a pet, but as a nurse, I have encouraged persons of all ages that face big challenges to have a pet. Back to Keesha, she was too big to jump on my lap, so she would place her head in my lap and look up at me with these big brown eyes. She usually had a smile–if you can believe dogs smile. Her thoughts to me were always, “It will be better tomorrow — I need you.” The hope she gave me carried me through many, many days when I felt hopeless and just wanted to die. Keesha needed me as much as I needed her and she was my faithful friend and companion who always loved and believed in me. I hope you can find such a friend.
My new puppy was born last Friday. Hopefully, she will be in my arms in a few weeks. I will keep you posted. I plan to name her Hope or Joy.
My 37 year old son is bipolar with schizoaffective disorder and after a suicide attempt with depakote, zyprexa, and clonopin, he came out of the coma with neurological frontal lobe brain damage. He did some highly unusual behaviors for him after he came home, and moved away from me where I couldn’t help him. The woman in his life knew nothing about the severity of his illness, and called me in May crying and begging for help. After 4 hospitalizations of short duration, and the docs telling me there was nothing further they could do for him, they would discharge him and he would be worse than ever. One social worker informed me of PACT, an acronym that stands for Program of Assertive Community Treatment, and the city we live in has a PACT team. It’s made up of a psychiatrist, 2 nurses, and a group of different kinds of therapists that are available 24 hours a day. The requirements are stringent, but he met all of them. The person also has to voluntarily be on the team, unless it is court ordered. One of the nurses knew of Dr. Morton at Rollings Hills Psyc. Hospital in Ada, OK who uses clozapine, a drug for difficult to treat schizophrenia and brain damage. He was acting out again and she had him EOD. When one is started on this drug, he/she needs to be hospitalized as their blood has to be closely monitored. The clozapine was begun a few days later and in a week I was seeing and hearing a miracle. After 2 weeks, he was better than he was before the suicide attempt a year ago. He was discharged a new person with new meds that worked. When on this drug, one has to have a blood level drawn once a week before the next script can be written. Because he is a suicidal risk, the PACT team delivers meds, or he drives to the offic to get his planner filled for only 4 days at a time. But this is a new life for him and he says he has never felt so good. He was on 600 mg a day when discharged and is now down to 500 after 3 weeks. It does make the person tired, but he’s much less tired with this dose. We must always keep trying and never give up. God still works miracles!
Hello Dave! I wanted to say that I really appreciated and needed your e-mail today. I have not had a great last few weeks, my husband has shut me so far out of his life that I had lost all hope. His bipolar is doing much better – the meds are working but he is still using the diagnosis as a reason for not being involved in the family and not doing anything around our home. He basically sits in his chair and watches TV and does nothing at all. He tells me that what I have done to keep informed about his diagnosis and treatment and protect our finances and son make me too controlling and he can’t talk to me or be around me. With that I had lost hope, all hope. I have never in my life been so alone and hurt.
Your message today made me remember that I need to get back to being me and remember that there is hope. I will continue to go to my husbands therapy appointments twice a month to give his therapist what I have observed. Even when it makes him so angry at me that he gets scary. I need to remember that there is hope and that God loves me, even when I can’t always feel it.
Thank you! This e-mail came to me late in the day but it really did remind me that I need to not allow bipolar to put me into the dump. He can start to act like my husband again, I just need to stick it out until he remembers what a family is. His therapist will get him to stop using his diagnosis as a reason to shut us out. There is hope!
Hi Dave
My sister-in-law is bipolar(39yrs). We became aware of this about a 3 months ago. Thinking back the symtoms was their we just didn’t know. Anyway your message is really very encouraging as I can see my in-laws and husband struggling coping with this. Since she has been diagnosed I’ve done alot of research and ended up with your site which was the best thing for me. At present Pertunia(my sister-in-law) seems to hate me with a passion so I’ve been keeping my distance but has passed on useful information to my in-laws to help her. The only problem is that they are not using it and I don’t see any progress. Pertunia was in hospital for depression some time back but has never taken medication as she see it as being mad if she does. Yesterday her employer said that if she is not admitted they will dismis her as they can’t go on paying a salary for someone that is not willing to get help(they gave her 2 months to sort herself out – she’s been at home for 1 month already). She has been spending like mad, not paying her accounts etc. I printed all your email and gave it to my husband to show him that this is the symtoms and what needs to be done but I’m sad to say that they are not doing anything about it and I’m really fearing that things are just getting totally out of hand. Please give advise.
Althea (Joburg, SA)
I take my lithium regularly,as well as wellbutrin,and zyprexa.It doesn’t feel like there’s any hope. I am hopelessly addicted to drugs, my job is suffering and I am a lousy father and husband. I don’t know what to do.Life is spiraling away from me, and I can’t find my way back.Oh god, I just want to feel normal like other people…..
I support my 24 yr. daughter who has bipolar. There are days when I just want to walk away, but love keeps me here. We both loose faith at times, but keep plugging & right now she’s in college 1/2 way thru her education degree and I am very proud of her. It is hard for all of us but it’s so worth it. Keep the faith.
Dave, I read and value your emails. You outline:
Supporting adult with BP
Supporting child/teen with BP
Have BP
What about those of us:
Have BP AND supporting child/teen with BP?????????HELP US PLEASE
What can you suggest for weight gain? I’m afraid my daughter will go off her meds because of this? She’s gained about 40 pounds and she’s not happy.