Hi, how\u2019s it going? Hope you are doing well.<\/p>\n
I was just thinking earlier today about a conversation I had with a friend a while back. This friend hates fireworks, apparently. So the Fourth of July is not exactly his favorite holiday. There was a third person who was in the conversation, and she accused him of not being patriotic.<\/p>\n
He calmly replied, saying that he disliked fireworks because of the pollution, the danger, and the noise. But, he continued, he loved his country and was proud to be an American. I thought it brought up a good point. You CAN be patriotic without liking fireworks.<\/p>\n
You know what else? You CAN be compliant with your medications without liking the fact that you have to take them. Liking them and taking them are two entirely different things. Just like admiring fireworks and admiring the country are two entirely different things.<\/p>\n
It also depends partially on why you don\u2019t like them. If you don\u2019t like them because they are not working correctly, or because of some awful side effect they give you, then you should talk to your psychiatrist and find out what needs to be changed.<\/p>\n
But, if you don\u2019t like them for the same reason that you might not like having to take any other pill for the rest of your life, then you can work your way through the dislike. I\u2019m sure that there are many people who have insulin dependent diabetes who do not like taking their insulin. But many of them could die if they didn\u2019t take it.<\/p>\n
Bipolar disorder is just as serious: Many people with bipolar disorder die from suicide when they are depressed. Many people with bipolar disorder ruin their lives and their health when they are not compliant with their medications. As much as we might not like to admit to it, medications are a necessary part of life.<\/p>\n
And that doesn\u2019t make you a \u201cpill popper.\u201d Pill poppers are people who like to take medications for anything that they can get away with. In your situation, you are someone who recognizes a need to take very specific medications for a medical problem.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s right, I said medical. Science is finding out more and more about mental illnesses, and they are, in fact, brain disorders. Which means it\u2019s not \u201call in your mind.\u201d It\u2019s also in your brain. LOL. No, but seriously.<\/p>\n
If you had a serious medical problem that you had to take medications for to avoid very serious problems, wouldn\u2019t you take it? Well, you do have a serious medical problem that you have to take medications for. It\u2019s called bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n
And you know what else? It\u2019s okay to not like taking them! Nobody said you had to enjoy swallowing pills once a day, or that you have to like the concept of it. But, like many other things in life, we sometimes have to do things that we don\u2019t like to do.<\/p>\n
What ways can you encourage yourself to take your medications despite a strong dislike for them? What ways can you remind yourself that they are, in fact, necessary?<\/p>\n
Well, I have to go!<\/p>\n
Your Friend,<\/p>\n
Dave<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hi, how\u2019s it going? Hope you are doing well.<\/p>\n
I was just thinking earlier today about a conversation I had with a friend a while back. This friend hates fireworks, apparently. So the Fourth of July is not exactly his favorite holiday. There was a third person who was in the conversation, and she accused him of not being patriotic.<\/p>\n
He calmly replied, saying that he disliked fireworks because of the pollution,<\/p>\n