Hi, how\u2019s it going? Hope you are doing well.<\/p>\n
Have you ever known anyone who is scared of the dentist? I think we all know a person (or two) like this. Maybe you\u2019ve even known someone like this: I met someone recently who had some very bad teeth, and they were only getting worse. Without going into detail, they were beginning to cause them serious problems. But when I asked them what the dentist had to say about all this, they had to admit that they hadn\u2019t been.<\/p>\n
What would prompt someone with bad teeth to not go to the dentist? Well, I suppose it could have been finances and a lack of insurance. But more likely it was fear of the dentist. Many people who are afraid of the dentist will wait until the last minute to go and take care of their teeth.<\/p>\n
Well, that\u2019s not healthy, but it\u2019s not exactly my point, either. My point is that many people with bipolar disorder do the same thing. They wait until the \u201clast minute\u201d to get treatment. For some, this may look like the person who gets treatment in a hospital for a situation that they let become a crisis.<\/p>\n
For others, this may look like waiting to see the psychiatrist until they are in a full-blown episode. Others still get their medications, but only take them when they feel like they need them.<\/p>\n
And it doesn\u2019t even have to be about medications. Waiting to go to therapy until you\u2019re breaking down crying all the time isn\u2019t the best game plan, either, especially when you knew you needed it before. Waiting to start trying to meditate until you\u2019re so stressed out that you couldn\u2019t manage it if your life depended on it isn\u2019t going to work very well. But people do it. And then many wonder why it didn\u2019t work so well.<\/p>\n
But I can\u2019t just tell you to stop waiting without addressing your reasons for doing so. So what are the reasons that people will wait until the last minute to get treatment? Well, for some it is out of fear.<\/p>\n
This could be fear of the disorder itself, and manifests itself in denial. This could be fear of the treatment, maybe because it is the unknown, or maybe because they\u2019ve heard stories of others\u2019 bad experiences.<\/p>\n
When it comes to medications, it could be fear of the side effects. When it comes to therapy, it could be the fear that they\u2019ll have to spill all of their emotions in an hour\u2019s period of time \u2013 and they\u2019re not ready for that yet. It may be fear of revealing that they have the disorder to begin with, because of the fear of the stigma that goes with it.<\/p>\n
There are other reasons besides fear to wait until the last minute. Some of them include forgetfulness, procrastination, and misunderstandings. But the important thing to remember is that the reasons for starting treatment now are more important than the reasons for waiting.<\/p>\n
Do you have any reasons for waiting? Can you think of all the ways that are more important and meaningful for you to do it now instead of waiting?<\/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
Have you ever known anyone who is scared of the dentist? I think we all know a person (or two) like this. Maybe you\u2019ve even known someone like this: I met someone recently who had some very bad teeth, and they were only getting worse. Without going into detail, they were beginning to cause them serious problems. But when I asked them what the dentist had to say about all this,<\/p>\n