How Do I Cope With Bi-Polar Depression, No Meds or Even Shock Treatment Have Worked?
Question by Jeff E: How do I cope with bi-polar depression, no meds or even shock treatment have worked?
Please don’t recommend trying medications as I have tried about EVERY med for this disease.
I have been hospitalized 3 times this year for depression and was given shock treatments at least 20 times. I am having dizzy spells now when I get to my feet from sitting or laying down now.
Who the hell would not be depressed if they were me?
1. I’m bankrupt. Spiritually,financially big time,wife and I lost jobs and we won’t ever find another we have tried.
2.Obese wife of 10 years is sick of living in the ghetto and (she has I.B.S. and has blown up like a balloon).She wants to move out of this hell hole in Mich. and…..I don’t blame her. She does not have the money to go back home to Toronto anyway.
3.My sons are so screwed up that one is living on the streets of L.A. and the other is so screwed up its, really sad.
4.I may become homeless as I can’t afford to even live in my own house anymore.
5.Not one minute goes by that I don’t fantasize about suicide, not one.
I know there are many worse circumstances in the world, in 3rd world country’s,people living in the dirt and no food, disease. I know I’m sounding like a crybaby and a pitiful fool ungrateful to be alive and kicking but,,,I just can’t take it anymore.
What to hell is the solution to a depression and horrible life predicament that really seams like no way out?! My heart really goes out to those in worse circumstances than I (like my sons,and wife)
,such as the poor and needy people of the world.
Please don’t bust my chops for this question, i know it’s kind of a rant. I thought I would elaborate on many of the particulars of my situation to help folks better answer my question.
Any ideas in regard to getting out of this deep depression? I’m 54 and suffer from constant liver pain from Hep-C as well so,,,,,,I just really see suicide as a solution for me in my case, I really do. I would want my wife to go home first so she wouldn’t have to live through that. I don’t know what to hell to do. I know I would like to be someone that could eventually find a way to help others and be a light in life to people in some ways if I could ever get out of this depression.
Thanks.
Best answer:
Answer by Kate
I understand that bipolar disorder is very difficult to live with, especially when you have predominately depressive episodes. I have bipolar as well, and probably 95% of my episodes are depressive episodes. I rarely get the glorious upswing of mania.
The thing is, your life circumstances don’t have to feed your depression. Yes, some depression is chemical and sometimes depressive episodes are going to happen without your consent or control. But you can learn how not to let it snowball into suicidal thoughts – that IS in your control.
For example, you have a very fatalistic attitude, that is obvious from your post. You said that you have tried “about every medicine for this disease”. Does that mean you’ve tried them ALL? That’s not likely. There are so many medications out there, just because a few of them don’t work doesn’t mean that nothing is ever going to help you. I went through 5 different medications before I found the one that works for me, Lamictal. You need to keep working with a psychiatrist who can help you find the right combination and dose of a medicine or medicines that will help balance your moods.
Also, you need to see a therapist. Medication alone is NOT a complete treatment for bipolar disorder. Chemical imbalances are only half of the problem. The other half is your cognition, the way you think about things. Like I said, you have learned a fatalist outlook on life. You said that you and your wife lost your jobs and “we won’t ever find another”. Do you seriously think that you will NEVER, EVER in your entire life find another job? You’re 54, do you think in the next 30+ years of your life you will really, truly NEVER be employed again? That’s just not feasible. Yes, the economy is bad right now, and lots of people (about 1 in 10) can’t find work. That doesn’t mean you will never get a job, you can’t let that kind of fatalistic thinking overtake your thoughts. That would be enough to depress anybody.
A therapist can help you learn to retrain your thinking so that you don’t have those automatic negative thoughts that perpetuate your depression and make it even worse. There are some things that you don’t have control of, but there are some things you DO have control of and you can improve those things. You can change your way of thinking, you can make your thoughts more constructive so that they work better for you.
I understand that money is really tight for you right now, but you can see a therapist through your community mental health center on a sliding scale. That means they won’t charge you as much as a regular counselor, they charge you based on how much you make and how much you can pay. Some people pay as little as $ 10 per session with a counselor. Also, if you are covered by Medicaid, they should cover a certain number of sessions with a therapist per year. See a therapist who specializes in something called CBT – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Usually CBT sessions last only 12 to 16 weeks, and it can really help you restructure your thoughts so that you can battle depression in a much more effective way.
Therapy would be my best advice for you right now. You need to change your way of thinking so that you can be better equipped to fight your depression and make positive changes in your life. Yes, there are a lot of hard things going on in your life right now, but some of them you have absolutely no control over. All you can do is try your hardest – put in applications for jobs every single day, everywhere you can. Look for jobs in areas away from where you live right now; that way if you get hired, you get to move too, an added bonus. Keep your body as healthy as you can, and start seeing a therapist who can help you get your mind healthy. And don’t give up on medication for the bipolar, it can really help when you find the right med and combination.
Good luck!
Answer by Jerry
View: A COMBINATION HERBAL ANTIVIRAL, ANTIBACTERIAL, AND ANTIFUNGAL PRODUCT YOU CAN MAKE AT HOME, about the hepatitis, at http://alternative-health.8k.com/blank_1.html There is no guarantee, but if it helps, you should know in 6 – 8 weeks. Optimise your vitamin D3 levels, as well; if you can’t afford the natural ones, use some from health food, or vitamin stores. Enter IBS in the searchbar at www.mercola.com Read: Controlling IBS the Drug-Free Way: A 10-Step Plan for Symptom Relief by Jeffrey M. Lackner, & Healing Foods: Cooking for Celiacs, Colitis, Crohn’s and IBS by Elephant Publishing, & I Have IBS…Now What?!!! A Comprehensive Guide for Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome by Ashkan Farhadi, & Eating for IBS: 175 Delicious, Nutritious, Low-Fat, Low-Residue Recipes to Stabilize the Touchiest Tummy by Heather Van Vorous, from your bookstore, or enter IBS in the searchbar at Amazon.com. I suggest that you eat more in accordance with your “nutritional type” 20 question quiz: www.naturalhealthcoach.com/tools/ or www.mercola.com
Try eliminating gluten & casein/lactose for 12 weeks, and eat more non starchy vegetables (5 serves, daily) & 2 of fruit, preferably including an orange. A Gluten Free/Casein Free diet, low in oxalates may also help. http://www.plantpoisonsandrottenstuff.info/content/elimination-diet/gluten-casein.aspx refers. See: http://lowoxalate.info/ & greattastenopain.com/great.asp View http://belleruthnaparstek.com/hot-research/hypnotherapy-reduces-symptoms-of-irritable-bowel-syndrome.html 85% of people are suggestible, to some degree, so you could either seek professional hypnotherapy, or hypnosisdownloads.com has ones on Irritable Bowel Syndrome, & overcoming fear & anxiety. From previous answers modified for you; use what applies:
Contact your county/local mental health agency, to see what help they can provide. Sliding scale based psychological counselling is often available from Catholic counselling, the Methodist church, or Unitarian Universalists, and sometimes the United Way. You don’t have to be a member. Google: “clinics; mhmr; (your location)” & “free clinics; (your location)” Also contact your local department of human services and apply for state health care. See http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/health/21patient.html?_r=2 Talk with a social worker, via your local free clinic, (Google: “free clinic; [your location] ) or public hospital. Local is best, or (202) 408 8600. They often have useful advice, and contacts. Have a list of questions prepared, and jot down answers. Food stamps: www.fns.usda.gov/fsp Phone: 1800 221 5689.
Check out www.socialsecurity.gov Dept. of Children and Families. Enquire about Medicaid Insurance. Other advice that I am aware of is to contact your local social services department and apply for state medicaid, then find a doctor who accepts it. See http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?adid=1500000000000003239930&cat=546834 for generic mental health medication, at $ 4/month’s supply, or $ 10/90 days; (more in CA., and 8 other US states) also try calling Target pharmaceuticals. View www.pparx.org/ and call 1-888-4PP-ANOW (1-888-477-2669), if financially disadvantaged in the USA, and seeking a bipolar medication subsidy. Also see www.needymeds.com/ & www.low-cost-rx.com/ Some pharmaceutical companies will provide medications free, or at reduced cost, depending on the circumstances of the applicant; qualification guidelines vary. See the rest of this at http://adviceandresources.weebly.com
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