Bipolar Support Group

[color=#000080]I was diagnosed 3 months ago with this terrible disorder...i can say that due to the fact that i almost lost the marriage of 13 years and my children. everyday is a huge struggle for me..i cry and cry and maybe laugh a few times just to help out my children. well here comes the question.: my doctor says that i was "in Mania" for 3+ years and now i need to let my brain rest...thus no antidepressants. so i am left with a shell of myself. Has anyone else dealt with their doctors withholding anti depressants? [/color]

Heatherforever-sorry you're going through this. The depression part can be so miserable. It just feels like it's never going to get better. Have you told your doctor how very bad it's gotten? If you feel really horrible, please go to an emergency room right away. When all you can do is cry and cry, that's really tough. We've all been there and you've come to the right place. I've found so much support here. If you'd like, tell a little more about how you're feeling and I promise, I or someone else has been there and we can give you advice or just make you feel like you're not the only one. I promise, we've all felt it. You are not alone.

thank you so much for the response. No one can imagine how low i feel. Right now i am sitting here with my kids and husband with only the desire to run and run until this sadness lifts. i so hate bipolar and all the bad things which come with it..like not being able to control myself and my anxiety. but jeeze, how long does it take for the depression to lift?

do all people go through the depression..my doctor just says i have to make it thru and then i will be ok in about 6 months..is he insane? or is this his way of doing things?

It's different for everyone. You just have to hold on. When you can't hold on, you go to the hospital because it's dangerous when you feel this way. I know how it is to sit there with your family and think "what's wrong with me. why am I not grateful for them". You are. Your depression covers that all in a fog, though, so you can't feel it. When I'm really depressed, if someone touches me, I cry for hours. I think that's part of not feeling deserving. It sucks. You want to feel better but the things that are supposed to make you feel better don't work. You have to keep holding on and know you're not alone. Do you feel like you need to go to the hospital?

been there 3 times since i moved to NY. No, i just need to figure out how to be happy. again, did your doctor give you anti-depressants right away or did they make you wait? i have heard doctors say such conflicting things.

They do some times say conflicting things. I think they don't know all the answers, but they're afraid to admit it so they have to pretend like they do. I've never had a doctor not want me to take meds. Usually, when I ask to get off a med, they don't want to help me do it. If you feel like the sadness is too much, I would try getting a second opinion. When we feel badly, we forget that we're in charge of ourselves and those doctors are working for us!!! You know you and if you know you need help right now, then I'd get a second opinion. You don't have to just blindly follow this doctor. What does your husband say? I'm divorced but I'm really close to my family. When I feel lost, I usually ask them and they help me to figure out if what I'm feeling seems "ok" for me or if what I'm feeling is way off. They can some times see more when I'm really down and say "we can help you" when I describe how I feel and they match it with how I am acting, or they can say "we need to see someone right now because this isn't right". I'm getting a quick shower, but I'm happy to keep talking. I'll check here when I get back. I'm thinking about you. I've been there and I'm sad to say, I'll be there again.

oh thank you. it helps to have someone there who knows what i feel. i think i will seek a second opinion, and fast. my doctor just tells me that i should go to sleep for the next 6 months. did you experience a manic episode?

Absolutely I have. When I was diagnosed, it was after a big giant crash that happened after I had been manic for weeks. No sleep. No food. Rented a building and incorporated to start a business. Joined a health club. Ran around like a chicken with its head cut off. Made all kinds of art day and night. Not pretty. I'm glad you're going to get a second opinion. We forget that just because we're diagnosed as bp doesn't mean we aren't smart and that we don't know ourselves at all. It sounded weird when you said he wasn't giving you meds for after the fall into depression. That's the definition of bipolar and that's what the meds are for-to keep you from continuing to swing back and forth. If you could go to sleep for six months, why would you be calling him? They can be such jerks. Look around at the other posts. Lots of us have had terrible experiences with doctors. I hope they get you some meds soon so you can have a little relief. It sucks to be in that state.

Hi, my name is Norma. I have been sad like that. I tend toward the mania side of BP but, once spent a year staring at the wall. and the wall was not very interesting. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. There are lots of people here who experience the same thing. I takes a while for the meds to kick in. DO NOT HESITATE TO CALL YOUR DOCTOR ASAP and say what is going on.

((((hug))) norma