Bipolar Type II Support Group

After having a very difficult day/night (I was hypomanic, extremely irritable and severely depressed), I ended up calling a crisis line at 3am.

Being able to express how I felt about having bipolar made me feel as if a tremendous weight had been lifted off of my shoulders.

The person I spoke to at the crisis line was very nice and said something I never thought about before. She said that all of these years I've pushed away my feelings (anger, hurt, frustration, grief, depression) regarding my diagnosis as a coping mechanism.

She also said even though I know I have bipolar, I haven't reached the point of accepting it in the sense of being able to integrate it into my life.

When I told her I plan to start seeing a new tdoc in order to address my feelings, she said this was an excellent idea since it will allow me to experience and express all of the emotions I've been keeping inside over the past 3 years.

I'm really glad I decided to call the crisis line because for once, I was able to talk to someone who really listened and cared.

Before I ended my call, the person I spoke to at the crisis line asked if I take any meds to help me relax (I said yes), so I was told to take them, listen to soft music or watch a humorous TV program/movie, eat a light snack and go to bed.

I'm going to use crisis lines more often whenever I feel severely depressed instead of trying to "go it alone" like I normally do.

Have any of you used a crisis line before? If so, what was your experience like? Did you find them helpful?

By posting this, I am not encouraging others not to contact their tdocs or pdocs. I'm just curious about whether or not any of you have used a crisis line. This is the first time I've ever used one and it turned out to be a good experience since I was able to express my feelings at the time about what was depressing me and avoid self harm/cutting.

Any comments?

I've never called a crisis line. Each crisis I had (two) landed me in the emergency room, one of which admitted me into inpatient care.

I'm glad that the crisis line was helpful to you and I hope you're feeling better.

I probably should have gone to the ER, but if I said I planned to cut myself, they would have admitted me IP to a hospital in my area that I do NOT feel comfortable being a patient at. I would rather struggle here at home with manic, depression or anything else than to go back there again.

I'm feeling a little better today. I'm rapid cycling between feeling level and depressed, but I think this is due to the emotions that have recently come out regarding the anger, frustration and depression I feel about having bipolar.

I see a new tdoc on Wednesday, so I'm hoping he can help me move on so I can learn to accept my diagnosis instead of fighting it tooth and nail.

I've never used a crisis line but I'm very glad it worked out so well for you. I'm also happy to read that you've found a new tdoc. I know the last one turned out to be a disappointment. I hope the new one turns out to be a good match for you!

And I'm glad to hear that you're feeling a bit better today and I hope the trend continues.

Mark

Tracey

Thanks! I'm really looking forward to seeing my new tdoc on Wednesday. From what his receptionist told me, this tdoc has worked with clients who are diagnosed with bipolar and PTSD. He also sees clients who struggle with self harm/cutting. I was also told that he is excellent went it comes to working with people who are newly diagnosed. I've been diagnosed with bipolar for 3 years, but I still have not accepted my diagnosis. Hopefully this tdoc will allow me to say everything I need to and express the anger, frustration, depression and grief I feel. My current tdoc always discounted and minimized my feelings. I never noticed this until I started thinking about how my therapy sessions have gone over the past 1.5 years. I really haven't accomplished anything, but to be fair, perhaps part of that is my fault. I was too busy asking questions about bipolar (my triggers, rapid cycling patterns, etc.) instead of dealing with various issues. We have worked on some PTSD exercises and I think my tdoc was excellent in that regard, but aside from that, I really don't think he helped me all that much. What I need is to focus on the past for now, express my feelings about my bipolar, traumas, etc. so I can move on and start to accept my life as it is now.

Post edited by: neondreams, at: 05/31/2009 11:27 AM