<p>I sent you a private message yesterday.</p>
<p>Sorry for the late replies guys, I was out all weekend. To answer some q’s:
My therapist is an MD and is qualified to prescribe and monitor. He’s fine, but I don’t think I really relate to him, which you guys have picked up on (incidentally, my father picked this therapist; he’s a coworker of his). Even though I don’t like him and I don’t think he’s successfully getting to the bottom of my issues, I feel I should just stick with him though through at least my proposed readmission because I’m already halfway through the process. My school requires me to take two classes and get at least a B, have a letter from a mental health professional who believes that I’m ready to be a full time student again, write a couple of essays, and go through a series of interviews. My therapist believes I’m ready to go back to school this fall and endorsed my application and I’ve already had my first interview with the chief of my school’s mental health department. I actually voiced my concerns that I’m not bipolar to my school’s mental health envoy, and she said she’s never worked with my therapist before so I need to tell him my concerns. I think they were concerned with the fact that I was suicidal and they want me to be health and happy if I’m back at school, sot they’re not really concerned with the label as someone else pointed out. I’ve submitted my essays, am taking summer classes (my first class ends next week!) and now that I’m near my college, I’m going to request my medical records from my hospital and look into other therapists.
I’m a generally loud and happy person (in fact, I remember my English high school wrote in my college recommendation that I shine with irrepressible joy), but I don’t think I’ve ever experienced mania and euphoria to the point that I’ve gone for days without sleep, spent crazy of amounts of money, have experienced hypersexuality, etc. This is just all so confusing because I feel like at what point is normal normal? Am I the only one skeptic of taking meds to treat symptoms that I don’t think are a problem?
I’ve never been on an SSRI for depression – in fact, my depressive period was not clinically diagnosed. The Risperdal made me sleepy to the point that they had to lower the dosage from 2mg to 1mg every day, and I’ve found that I’m able to function now that I’m back having regular things to do, socializing with people my own age, etc., instead of just being at home and surfing the internet like I was from January – May.
Classof2015, I’m from the NYC area so please email me your therapists info! Also compmom, can you PM me your email address?</p>
<p>Just saw your post – I just PMd you the names of 2 therapists. Good luck!</p>
<p>I have a parent with bipolar disorder. He was diagnosed at about age 50 (prior to that he was just a “creative” guy of the 1970’s-ha). He came to terms with meds and his diagnosis last year—about 15 years, three marriages and a couple of bankruptcies later. In other words, his symptoms got worse over time. And he had more to lose. Early on, it wasn’t the extremes of hypersexuality, money, etc. </p>
<p>Your diagnosis may or may not be technically correct. Your medications may or may not be correct. We cannot speak to that.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, from your given history, there is some root problem. RIGHT now you have the time and ability to tackle that. Tackle that before you graduate, before you get a stressful job, before the bad boss who screams at you, before you have a husband and a baby and a barking dog and mortgage payments. Deal with it, whatever it is, now so that the future can be rosy. </p>
<p>Best.</p>