It's harsh outthere in the world when someone hears "Bipolar," so do you share or keep quiet? Do you say you have Bipolar or do you say that your loved one has it? I think both are hard to spit out. And questions arise like, "Why should we?," "Why not?," "What will happen?," and many others.
Just letting you know, be cautious. Though even psychologists, who are your colleagues, or students to be someday psychologists, all have stigma. Try to think of it as hurting your leg. What would happen if you step on it. It will hurt but you also need to get to work. So, what do you choose?
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We're in control of how much information we give out about ourselves, in relationships, with employers and in everything we do. We either make it on a need-to-know basis (I do) or be completely open about it. Until you make the level of prestige/accomplishment of Key Jamison, I think that is maybe unwise...but I can only talk for me.
ReplyDeleteYou've identified yourself as someone with a professional goal and are using anonymity to interact with other bipolar folks, and your intentions are to be helpful. We thank you.
However, I wonder how you will be when you start practicing therapy? I guess we all have to make our own calls on that one, is sharing the knowledge going to help our relationship with so and so or is it going to take away from it? And I don't know if it is that simple, either.
The medication list is extensive. When I started my "bipolar career," it was only lithium and Depakote was about to be released. I was given lithium and had some side effects and blamed almost everything on it, of course. I gained a little weight, yes, and had some tremors, yes, but I got used to the weight and tremors.
Now is a new chapter, I guess. I'm taking Lamictal, the newest, bestest and greatest thing since sliced bread, and other than noticing some thinning of the hair up top, it's been a good ride so far.
Ride so far! I'm dealing with a post-episode piece now and find it is some depression again (old friend). I just started individual therapy (vote's out on that), do groups but otherwise isolate. CBT is "in" right now and I think I'm going to take it and see where it goes. It's been my experience that insight-oriented therapy for depression isn't worth diddily squat. Easy to do the "why's" of being in depression than the "how's" to get out of it, think ways that work with it and not against it.
So that's about what I have to add to what you're doing here. I hope people don't come to you for expert advice. People looked to me for that and I didn't like the spot it put me in. The only "expertise" about this disorder is how it is for me.
And sometimes I wish I had more expertise and ability to dip deeper into the knowledge pond.