Bi Polar & Finacial Helo

Ames

Ignore them. So many people don't understand what it's like to have a serious mental health condition, I call them the pull yourself together brigade. I'm not going to let anyone tell me that work will be better for me, I do lots of voluntary work and that's all I can manage, but who can say whether 'real' work is better for society than what I do?

olias

Pssst wrote: »

But surely sitting at home watching daytime telly and popping pills doesnt do it any good either?

As the husband of a sufferer of BiPolar disorder your various comments show a complete lack of understanding of the condition and perpetuate the myth that sufferers of mental health illnesses just need to make more of an effort to pull themselves together.

BiPolar is not something you 'recover' from, it is a medical condition that was with you from birth and will be with you for life. The condition is a result of (among other things), chemical imbalances in the brain leading to the sufferer being unable to control mood swings nor regulate their thinking in the same way as non sufferers. This can lead to problems such as social phobias, panic attacks, extreme depression or elation, eating disorders among a host of others. It is generally accepted among the medical profession that about 1/3 of sufferers will commit suicide.

My wife herself has attempted suicide several times, been in hospital numerous times, and is unable to work due to her illness.

As with most illnesses there are various degrees of severity. Some sufferers manage to live a 'normal' life (Winston Churchill had BiPolar, as does Stephen Fry). For others it can be so severe as to prevent any sort of normal life at all including work and relationships. In addition the nature of the illness is that it occurrs in 'episodes' which can be triggered for any number of reasons. A sufferer can be on top of the world one day and a suicidal wreck unable to concentrate on anything the next.

Some control can be gained over the illness through drugs and things such as cognitive behavioural therapy, but again this depends on the degree of severity and does not help everyone.

For the OP, I would suggest you look at www.mdf.org.uk this is the website for the manic depression or BiPolar fellowship and has loads of information on diagnosis, treatment, benefits etc. It also has a really well peopled forum that I,m sure will help you

Olias

nanokitten

Well said Olias,
It's just a shame that this discussion has been blighted by unhelpful comments.
I guess it is one of the great equalities in life that diasbled people can be ignorant bigots too!

Wish you all the best AnnesWitterings and I hope you have not been put off too much. Really glad you are gonna get in touch with dial. some people have found dial to be a bit overworked so get back to us if you have any problems.

Don't forget about mind too.

AnnesWitterings

oops didnt mean to cause an argument over my post.
Im going to apply for DLA and see what happens~~many thanks for your posts.
Bi Polar came to me fairly lateish in my life, with hindsight I think I have had it since I was a teenager but just "got on with it" as they say...my younger sister committed suicide in September 2005 and it was at this point I feel I went and sought help.
I was seen quickly assessed and in front of a psychiatrist at the local Mental Community Health Team within a month, I felt relief at opening up and saying how I felt and came away with a prescription for Depakote & Olanzapine. I have seen the psychiatrist four times at 3 monthly intervals and had a couple of sessions with my CPN, each time I come away feeling like I was damned nuisance and clutching a repeat prescription, the medication has helped to some degree but I dont wish to just keep taking tablets, whilst they help I feel like this it, assessed, labelled and medication given and out you go and cope as best as you can. I do cope, but my quality of life is zero, before the tablets I had a good job, coped okayish, and plodded on through what I called good days and bad days, now Ive been diagnosed everything sems to have gone wrong or am I expecting too much from the NHS/Doctor/Mental Health Team?
I am seeing someone from DIAL this week and discussing the ins and outs of applying for DLA...
Im going for my work focused interviews, they are quite open that they would like me to return to work, but at a pace I can cope with, the degree of help from one department far outweighs the other....its the erratic standards of help I get that confuse me...sometimes the help conflicts with what someone else has said...
I know it will take time to sort my life out, which Im sure will happen but it seems such a hard slog at the moment.
Thanks for your advice and posts, much appreciated.


Anne

Errata

oops didnt mean to cause an argument over my post

Not your fault, other people use threads to express their own view of an illness rather than offer the information asked for

Do you have a local MIND ? They can be a great source of help, support and knowledge. DIAL can be helpful, as can the CAB. Whoever you talk to in the voluntary sector, ask them for a blank copy of the DLA form for you to practice on - they'll have one !
If you decide to apply, complete the practice form in pencil so you can easily amend anything when you go through it with whoever's assisting you, then apply for DLA for a form, complete it in ink and photocopy it for your own future reference.
HTH, best wishes and good luck.