Bipolar support thread

the_devil_made_me_do_it

I don't think self harming should be a "whose done it worse" senario. The fact that you have deliberatly carried out an act of self harm should still be relevant & be an example that you are not well.

Trialia

the_devil_made_me_do_it wrote: »

I don't think self harming should be a "whose done it worse" senario. The fact that you have deliberatly carried out an act of self harm should still be relevant & be an example that you are not well.

Well, obviously, but that's not how ATOS think of it, is it?

the_devil_made_me_do_it

Trialia wrote: »

Well, obviously, but that's not how ATOS think of it, is it?

Maybe not, but that's what I was getting at in an early post. Noone at DWP or ATOS fully understand the complex nature of MH. There seems to be too much comparing between individuals as opposed to examining how having a MH problem affects each individual on a personal basis.

tankgirl1

Trialia wrote: »

TankGirl, that sounds like a mixed episode to me... I get them - my diagnosis is ultradian-cycling bipolar type-not-otherwise-specified (NOS), and mixed episodes are about the worst. Being suicidal and having the energy to actually DO something about it, is what I usually say about them. Good luck! I've never had quetiapine - one of the ones they didn't want to even try on me, as I'm mostly treatment-resistent and have a half-dozen other health problems that clash - but I hear it's not the best early on.

Thanks Trialia - I had thought about that.....

Thankfully, any suicidal thoughts I have are nipped in the bud when I think about how DS would beat himself up in years to come......

Erm - I'm not a pro at this, but poss trigger alert??? Don't read further

So I settle for the sort of self harm that draws blood - coz it helps - physical pain & smearing blood seems much better than the mental pain - plus I can hide if necc from DS, and GP & Pdoc know all about it...

Trialia

Tank Girl ... I have a chronic pain condition as it is, so self-harming is no longer the help to me that it used to be. Now I just try not to. But I get why you might.

tankgirl1

Thanks Trialia - and sorry for posting about self harming x

rubys_mummy

hi, i've just found this site, so i hope i'm posting this in the right place

i have agraphobia and bi polar II and am currently on carbamazepine every day, as well as trazadone for the depression

i have a cpn who i have been seeing every week for the last 4 or 5 mths, and a psychiatrist who comes to my home once month

i just wondered, can i tell my cpn that i dont want to see her anymore as she is constantly going on at me to make "small steps to going out" and i am feeling really pressured which is making my BP symptoms worse

every week when she comes i feel almost bullied because she is constantly saying that i need to leave the house as i dont have any quality of life, and i just dont want to.i have been housebound for about 9 or 10 yrs now, and my hubby is really supportive.i feel like its more of a problem for her than me

do i have to keep seeing the cpn and just keep taking the meds which i dont even like taking but if i dont i'm scared they'll force me to. i'm at the stage where i dread her coming round because i think she's just going to drag me kicking and screaming out of the house. my hubbys told her that she's pressuring me, but she just keeps saying its her job and that while i'm stuck indoors i dnt have a life, but i'm more than happy with my life!

the_devil_made_me_do_it

If she is making you feel so stressed, ask the mental health services to assign you another worker. You could just say that you don't feel that you work well together or something similar. However, try & keep seeing someone, even if it's just once a fortnight.

Maybe ask about seeing a Psychologist if you want help with your agraphobia. They are trained in easing you into taking small steps into the outside world. You don't have to do anything that you are uncomfortable with.

I never bother with the crisis team anymore as they have a good knack of worsening my condition.

rubys_mummy

the_devil_made_me_do_it wrote: »

I never bother with the crisis team anymore as they have a good knack of worsening my condition.

thats exactly how i feel i have more highs than lows fortunately with my BP, but if i say i dnt want them intervening anymore at the moment but i am willing to still take the meds, do you think i can do that? the agraphobia seems to bother THEM a heck of a lot more than it does me for some reason

the_devil_made_me_do_it

If I was you, I would still have some involvement as many people are finding it difficult to even be referred to mental health services.

Would it be possible for your husband to speak with mental health services on your behalf & request a different worker? Also, if you feel the meds yoiu have been prescribed are not helping, then you should explain it to the psychiatrist.

You don't need to feel pressured, it's not fair of them to be even applying slight pressure, especially since you are no where near ready to face going out.