Does therapy really help Bipolar? What is your experience?

ChrissyJo · 06-19-2008, 02:00 AM

So I am not only PCOS I have Diabetes and am Bipolar. I have some other stuff too but meds are helping with that.

I was misdiagnosed as depressed for almost 9 years. I always stopped taking my pills because I would turn manic and was happy and great. Finally I saw a shrink who said I had all the signs of bipolar. I kept a chart and we are still testing meds. he recomended I see a counselor or therapist. So i've been twice. Today I started a rage fit and was trying to think back to what she had told me. "tell myself happy things and practice positive self talk". When I was sitting in her office and heard that, I thought ok well she's the professional so she knows. Today sitting in rush hour traffic in 102 degree weather in the smack dab middle of texas I feel the anger coming up. I started slow cusing and making evil faces at people in other cars then screming and beating the dash. I looked in the mirror I was so mad I wanted to get out of the car and disappear. I actually planned what I would do. I would just jump into Lake LBJ and if I lived at least I would feel free. So back to looking in the mirror, I thought about my therapist and how she told me to say nice things to myself. I tried it I tried to tell my self something nice but the only thing I could think of was my hair isn't all that frizzy for as much sweat is flowing through it. Just then I smashed the sun visor put the air on 4 and got so angry I wanted to punch my therapist in the mouth if she was there. I thought what the hell is that? How am i supposed to stop hating everything to love myself? I figured it is easy for her to say hings like that because she sits in her office making $300 an hour telling people stupid stuff like that. So now I am wondering if therapy really works for Bipolar people. Are there any success stories?
If not i want to call this whole thing off because I sure don't want to sit in an office spilling my guts for an hour only to hear i need to talk nicely to myself.

thincyster85 · 06-19-2008, 11:14 AM

I am bipolar and know how you feel. I had some therapists who believed in 'talk therapy' which is just saying good things about yourself. I don't think that helps in different states of mind! I finally found a therapist that I have been seeing for a year and she helps me recognize my different mood swings and how to deal with them better. It's more a therapy that is more about a learning about oneself and how to cope with the illness. It's been helpful. I get mad though when she tries to dish out the happy thoughts crap but it must be shoved down there throats in schooling.

Bethann · 06-19-2008, 04:30 PM

In my experience, no. The only thing that helped, and dramatically, was finding a good psychiatrist, getting the right diagnosis, and finding the right combination of meds.

There is a kind of therapy that focuses on learning to detect shifts in mood very early, and implementing a specific set of sets for warding them off (something I have trouble with). I'm interested in this, but haven't found anyone who does it--I think it's pretty new.

eeyore1978 · 06-19-2008, 04:54 PM

I did not find therapy helpful at all. Mostly, my therapist wanted to blame everything on my parents and claimed that all of my problems were due to abuse as a child and that since I couldn't remember it, I must have repressed the memories. I went for about a month and then I quit. I find it much more helpful just to vent to my very near and dear friends and get support from them.

jc1978 · 06-20-2008, 12:14 AM

I am not bi polar but have anxiety which I still deal with every so often. I am off of meds because I couldn't handle the side effects so I went to councelling when I found that I just wasn't functioning like I normally do (I was hiding all the time). I find they can help you cope and find other ways to relieve stress and found I was looking at things a little differently. Don't stick with anyone who doesn't make you feel comfortable with sharing things. This might help reduce your stress and anger

ChrissyJo · 06-23-2008, 03:08 PM

I went to therapy again today.
she seems to think she can heal me by still telling myself to be postive to myself.
I told her about who i am when I am manic and how I don't even realize it until I come down from mania. Then I told her who i am when I am depressed. She says that I need to find a common ground. Oh duh........... Why didnt i ever think of that?
The drugs are ok but I just dont see a way out of where I am, I feel like I am on the thin edge of living and dying. The PCOS stuff is incredibly frustrating. Dealing with mt fiance' and my inability to work is getting old. He will never understand why I cant just be normal. I am scared to file for disability because what will I do in the mean time? I can work I can go and when I am manic I am great I do all I can the best I can as fast as I can, I make people mad because I push push push. Every thing races throuh my head so fast and I see things strage things that nobody else sees. I saw a UFO. Driving home from work in the sky about the interstate. just plain as day. I looke around at the people sitting in the other cars and nobody else saw it. And when depressed I am tardy, I dont care about work or people or dead lines. I am tired and slow. I lock myself in a bathroom stall and cry for 15 to 20 minutes. It feels like everyone is mean to me and I do nothing but take up time and energy. I get scared about if people know Im depressed I avoid any social contact. I talk down about everything. I feel like if i died nobody would have to deal with me and I could be at peace finally.

This stuff though not as bad as many disabled people go through is what I face on a month to month basis. I am so sick feeling like this and havign nobody understand or care. How am I supposed to survive? Why fight the depression when the thought of death is the only realistic thing I can think aout. I can't comprehend being normal or even what it feels like to be thankful to breath air. Around every corner is a worry or an obstacle and I just dont have the energy to do it.

My therapist says I need to find a common ground....
To me that means being 6 feet in the ground