Definitely, and you probably won't be the last either. That's not conducive to a healthy group.

It's a shame when people act like that. I guess that person with you must have been pretty special.

Well the counselor leading the group was the one that made the decision that 'if even one person is uncomfortable', my confidant (who could use CBT themselves, has in the past) had to leave. I'll give my therapist an earfful as soon as I am mobile.

Yesterday I was horridly depressed and did't leave my room save for when 'nature called'. I also didn't really speak or want to do anything. Today I ate a little, have gotten some things done (barely) but I'm still not recovered.

I can't stand having someone close to me taken away involuntarily. Or me taken away from them. Either way... much hurt.

It'd be terribly easy for a single person to sabotage the rest of the group with that kind of policy although I do understand why your counselor would have it in place.

For those of us diagnosed with bipolar disorder (or depression or.. ) and who are in treatment for it.. why do relapses happen?

Personally I missed a session of group therapy because my partner was in the hospital and instead of going back I convinced myself that because of missing that one time the entire group would hate me. Receiving my medicine rested on being able to pay for it and after I lost my state health coverage I could no longer pay for my medicines, one of which cost $700 for a month's supply. So now I'm sans medicine and on my way to a relapse.

Thanks. -hugs- ^^;;

I'm trying to find a clinic in A-town, where we're moving to, that has a sliding scale that I'd be able to pay. I'm also trying to pull together a plan for my recovery and fully realizing what I need in a therapist.

How have you been, Kizzy?

I'm bipolar.
I also am diagnosed with ADHD.

I don't think with bipolar it's so much a "relapse" as just your moods changing, and you slipping up, you can't help it.
That said...I'm bipolar and NOT on medication. I take care of myself as much as I can, but, nothing will stop the hallucinations and delusions once my mania really gets going, and I refuse to be on medication for various reasons (mostly because they might kill me and make me feel miserable and weren't helping, at all).
But I've learned to cope. And I cope the best that I can. Sometimes I'll slip up. But I'm headstrong and obnoxious, and I will not let my diagnosis define my life.

----------

What medications are you on, may I ask?
Is there any chance you could go to your psychiatrist and ask if they have some samples they could give you for a month?
Sometimes they'll do that...It's rare, but some people are good like that if your medication really helps you. It couldn't hurt to ask.

On the other hand, why do you think you need medication?
Without it...what happens? Bipolar is too broad a word.
My mania manifests completely different then my depression or mixed states, and hypomania is completely different from mania in a lot of ways as well.
My mania is usually accompanied by discussions and paranoia, as well a incredible energy where I won't sleep for days and it makes me very irritable and angry. I am most likely to be both violent to others, and self destructive during my mania. My depression makes me want to lay down, but I can never sleep, and hurt EVERYWHERE (moreso than usual). There are brief times when I feel "normal", my mind doesn't race, I sleep fine, and I feel good. Not too much energy, not too little. I feel human. But then there are also mixed states...Which are the absolutely most dangerous for me. A mixed state is when I have thoughts of killing myself and hopelessness, and want nothing more than to stay in bed all day and be angry at the world. But I'm too fidgety to sit still for more than a few minutes, and I'm also very likely to not sleep at all either, or sleep very poorly and wake up just as tired the next day. I am also fairly prone to being violent or verbally abusive to people, because I'm so angry.

On the upside of it all, I can control my reactions to a point...I'm functional, but the feelings will never change. I'll still hear/see shit, and think people are coming to kill me when I'm manic, and I'll still feel like crap when depressed...But what matters is how I deal with it, not what I feel. I can FEEL like I'm the best person ever. Does that make it true? Would acting like I'm Donald Trump probably get my ass beat, yeah, probably. So I don't do it. xD

So...Why do you think you need to be on meds?
Are you violent? Are you self destructive at times? Do you sleep too much, or too little? What exactly is the /problem/?

Hello there
I'm diagnosed with bipolar also, though I forget which line of it
I also have Anxiety, I'm mildly Germaphobic, and I'm paranoid.

These have impacted my life greatly. I was diagnosed with Anxiety two years ago, then with Bipolar about 6 months ago. Due to a severe depressive state, I tried to kill myself. They put me in a hospital for two weeks, and its how they determined I was bipolar.

I went to a program with other "troubled teens" and it helped alot.

Since then, I've been put on medication for my bipolar, but nothing else. I have scratches and scars on my hands from washing them so much.

But my life is on the up side right now, and I'm hopign that things will continue getting better ^^

@monstahh`

I have violent outbursts because I lack any patience and tend to jump to more conclusions when unmedicated. I wouldn't worry about it so much except that I have a young, defenseless child and I'm terrified of losing my temper because of something he might do. Little kids will be kids and all, you know? I do tend to be suicidal when not on medicine and that's a huge risk factor because within the next couple of weeks I'm going to have to start staying at home all day with the baby instead of having a part time job. Without any break from the baby I know my temper will fray and the longer I go without medicine the more likely I am to hit someone else. (I'm so grateful my partner is a martial artist so he knows self defense.) ((But I shouldn't have to be grateful for that and he shouldn't have to defend himself against me.))

It's really difficult to confess how much of a mess I become without pills. I'm self harming and harmful to others and it makes me feel horrible and like I shouldn't be allowed to live which just fuels the despair and hopelessness and that fuels the self harming and suicidal thoughts/tendancies.

i wish i could get rid of mine

i'm Bipolar, but it's recently gone away for a while now...I think it's because i used to stay up really late and my diet had problems. Everyone's BD is different, and my doctor said something goes wrong whenever I eat salt (an imbalance), so i have to eat only sugar and if i do eat salt i get really cranky or overly happy. And when i go manic, I tend to get violent (throwing things so that they break on one try, i once even broke my younger sister's ribcage)or I have the sudden urge to do a 1000 piece puzzle.

For relieving stress, I eat sweets (no, I don't get fat-SURPRISE) and do something that occupies the mind. (Brain-challenge type things, and solve unsolved cases. It's nice to know you figured out something other people haven't.)

Also, as for medication, I took it once when I was 7 (I'm 16 now)...Let's just say it didn't do a very good job.

I don't know if at this point in my life I would want to get rid of my BD, Arisa.

Salt, huh? That's a new one! I tend to eat sweet things to make myself feel better too - lots of fruit and sometimes candy. Otherwise I relieve stress by reading compulsively.

I was diagnosed with bipolar a few years ago along with Borderline Personality, an eating disorder, PTSD, Asperger's and ADHD.

I have a lot of bipolar family members but my medical and social history was definitely a trigger for my symptoms. Typically it's an event or series of events that cause me to destabilize.

It depends on the person. I take three: Lamictal (mood stabilizer), Seroquel (antipsychotic) and Pristiq (antidepressant)

Awesome! I'm a library science major and it's not very stressful...perfect for me as I need to remain low-key

I've been on Seroquel and Trazadone at the same time so I could sleep through the night. I can't take Trazadone anymore though so we just increased my Seroquel. I remember the first time I took Seroquel even w/o the Trazadone I slept ten hours in the HALLWAY and it was only 25mg! I take two opiates for my Ehlers-Danlos along with Lyrica and some meds for my autoimmune disease too...and...others for other things...Sadly, I am a walking pharmacy :(

It's such a pain but I was lucky. I have SSI and was approved in three months. I actually didn't finish my paperwork; my doctors had given them REALLY good notes and I've been hospitalized and was in an intensive Dialectical Behavioral Therapy program at the time.

ARE YOU SERIOUS???? I have EDS too...what are the odds???? THAT makes me feel more alone than the bipolar does :( because so few people have even heard of it.

It doesn't make the hurt any less though. I was diagnosed with BPD as well and no one wanted to be my friend either...but I noticed now with meds and therapy people want to hang out with me again! I'd also been diagnosed with Asperger's and ADHD along with PTSD which make socialization a bit difficult still but I get less nervous and I know now how to effectively tell others what my needs are.

HOPE EVERYONE'S FEELING WELL TODAY!!!!!

I'm surprised there are so many...
But at the same time sort of relieved not to be alone. I feel mostly alone in life.
Although I don't have bipolar, my similar I think, schizoaffective disorder so also my view of reality is apparently..wrong.
I was diagnosed with a couple other things too.
If anyone else has this, can we talk? Or anyone with bipolar or anything similar who wants to be friends♥

I don't have schizoaffective but when I'm unmedicated I have dissociative and psychotic symptoms...I've been caught talking to people who aren't there...don't do it on meds though...feel free to send me a PM or use chat if you want to talk.

I don't have bipolar disorder, but a close friend of mine does. Most people don't know he's bipolar, because he doesn't like to tell people about it, and when he has an "episode" he tends to disappear for a few days at a time and most people he knows don't get to see him that way.
For him, his relapses and episodes seem to be triggered by emotional distress. His ex recently took him to court to get the hours he gets to spend with their daughter decreased. The reason she used for this was his BPD, although in reality she was just being a spiteful bitch. His daughter has never been put in any danger because of his disorder, at all.

Unfortunately, the stress of her doing this to him caused him so much distress that it triggered another episode, which caused him to disappear for a few days again, and miss his court dates, which really didn't work in his favour at all.

Fortunately, his doctor is vouching for him and is scheduled to go back to court with him and explain the situation, to see what they can do.
It's all a bit sad, really.

I'm glad his doctor is sticking up for him. I hate it when people use illness, especially mental illness to keep a kid away from a parent out of spite...except if it's a case where the child would be in danger.

Hello scribbled lord, long time no see, my [partner ran out of his medicine and is waiting for another appointment to get his Abilify since it cost five hundred dollars a month and obviously we can't afford it, so when he drinks, he relapses. I'm hoping to get him back on medicaid. Thanksgiving sucked since we had to work all frigging day!! Fourteen hours for both of us!! Well thankfully we are off for Christmas, i hope you are doing well and send out the best of wishes to wherever you are.

You can contact the drug company and see what they do for uninsured people. Does Abilify have a generic?

Scribble I know what you're talking about, I missed out on a session a while ago (I've depression) and got convinced that my threapist would hate me for not sticking to the scheme. And my panic built up during the days til the next session so then I just locked myself up and didn't answer the phone for two weeks.
It doesn't take much. For me if things doesn't go to the plan I freak.

Unfortunately they do not and are still patented, but that is a good idea contacting the company. I've got him an appointment with a nurse at mental health tomorrow, but I'm not sure that he will get his medicine. I've got to get him back on medication for his issues, my partner stays in a state of confusion as far as his sexuality goes which is contradictory and he needs therapy with his unresolved past issues. He also pulled out a knife on someone he wanted to fight for stupid reasons and luckily me and another person prevented it. I don't know how much longer I can go on and keep my own sanity and continue to deal with someone so mentally unstable. I really feel like sometimes I wished I had never met him. I'm developing some of my own issues which are affecting me and causing my depression to surface. I've got to get him mentally stable before something tragic happens.