Posted by holymama on June 2, 2006, at 18:00:47
In reply to Re: What Do You Think Of All the New Types of Bipo, posted by Caedmon on June 2, 2006, at 16:00:04
Personally, I feel like the term 'bipolar' is used much more frequently these days because of the broad use of antidepressants. I know that, personally, I have always had a problem with depression, (slight, if any hypomania), but it was the use of an antidepressant that caused me to get manic, start cycling rapidly, get suicidal for the first time...I became much more 'bipolar' in my moods -- much more extreme on either end. Many doctors told me I needed to continue to search for the right combination of mood stabilizers/antipsychotics/anti-depressants...and that I would need to be on these drugs for the rest of my life. It was deemed entirely irrational of me to consider going off meds, even though my moods were so much more extreme and I was hospitalized 4 times in the three years following the antidepressants.
I have since gone off meds (4 months now), and though 4 months is not a very long time, my agitated depressions (mixed states) have ceased, and I am functioning so much better. I am still dealing with some depression for sure, but those antidepressants almost ruined my life, so I am looking for alternative routes.
Now, I don't know how common this story is, but I have heard a couple of mental health professionals say that they have heard this before -- the start of mood altering drugs causing more problems. And if it happened to me, I'm sure there are others. And if I hadn't listened to my gut, and if I hadn't gone away for a month and a half this winter to detox off the drugs, and if I had continued to listen to my doctor, my therapist and my husband...I would still be taking the pills, and I'm guessing I'd be in the hospital again right now.
I know there are many who benefit from meds, and many who need them (hell, I could use a pill that stops my depression! But there isn't such a thing! They all make me manic and crazy!). But I am afraid there are many who get crazy on antidepressants and who then are labeled 'bipolar' for the rest of their lives. And is that enough justification for the bipolar label? I don't know what the answer is, except that I am far better off without the craziness of medication, and I am questioning the bipolar diagnosis altogether. I know I'm not alone.
poster:holymama
thread:651955
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060530/msgs/652079.html