Posted by Dinah on October 15, 2002, at 8:00:11
Judy, you mentioned that therapy was part of your treatment for your bipolar disorder. I'm officially diagnosed with cyclothymia and have definite mood swings.
My therapist and I were talking about this the other day. He asked how I would know when I no longer needed therapy. And I was kind of surprised. I think of myself as having cyclothymia and OCD and treating it with therapy and a low dose of medications. I don't think of therapy as something that I'll be finished with. I see it more as a maintenance thing, like insulin, used in conjunction with medication.
I realize I could take more meds and less therapy, but I don't like the meds side effects. One day if they invent a better medication, I would be happy to do that.
I don't see therapy just as building better coping skills and then moving on. I think there are ongoing challenges in dealing with a mood disorder, times when my thinking is not as objective as it could be and I need a reality check. Times when my thoughts get all twisted and I need some untwisting. Times when everything builds up inside and I need a safe place to reduce the pressure. I don't want to burden my family with thoughts of suicide or self injury that I am pretty sure I won't act on, but that need to be discussed or they feed on themselves. I do think as I build better coping skills I can use therapy less. Maybe go to every other week or once a month or something.
I discussed all this with my therapist, and he is okay with my conception of therapy. But I was wondering what your attitude and your therapist's attitude was about this. Do you see therapy as a legitimate treatment for ongoing biologically based mood disorders (along with meds)?
I suspect this view is going out of favor as psychopharmacology and chemical models of mental illness gain ground. But I honestly think therapy helps me function as best I can in the workplace and at home, given my biological brain glitches.
Thanks,
Dinah
poster:Dinah
thread:1299
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20020829/msgs/1299.html