Getting my life back together after Bipolar

[HLon99]

Hi guys,

Ive been recently diagnosed with Bipolar disorder and have been starting treatment 2 months ago. Before that I had a pretty rough year during which my mood was switching constantly, I came close to commiting suicide 3 times, I got myself into hundreds of £s of credit card debt and crashed my parents car. Due to my mental health I had to drop out of university and have been living at home ever since. Before medication I was unable to hold a job and lived off my parents as a semi-recluse. Now I'm feeling much better and have been stable for almost a month thanks to my Lamictal and Abilify.

However, my illness has pretty much put a dead end to my life plans. My life rn has no real direction, and Im afraid of relapsing. Ideally, I would go back to university, but I dont know if im stable enough to do so. Although Im stable I stiill dont really feel 100% like myself and often struggle to have any motivation to take action.

Anyone have any tips on how to get your life back together after such a rough turmoil?

Thanks in advance
-H

 

[Mister_Fabulous formerly BetaMale]

I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2013 and subsequently treated with Lamictal, lithium and antipsychotics until last year. I then found a psychiatrist who helped me come off all the meds, and I have made a full recovery as a result of meditation and talk-therapy.

 

[HLon99]

Thanks Beta,

Currently, I am happy with my meds and I don't think I'll be quitting them anytime soon.
I have been really interested in starting talk therapy. I have some experience with CBT (before my Bipolar) for anxiety but found it to be very constricted and it didnt really allow me to really talk about the issues that I wanted to talk about. Is there any kind of therapy that you can recommend?

 

[Mister_Fabulous formerly BetaMale]

I have been really interested in starting talk therapy. I have some experience with CBT (before my Bipolar) for anxiety but found it to be very constricted and it didnt really allow me to really talk about the issues that I wanted to talk about. Is there any kind of therapy that you can recommend?

The kind of therapy where the therapist is nonjudgmental and merely acts as a sounding board for your ideas.

 

[JessisMe]

I wonder if there is any way you could go back to school part time and still live at home with your parents? The class schedule might give your days needed purpose, structure and stability while not pushing you too hard. It sounds like you are not quite ready to commit to working a job yet and sitting around your parents house cannot be that fun.

 

[HLon99]

Dear JessisMe,

Thanks for you response. That sounds like an good idea. My previous uni was a 3 hr drive away from my hometown. Ive been considering transferring to a local university in London. However, it might mean waiting another year and starting from scratch. All my friends are going to be graduating next year and i'll be left behind. In the meantime I would be happy to work a part-time job, but im struggling to find anything due to corona.

What I'm really finding hard coming to terms with is just how much I have changed and broken down since my illness. Before the illness, I used to be a smart, sociable straight A student. I had some ADHD and some other issues, but I worked very hard and got into one of the top ten unis in the country. And now, I feel like this illness has changed me. Even though my mood has been stable, I still dont feel like myself. I've become shy, vulnerable, indecisive and lack motivation to take actions. Im not depressed, just feel that this ilness has taken a lot out of me as a person. And I wake up in the mornings, worrying everyday what's around the corner, knowing full well that one day I might wake up and start loosing my mind again.
I just hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel and I will find some way to start rebuilding things.

Thanx again

 

[Pear]

HLon99 you’re still the smart, sociable straight A student. It will just take time to trust the stability that you have now. Could you take one or two classes just see how that goes. It is really scary remembering how bad an episode is and how much damage gets done. But you have to live on and maybe think it could have been worse. Try not to think about all that. Just think of the future and the good that will come your way.

 

[leugim1]

I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2013 and subsequently treated with Lamictal, lithium and antipsychotics until last year. I then found a psychiatrist who helped me come off all the meds, and I have made a full recovery as a result of meditation and talk-therapy.

EPIC!!