My daughter takes Lamictal and Lexpro and I believe she is going to talk to the new Psychiatrist about increasing the dosage, when she finally gets to meet him this week. My daughter has found a therapist that she likes but the therapist has cancelled some appointment- two I think. My daughter has very limited time due to her job so she cannot reschedule in the same week and it’s a time that she really needs the appointment.
I have to say it ticks me off considering this persons job. I’d think the therapist would be more aware of the effect, for many reasons. Is it unusual for a patient to ask for a phone apt.? Just a thought. I don’t want to react with the anger I feel and would like to make a helpful suggestion.
Thanks again, and at your convenience,
Kathy
Hi Kathy,
Therapists can play such an important role in bipolar disorder management. One way they help is to teach their clients how to live consistent and stable lives. If your daughter’s therapist has cancelled two or more times, I see this as a problem with consistency.
I have had to change times with my therapist- and she has had to change times with me- but it’s always done ahead of time and it’s rare. If the therapist is exceptional and really helps your daughter, I would suggest your daughter talk to her and say that sticking to appointments is essential. It’s important to remember that we PAY health care professionals- it’s not the other way around. When we pay for something, it’s natural we want value for our money.
People defintely have therapy sessions on the phone. This usually works if you have already seen the therapist a few times. I would still insist on the therpaist sticking to an exact time.
I think that talking with her therapist and being honest about her concerns is the first step. It may be the therapist is in crisis with something and has not told your daughter. But even then, if she cancelled again, that would be too much stress for me personally and I would look for someone else.
I have been with my therapist Robin for five years. She is essential to my stability.
It’s a three day weekend here in the states. Many people are traveling out of town or have events on the weekend. On the other hand, there are those who are lonely and wish they had something planned.Holidays can be tough for both sides. If I’m manic, I’ll just go have a blast no matter where I am. I’d walk up to strangers and she what they’re doing. If I’m depressed, all I can think about is that other people have a lot more fun than I do. They go to picnics and see people and throw Frisbees and have a wonderful time. I’m sure I’m missing out.
Of course this is a great illustration that my moods are not my own- and that I need to get focused and create my own moods. I do this by planning ahead.
Here are some tips:
1. Time Zones: If you’re traveling with a time change: Start now to get on the new time. This may mean going to be earlier or later. This has made a huge difference in my traveling over the past few years.
2. Travel Companions: I always tell others how travel affects bipolar disorder so that they can help me look for signs that I’m getting ill. People are always really helpful. If you haven’t told people, it helps for you to have a list of the signs that you’re getting ill! It’s the small things you have to notice- such as partying a lot more where you drink and stay out all night long after others have gone to bed. Tell your travel friends that this is not what you want to do and have a plan before you go out!
3. Time Out: I can get really overstimulated on a vacation. If you’re going to Disney World for example, it’s fine to say to others- I’ll just let you guys go on Space Mountain for the fifth time, I’m going to sit at this café and read. There are many things you can do to create successful travel- if you click on the travel tab to the right, I have a lot more ideas.
I keep saying I’m going to write a travel book! I will have to do that before the winter travel craze!
I recently did a series of interviews for a large mental health website called healthyplace.com. Here is one of the first videos I recorded. I’d like to set this up a bit before you watch it. I went through a terrible experience in 1994 when my partner Ivan got very sick and was in the hospital for three months in a manic/psychotic episode. I was scared, overwhelmed and very confused about what was going on. I never met his doctor when he was in the hospital! The nurses were wonderful, but no one actually explained the illness or why he was so sick. I literally had to do everything on my own. Things have changed a lot of course! I wrote books on this experience myself- so the information is more out there now. The video below is a response to the question of what we can do to work successfully without health care professionals when we or someone we care about are in crisis. I want to say that I sound pretty forceful in this video- and I do believe what I say- but I want to also make it clear that the health care professionals in my life are 100% a part of my team. I care about them and respect them deeply!
I’ve had WAY to many mood swings in the last six weeks- i counted 23 on my daily mood swing chart. That’s too many. I’m examining what is going on in my life so that I can really stay focused on my bipolar disorder treatment plan. But it’s hard. Writing a blog seems like too much of an effort! But I know it’s not. It’s a lot more effort to not do something. I had a choice when I walked into my house- to worry about being to sick to look at my email and do a blog- or to do it and save the hours of worry I would have that I’m not working enough. Speaking of working, I haven’t been able to work very consistently for the past six weeks- but I keep going. It’s better than not working at all!
I feel better when I get things done. I’m off to see a friend for dinner. I will not focus on how sick I have been, but I will tell her about it. She’s a good listener and story teller, so I’ll let her set the mood of the evening.
I hope that you are doing ok and can get inspiration from this blog. There are so many great comments from readers that are really inspirational. We all experience the same symptoms with bipolar disorder because it’s an illness. Most of the time it’s not our lives that are the probem- it’s not us- it’s not anything personal. It’s an illness.
All of my blogs are divided into categories- you can see the list on the right- I’ve been consolidating them for the past few weeks. Here’s an example of what’s included in the medications category:
Medications: Abilify, tegretol, depakote, lithium, lamictal, lamotrigine, zyprexa, serequel, anti depressants, medical treatment of bipolar disorder, medications used to treat bipolar disorder, side effects, anti convulsants, anti psychotics, mood stabilizers, mania medications, depression medications, anxiety medications, talking with your doctor about medications, family members on medications, family members who refuse medications, medications in the news, what medications should a person with bipolar disorder take, etc etc!
Can you believe there is so much to learn about medications and bipolar disorder! If you just take an hour to read all of the blogs in this category, you will know more than most people on the planet about the drugs used to treat the illness. It’s fascinating information. I have learned it slowly- it’s the best way to take it all in.
Just one hour and you’re on your way to bipolar medication expertise!
I was really depressed the other day – and I mean really depressed. My friend Pat called and said, “How can I help you Julie? You always say that you need action when you’re depressed. So why don’t you come over and we can have dinner!”
This is what I need when I’m sick. It was hard to say yes, but I did. I felt much better when I got there – we went to a friend’s tulip farm and had a great time with some other friends. All the while- the depression was eating away at my brain- at least that is what it felt like- but I kept going.
On the way back to her house, we saw a truck parked next to a field. From the moment I saw it- I knew it was a message to me- Julie, no matter what happens with this illness, sometimes you just have to REALLY LAUGH!
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