Bipolar Disorder Support Group
Bipolar disorder is not just a single disorder, but a category of mood disorders marked by periods of abnormally high energy and euphoria, often accompanied by bouts of clinical depression. This is the place to talk about your experience with bipolar disorder, learn from others' experiences, and find support.
Hello. I've been on DS, on and off, for a few years. I haven't been banned--it was a little weird and uncalled for, for that admin to assume that, and close my post; I just forget my login information. Anyways, I took medication for about 10 years, before resorting to ECT. The meds didn't help, ECT did help.
According to Mayo Clinic,
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure in which electric currents are passed through the brain, intentionally triggering a brief seizure. ECT seems to cause changes in brain chemistry that can quickly reverse symptoms of certain mental illnesses. It often works when other treatments are unsuccessful. Much of the stigma attached to ECT is based on early treatments in which high doses of electricity were administered without anesthesia, leading to memory loss, fractured bones and other serious side effects. ECT is much safer today and is given to people while they're under general anesthesia. Although ECT still causes some side effects, it now uses electrical currents given in a controlled setting to achieve the most benefit with the fewest possible risks.
I still need to take my moodstabilizer/antipsychotic, twice a day. ECT reset me, but snowflake drugs keep me there.
According to Mayo Clinic,
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure in which electric currents are passed through the brain, intentionally triggering a brief seizure. ECT seems to cause changes in brain chemistry that can quickly reverse symptoms of certain mental illnesses. It often works when other treatments are unsuccessful. Much of the stigma attached to ECT is based on early treatments in which high doses of electricity were administered without anesthesia, leading to memory loss, fractured bones and other serious side effects. ECT is much safer today and is given to people while they're under general anesthesia. Although ECT still causes some side effects, it now uses electrical currents given in a controlled setting to achieve the most benefit with the fewest possible risks.
I still need to take my moodstabilizer/antipsychotic, twice a day. ECT reset me, but snowflake drugs keep me there.
You have to try, though, in the beginning. You can't just do what you always do, and say "This is too big for me.". Trust me, in retrospect, it won't be, and trying to avoid feeling bad becomes a subconscious reaction. You won't even notice it happened.
Am I saying bottle it up? No, don't put words in my mouth.
I've been on DailyStrength for centuries. That's my devil's advocate credentials, now, this is how I do things:
If a problem can be fixed: I confront it, calmly and with reason. Hoping for a new outcome, I let it go.
If I can't fix a problem: I let it go. If I can't let it go, I acknowledge it, then let it go.
Here's what I no longer do:
I no longer dwell or vent. I can admit that doing so pleasures part of my brain, a little, but too much sympathy is actually pretty damaging. With a little practice, you could trade the feeling you get from crying, for peace of mind and all it entails.
I'm guessing that indulging in crying is all someone with longstanding deep depression can do, in order to get some happiness. Just know that you can have better, if you put in a little practice.
I hope you all hear me out. Farewell.
Honestly, though, I'd risk more than that to solve my agonizing depression. It's just no way to live.
In order to prevent slipping into a cycle, after getting ECT, you be a responsible sleeper, you must not drink alcohol or any other mind altering substances, and you must do your best to do anything to keep your mind healthy and balanced. You might also like to know that antidepressants often trigger mania, in bipolar patients, which in turn trigger depression. I take Saphris, a mood stabilizer and anti-pscyhotic, which is cherry flavored and disolves under the tongue.