That’s all so sad. Do you see a therapist? Mine has helped immensely. Also do you take medication? Both are key to treating bipolar disorder

I used to see a therapist but that all stopped a year and a half ago due to issues I had at home at the time, I am trying to get back to therapy as soon as possible but I have no tried medicine from what I’ve been told from several people is that the medicine doesn’t make them feel like themselves and I know it’s all about trial and error and you have to take that risk to find something that helps but it sometimes is concerning to me since I haven’t heard really any positive feedback from mood stabilizers

"I am trying to stay away from mood stabilizers due to the fact I knew several people who tried them and told me they felt like a zombie and not like themselves."

Unfortunately if you are bipolar then you need to take meds. Without that you will miss opportunities in life, career and relationships. And likely to get worse.

Medication doesn't mean you have to give up feeling - it's more like getting control of your life and a chance to enjoy it.

Thank you for that, I never thought of it that way I tend to be narrow minded sometimes and I've been looking to become more open-minded and that really opened my eyes to a new perspective on trying medication. I have many regrets in life and a lot of it was due to several restrictions I gave myself and I would love to not feel like I'm always being held back from experiences I want to experience. Thank you for giving me your time to listen and for the advice.

Welcome positive...... I agree with what fish has written re medication..... It can help gain control of the disorder and even though it's chronic it is still treatable sweetie

If you find some side effects not tolerable you'd discuss that with your doctor...

You 'sound' like an amazing young person who's doing a great deal to improve your situation..... Good for you!!

I grew up with an alcoholic parent as well and it can be tough....

Al anon is all over the world and is free

These are groups for support for loved ones of alcoholics and Narc anon is for drugs..... They are basically the same and you can get a lot of free support and good psychological tools moving forward within these groups

If you would rather live somewhere else it might be worth asking your doctor for a referral to a social worker

This is a good site.... I'm glad that you've found us..... Big hug.......xo

Thank you so much that means so much to mean. I really am trying to change my life and better myself I’ve been through so much in my life I might as well write a book about it. I don’t really have a family so I don’t get support from anyone besides my significant other but even then sometimes I feel like a bother at times. I am definitely going to look into talking to a social worker to help me get out of my living situation.

Oops meant me not mean *

Being Diagnosed with BiPolar Disorder at 17 is a little unrealistic, but they do it now days, there is a lot more to it than Depression. As Fish said, you can't avoid medication if you have BiPolar, it has to be treated or it just gets worse. It's not a Disease that has a cure, but can be treated with medications and therapy. If you're still seeing the Pdoc (psychiatrist) that diagnosed you, they would be the one that prescribes and manages your medications. They could also recommend a good Therapist. This isn't a Disease you can manage holistically or on your own. But adjunct therapies like poetry, journaling, other cognitive type activities can help you deal with the varied emotions and cope.

I'm sorry you've had such a crappy past, many of us here have a lot in common with you. Sometimes the best thing to do is just leave the past in the past. Work with your Therapist, deal with things as you go and look forward to the future you're going to build for yourself. At some point you have to look at your mom and see her for what she is, a person who isn't capable of change and is just what she it. You've done a great job of taking care of yourself, now you're an adult....don't give her so much real estate and power in your head...use that space for creating a great future for yourself.

Take care.

You are not alone. Give medication and therapy another try. Keep writing/reading your poetry- a creative outlet is always good. Prayers for strength and peace.

Thank you guys for the advice

Excersize helps with depression. Yoga, mediations. Healthy foods, stay away from fast food or sugars...

I definitely will try excersize.. sometimes my depression causes me to be lazy and it’s hard to get out of bed. Unfortunately, since I completely support myself and pay my own bills it’s hard to buy actual good food, a lot of the time i find myself eating fast foods because it is all i can afford.

If you sit down and make your menu for the week, plan it out, figure out what ingredients you need, you'd be surprised how inexpensive you can get good food instead of fast food.

The thing with BiPolar is there are many components that can keep it stable or make the monster wake up. Meds, Therapy, Sleep and Nutrition are the big ones.

It takes planning, and I know that isn't always our strong suit, but you can re-train yourself. When my sons were younger and I didn't have as much time to cook on weeknights and was on more of a budget, I would use a few tricks that made things easier.

On Sundays I would boil a package of chicken breasts, then portion them out in freezer bags with some of the broth. We'd use them during the week, one night for taco's, one night for chicken & gravy over rice or chicken and noodles with gravy or chicken fajita's. I'd do a lot of veggie prep on Sundays too, chop up bell peppers and onions so I had them during the week, slice cucumbers, shred lettuce and just stick it all in Rubbermaid containers or freezer-bags in the Fridge. I'd make a roast and we'd eat half of it for Sunday dinner and I'd shred the other half and use it during the week for fajita's or french dip subs, chop it up fine and make spaghetti. When I'd make spaghetti sauce on Sundays I'd make a triple batch and put 2 parts of it in the freezer for another night.

I love to cook, so being in the kitchen for a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon didn't bother me and it meant my family had healthy "real" meals during the week. What we ate depended on what was on sale. I'm a penny-pincher by birth, so I'd stock up when the BOGO sales were on, fill the pantry good once a month and then all I had to get each week were fresh veggies/fruit and milk, bread and whatever meat was on sale.

I don't know if you have Harris Teeter Grocery stores where you live, but they often have Buy 2 Get 3 free sales and you can really stock up on pantry stuff.

But if you plan and learn to just buy what you need, don't do any impulse buying, you can get good healthy food for what your spending on fastfood.

If you have a low-income job, since you are supporting yourself, you might go on your States Social Services webpage and see if you qualify for Food benefits. Its a debit card now, so it's not so embarrassing to show up at the store with your food coupons, but if you qualify for the assistance, there is no shame in getting it. We get very little help from our Government these days, might as well take what we can.

Take care,
Kat

Thank you for all that I definitely will try it I never really learned how to cook I really only know the basics but I’m sure I can try the foods you suggested it didnt seem hard I’m just not the best cook but in time I will learn

If you'd like some easy recipe's or help with a menu plan, or ideas of what things can be done in bigger batches for freezing, etc., feel free to message me. I really don't mind. I know it can be hard to start a new planning thing.