There is hope. The right meds are important but beyond that your knowledge of the disorder and your determination to be "more than" will do a world of good. No, mental illness only defines what we want it to, but it's a good place to start. I wish you courage and determination and peace.

what tommy just said...........

also I think every one has their own views on what a "productive" life is or is not.........I do get a bit testy when someone (my brother for example) asks if I am going to do anything with my life ever.......

I am productive ..........I am responsible for keeping myself on meds and taken care of (diet, exercise, sleep) so I do not relapse. I have a elderly mother who I take out and about when ever she needs. I take her out just to get her out sometimes as well. I help a friend who works 2 jobs with her dogs and some stuff around her house.
I work ever minute of every day to get up and get out and not need someone or klonapin to get me through the door. The fact that I do get through the door now is not brain surgery but it is being productive in my little world. You are not defined by your illness you decide your worth in the things you do and in the way you let others treat you.

Tommy and KatLin know what they're talking about. You do have hope. The 6th word you typed was HOPE so it is there! And all of us are in this fight together, we are survivors! Never let doubt tell you anything less.
You have a lovely looking family. They are your joy. Mental illness doesn't define you nor should it, ever. At times we have all experienced that feeling but it's the disorder and we're usually more unwell when thinking that way. Hope this has helped. Rattles xxo

Welcome aboard! You have found many great people and friends to be made!

I am productive - surviving, doing the next right thing - on baby step at a time (sometimes).... I worked and made very good money 20+ years after Dx - I still keep my house decent, work in the yard - make money. I do voluteer work with children, dogs and NAM - I highly reccomend check out NAMI.org in your area - there are Real Life meetings with many people like us! Ones that struggle, ones that are productive - we help each other and learn, share, vent and socialize! There is a lot of hope!

Some area's are bigger with DBSA meetings (Depression Bipolar Support Alliance) NAMI (National Alliance Mental Health) There are lots of people with MI's or BP that have full lives! Hold on at the worse, and live your life in between episodes! I love that saying : )

It can get better and the IT is YOU!

Hi and Welcome 1alexis.... You've found a great board with wonderful people that share and support one another in good times and in bad...x

WOW! To each of your replies! And thank you. It's all what I needed to know. I'm also relieved to see some replies with other interpretations of a productive life. For me now, getting out of bed and bathing is a productive day. I feel as if I'm in a million pieces right now and somewhere along the way I became very overwhelmed with ALL of those pieces and simply shut down. I must admit that I don't know if I'll ever work a full time job again. I was a career driven woman on a path to climbing that corporate ladder with each pay raise. I could care less about all that now. Prior to signing up with you guys, I'd signed up volunteering for a local children's museum. As I ramble all this, I do realize it IS a one day at a time attitude. I'm seeing a therapist weekly as well, so I know that getting out of my head is going to help tremendously and get me on some kind of path. I like days like this and I hope I can hold on tightly now knowing I am not alone. One last question for anyone...so what to do on those dark days ahead that to try convince me otherwise of what we've discussed? THANKS AGAIN GUYS!

I found that for me, it took quite a bit of time to get used to the new 'labels' that I was given.

Gee!!! I would have hoped that being diagnosed (and that's quite a lot of stuff you have on your plate, there!!!) would have led to a treatment program that would have you doing better than you were before the diagnosis!!

Did SOME things get better, I hope?!! Aside from having to come to grips with having a mental illness? (That part really sucks!)

If things AREN'T any better -- and assuming that you take meds -- maybe you need to have your treatment adjusted.

if it's 'just' the 'identity crisis' part of things, the therapy should be great for that!!!!
(I LOVED therapy!!!! I hope it works as well for you!!!!)

And coming HERE will probably help you feel lots better!!!
I bet there's nothing that you can throw at us that no one will be able to relate to it!!!
This is a great place for empathy!!!!
And empathy makes this whole thing so much more bearable!!!!

Oh, I think you'll get much more helpful advice from many others here than you will get from me, when it comes to those 'dark days'!!
I'm afraid that my main coping technique for times like that is to crawl in bed and try to sleep 'round the clock!
But, who knows!!!!?
Maybe you'll give ME better ideas for coping with that part!!!

At any rate, WELCOME to the board!!!!

(((((Hugs)))))

Welcome! great that you reached out; you're already def. attempting to move past the limitations of being 'categorized"...we're all very much individuals. and buoyed by our support systems. I'm thankful that I stumbled across this site, and i think that you'll be , too. best wishes to you!

I've been on a three year roller coaster with med changes and am no better off then when I started with the exception of having a ton more information.

I won't go all into my whole story again I am sure everyone is tired of hearing it. But afer being on disability for five years and struggling for another four I went back to school and became a paramedic. What a high stress job but I seem to thrive in it. I am now the operations supervisor for our county and a full time college student who graduates in five weeks and begins the masters program in NOvember of this year. So now, you should know I often have ECT treatments when my depression is resistant to treatment, I take a handfull of pills everyday, I just currently endured a manic psychosis episode and heard voices and Im still a bit hypomanic right now. But guess hwat, with the medication and 10 years of therapy, I am a survivor, we all are survivors. Some can't work, some can but we all struggle and there is hope. If you can just get through each day happily or at least safely, then you are winning the battle. Email me anytime. Oh, I have PTSD, generalized anxiety, panic disorder, borderline personality disorder, and Bipolar 1. You can get through this and you will get lots of support here. Big Hugs for you!!

Welcome Aboard!

This is my way of looking at my life with bipolar-

Yes, you can be productive on many levels. Sometimes plans have to be altered but I believe that with a good support system and hard work you can live a good life.

No it is not easy and at times when you are at your lowest it may seem like it will never get better. That is when focusing on all the good you do have in your life and who you really are as a person comes into play.

For me I have to remind myself I am so much MORE than this disorder and I have wonderful people in my life and when I feel like I can't do it any more I let them be my reason to fight harder.

I will say that I am more a manic than depressed but I know depression and it is difficult seeing past that overwhelming feeling of despair and sadness etc....It will pass and you keep moving and doing and find your footing again.

Pdoc, meds, good support is key for many and I hope you do have a strong support system and here at DS it's a wonderful resource for support!! Good luck.

medication is only part of it. gotta work the mind too & I see a lot of us here have soooo many different ways of dealin with it.

No doubt its a part of us, but you can either let it *define* who u are or not.

Im new too & ive seen a lot of encouraging info on how others deal w/it.

Your story sounds a bit like mine management job good pay ..I was luck to of already established my self with a t before it got really bad. I say I fell into the dx as gracefully as you can because of my t being there already to help me.

anyway ....My current Tdoc tells me on the bad days when I need a break there is nothing wrong with staying in bed or staying in my pajamas . just not to let it spill over to more days. This actually works for me for some reason because even when I want to stay in bed something makes me get up and do stuff. Other things for dark days .....I love movies . I play games with the dogs or work on my crafts. sometimes its only for 10 min at a time but it is always a start.

hi-diddly-ho neighbourino

Hi there 1alexis. This disorder doesn't define any of us. It is one aspect of who we are. When you feel like it's gotten the best of you try and accept your reality and then turn your mind towards what is is you can do, little by little, day by day. Just one day or moment at a time is how you build up your peace. Peace is all those little actions you take in those moments....do what you can and don't overwhelm.