Hi!
I have a lot of eating issues too. I was so scared when my dr put me on lexapro, but it actually made about 35 lbs melt off in the first month.
I'm a little OCD too.

Hi. Welcome to the group. You'll find a lot of way cool people around these parts. Good to have you.

I kind of know how you feel; I was diagnosed three weeks ago and I'm having trouble coming to terms with it as it surprised me? Yet when I told my family, they were hardly shocked, which shocked me even more!

In terms of side affects, I would recommend a healthy but varied diet and a healthy regime of exercise. As you also have other problems, I would recommend seeing a therapist as well as a nutritionist, if you can on a semi-regular basis or to join a support group as these issues need to be worked on gradually.

I am so sorry about your mothers reaction, and I am shocked completely.

I'm not a psychiatrist, but I'm a good listener, so any time you need to talk to someone you can type until your fingers fall off (not literally I hope).

You're not alone, just remember that =)

not every ones families are supportive, Educated or understanding of mental illnesses. Many of us here have families that are less than supportive. But feel free to rely on us.

As for abilify It seems like your on some relatively weak meds. It's nothing scary, so don't be afraid to take it. Some meds might not do anything at all but I've never heard of meds making things worse.

Unfortunately many people go off meds when they experience mania, but you need to stay on them. You may think mania is great but you can do some pretty stupid and harmful things during those times so be careful.

When in doubt trust the professionals, trust your psychiatrist and therapist. Especially don't trust strangers, and you may not be able to rely on your family in your situation.

a side from that I want to say welcome you are among friends here!

Welcome! Wow about your mom, maybe she will come around sometime.. there is hope.. could she just be scared?

Oh and Abilify is probably the most weight friendly/weight neutral out of the antipychotic category. Just be aware of the **possible** akathisia side effect it can have in some people (though not most)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akathisia

Welcome to the Daily Strength Beeper community!!!

I hate to say it, but you sound very typical for BP disorder ~~ but you've come to the right place for info and support. A lot of people don't want to lose the manic part of BP, but once you get balanced, you'll see that even though it feels good, the out-of-control behavior (suicide can be an even higher risk than depression due to the risky behavior as well as the lack of ability to control your behavior) will be more easy to identify and see how destructive it really has been. I resisted meds for a very long time, too. But once I got on them, I found it wasn't as bad as I feared. And, I know by now, I would be locked up and/or dead by now. Wouldn't be pretty, to be sure.
My Lord, I'm so sorry about how your mom reacted to the news. Sounds like she has some really serious issues of her own....(bipolar disorder tends to run in families; could she be an un-diagnosed person with bipolar???)

Please, please, please, know, this is in no way, no how, ANY of your fault. Your mom is clearly in denial, and needs some way to direct her awareness from the reality of it all....unfortunately, that means directing it at you in this case.

Hugs and luvs,

Starfishy :)

yeah I was going to say something about bp running in families and sometimes when family reacts that way its because they might have a mental illness them self and fear being found out. Because if you get better it will be easier for you to identify what is wrong with her. And that surely scares a lot of people. A lot of people are in denial. but that might not be the case. Some people who are not mentally ill simply can not accept mental illness as a cause.

the others are right. Your mother is in denial. So she's just not a supportive resource right now. I'm sorry that's the case; you're so young and it's painful to be young and have mental illnesses. Know that it will get better over time when you find the right regimen.

And I would second that abilify is supposed to be weight neutral; and when I was on lamictal, I actually lost weight.

I'm sorry to hear you cut; I know the pain can be overwhelming. Please be kind to yourself. It can get better; it just takes time and trial and error.

Good luck to you on your journey.

Welcome! i am sorry you are not getting the support from home where you need it most. I hope that you will find some kind of support here.....

Welcome, Itzjustme!!!!!! I hope you love it here and find all the info and support that you need!!!! Try not to feel too worried about the addition of Abilify to your Wellbutrin! It just might make you feel better than you have in years!!! I'm sorry that your mother is of no support to you at this time. You've got enough to deal with already!!!
Take good care! (((Hugs)))

OMG THANK U GUYS SOOO MUCHH FOR THE SUPPORTT!! I APPRECIATE SOOO MUCHH U DONT EVEN KNOO...AS FOR MY MOM IDK WHY BUT I JUST WANT HER APPROVAL HER TO TELL ME THAT ITS OK....SHE HAS TRICHOTILIMANIA BUT SHE DOESNT RLY ACCEPT THAT THERAPY CAN HELP HER...ITS A CULTURAL THING I THINK...IM HALF HAITIAN HALF AFRICAN...MY DAD IS BEING SUPPORTIVE THO. LIKE IN MY PSYCH'S OFFICE HE WAS LIKE HE NOTICES THAT I GET WAY TOO HYPER..AND HE NOTICES WEN IM SUICIDAL..SO WATEVER MAKES ME HAPPY HES HAPPY...THATS SOO NICEE....IF U GUYS KNEW MY HISTORY WITH THIS HOUSE U WUD UNDERSTAND WHY IM MAKING A BIG DEAL OUT OF IT...ITS A WHOLE STORY....WELLBUTRIN IS MAKING ME LOSE WEIGHT...I HAVE A THERAPIST AND A BEHAVIORIST 2 TIMES A WEEK EVERY WEEK...ND MY PSYCH GAVE MY DAD THE NUMBER TO A NUTRITIONIST CUZ SHE WANTS ME TO SEE ONE