I think therapy provides a useful part of treatment, besides meds.
Of course I myself have had very little therapy in the 37 years since my diagnosis. I've actually gotten more out of pen and paper journaling and that's much more cost effective. Decide what's best for you and go for it.

I think therapy and meds are like yin and yang. Any time that I haven't been in therapy, life has just spun out of control. I know it's not like that for everyone, but some people just do better with both. I had a therapist I didn't like too, and I finally got rid of her. But you can find another one easily, they're everywhere

Thanks for the comments.

tommymott I have never tried journaling. It has been suggested to me a couple of times and I think I need to start doing it. Even to just get my thoughts in order at times. I am always afraid that it wont journal right which is silly because it is for my eyes only and the way I feel.

lostnwond.. I think you are right there are plenty of therapist out there and when I go back to therapy I need to find one that works for me and I click with.

Mine was awful, she's just sit there while I rambled and not give any structure to the hour we had. I came to hate going, because I was out of stuff to talk about.

It's a rare case, but my Pdoc is also my therapist.

At first he only did med management .

We evolved into a patient /therapist relationship , about 4 years into my seeing him..

I think the work he and I have done together has helped me hugely

Lostnwond.. your first therapist sounds just like the one I was seeing. I would ramble about pointless things and there was no structure at all.

dancing.. my pdoc only does med management.. you have to find a therapist to see yourself. He will recommend some they are all an hour from where I live.

I've been in and out of therapy, mostly in, most of my adult life. Especially since I was diagnosed with BP. It has helped me a lot. I'm pretty stable now, but I still see a therapist about once every couple months.

Like Tommy I also journal. I journal here on DS and I also write with pen and paper(what a concept! LOL). It has helped me a lot.

I don't see a therapist, I am on meds BUT I do see a Psychiatrist every 3 months for a check up.
I find after seeing a therapist for years - it really didn't work for me. I mean they offered some coping skills and support but I still had hospitalizations after the fact.

I find a good friend to talk to or coming on dailystrength.org provides me with what I need.

I recommend to build yourself a support network of friends and family who you can talk to.

Peace,

Mark

If it were not for my psychologist, I don't think the medication would have been enough to help me. I went every week for two years and then every other week for a year and now I go every month or so but even now, he still helps me deal with my feelings and problems. I don't know where I would be without him and I think therapy is a very important part of dealing with any disorder. Maybe you could find one you liked better. Best of luck to ya!!

Thanks for all the advice everyone.

I think at this time therapy is not for me. I do know I can find one easily in the future if I need to.

I am going to try journaling though. It sounds like it will be a nice outlet for me.

Some people do that. That was the approach the first mental health center took with me. They didn't offer any therapy besides medication management. I was very confused back then...I didn't even know how to handle the disorder at all and felt victim to it. Plus I was dangerously out of control with both the disorder and my alcoholism..drinking heavily at times to stop the high mania. So the medication only approach almost killed me.

Finally I switched facilities and got the therapy and the group therapy which gave me the skill I needed and healed up many of my self afflicted wounds and wounds from the past. I still use therapy 2 times per month to process and continue to deepen skills as well as for support and skills for parenting.