Hi there. Welcome to the forum. Sorry for what brings you here, but glad you are here.

Yup, I experience a good deal of rapid cycling. It is, indeed, mind-ripping for anybody close enough to feel the swings. Leaves my own innards feeling masticated.

You just used my strongest advice for this dilemma. Friends and family make lousy therapists because they are too emotionally involved with the situation. I get my most effective therapy support from peer support groups and let my friends and family help AS friends and family.

How 'bout it? Did making this post help any? It works if you work it and you are worth it.

Welcome to DS.

Welcome KindheartCrazymind! Being So New to bp and the challenges it brings...your past history prior to medication is what 'people will hold in their minds'. I found this Extremely frustrating...not only dealing with the new dx but the skeptical, hold on to past, not giving a chance behaviors of those who we 'close'...family/friends.
I'd suggest you lookup bipolar support/your town, go to http://www.211navigator.com or call 211 in your town if you need Any type of resources like housing, social services etc. I've been dealing with bp since 1984 and also rapid cycle....one of the Worst mistakes I made was not being medication compliant....I'd start to feel better and stop taking meds...Big Mistake. Also with lamictal it's Really important to not skip...if you miss more than two days, call your doc about how you should get back up to therapeutic dosage....should you ever switch to lithium...Make Sure you drink half your body weight in water, as it is processed through the kidneys. Finally....I too take lamictal and Zoloft. I call them my Thank You God Drugs because they gave me back my life...plan and simple. The other Blessing is DBT http://dbtselfhelp.com/html/dbt_skills_list.html the skills have been Huge along with medication in changing my life and relationships....you'll need to find a group...I'd start with your local hospital....best of luck...keep posting! It's a good community with caring people....the journal part is good too...just know you can set it to private, or once you start to connect with friends...your journal will be seen by them. Depending on the groups you join....if you click on Dailystrength, you'll see all posts within the groups you join....take care, ml

Thanks ml! That really helped! Thats exactly what happened last night with a good friend. She just couldnt listen anymore and told me to stop this pitty party. I lost my muffins and stormed out .called every crisis line I could find....contemplating packing up and leaving her house...also jumping in front of a truck because that will show her this is serious and not dramatic. Thinking errors :(. Im okay this morning as long as i dont perpetuate last nights debacle.

Sorry to read that happened...people who do not live with bp tend to 'not get it' and it does appear we are 'faking' because we don't have any 'outward' physical disability...if you do call 211 ask for a crisis line where you can talk to someone other than your friend...sometimes the people closest to us can do more harm than good...that works Both ways! I'll friend you, and you might want to get hooked up with Dan88...he's a good guy :) I'll also send you an invite to my site POA....to help you with goals...It's a Positive site to write about what you want to achieve...M-F...best, ml

Sounds great!

Welcome to the board!!.... I have found that it takes a lot of us time to find the right meds and other tools in order to find stability.... Hopefully that will help with the rapid cycling
A cognitive therapy group was really helpful for me when I was in the beginning of my journey
Here are some crisis numbers that DS puts up... I'm glad that you found us.....xo

https://support.dailystrength.org/hc/en-us/articles/207430776-What-if-I-need-emergency-help-

Welcome to the group. You are not alone! Prayers for strength and peace on this journey.