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ArtleyWilkins
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Member Since Oct 2018
Location: USA
Posts: 2,787
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Default May 24, 2020 at 06:54 AM
 
Glad to hear the med changes are working. Keep on them. Consistency with meds is vital with bipolar disorder; you can't run out of meds because of money or decide to stop taking them on a whim - it will create havoc with stability (and is a common problem for people dealing with bipolar disorder, so just remember to talk to your pdoc before you make any rash decisions about meds).

Use this time of stability to work on other issues in therapy that crop up for you regularly as a pattern. Learning the internal skills to cope in healthy ways with stressors is incredibly vital to long-term functioning with bipolar disorder, so take advantage of times of stability to prepare to the times that may be less stable (they will happen).

Work with your therapist on a plan of action for when/if you become episodic. Having that plan ahead of time is really important because catching those changes early on, before they spiral out of control, can make the difference between an episode that is relatively short in duration and not terribly disruptive to your life and an episode that can go on for weeks or months and possibly end up with serious disruption such as hospitalization.

Work with your therapist on really understanding YOUR symptomatology: it looks different for each person who deals with bipolar disorder. Mood tracking can be quite helpful for awhile as you "learn" your patterns; it also is a way of sort of holding yourself accountable/responsible for self-knowledge. Accurate, open, honest reporting of any mood changes, sleep variations, activity changes, thinking changes, is vital in becoming proactive in living with bipolar disorder in a way that will keep you able to function vs being reactive and less able to function.

It's a learning curve for awhile, but one can learn to live with and function with bipolar disorder quite well if you take care to be consistent and proactive. Best of luck to you.
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Thanks for this!
hopealwayz