larakeziah: The meds seem to be helping, but can't seem to come to terms with it all and the fact that i may have to take these meds for a long time, scares me! How long will i have to take them for? How do you deal with it? Any help would be great. Thanks

There seems to be an adjustment period that includes moving into acceptance with any diagnosis. Some people may find that the diagnosis provides a measure of relief and control; others may find it constraining or limiting. Regardless of where you find yourself I would caution you to remember that any diagnosis describes only a cluster of symptoms that you may or may not experience in greater or lesser extremities. How those symptoms manifest in an individual's life varies as much as people do. Also do be aware that diagnoses can change. For example, a diagnosis of Bipolar II can morph into a diagnosis of Bipolar I, or Bipolar I can become Schizoaffective. If your symptoms change, your diagnosis may also change.

Insofar as medication goes -- in all likelihood you will take it as long as you recognize that it is helpful to you. People stop taking medication or switch to a new medication if the medication isn't doing what it's supposed to be doing (i.e., your depression is not lifting in spite of three months of treatment with an anti-depressant) or if the side effects become too difficult to deal with (i.e. you are so heavily sedated you can't get out of bed and function in your daily life). With bipolar disorder, people may also stop taking medication when in a manic state because mania can feel good and medication may damper or inhibit that feeling. Bipolar I does include manic aspects; Bipolar II does not.

As far as what you can do to help yourself... I normally post most in the Schizophrenia & Psychosis topic but the following seems transferable. I always encourage people to put together a Support Team and a Support Toolbox for themselves.

Support Teams are comprised of people you find helpful and should include: Professionals; Family and Friends; Peers, and; Mentors. Each member of your team can address unique needs.

Professionals provide medical and psychotherapeutic care and may include psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, social workers, therapists, general practioners, and nurses.

Family and Friends provide connection, meaning, purpose and are often in a unique position to provide vital feedback. For example, if you are taking a new medication your family will be very much aware if it is working for you. Or if you are beginning to slip into a depressive or manic episode, they may well become aware of it before you do.

Peers are especially important because, in my experience, they can often provide the best forms of emotional support and understanding -- they have been there; they have walked in your shoes; they know what it's like. Many people look to their family and friends to offer peer support but these people may lack the insight that shared experience can offer. They can also be so intimately involved and deeply impacted by your experience that they lack the ability to provide impartial support and may, in fact, require their own support team. The latter will be especially true for those who are in a position of primary caretaker.

Mentors serve in a unique capacity because these are the people who inspire you to reach for your best. Mentors can be drawn from any other area of your support team (i.e. a family member can be a mentor) but more likely, they will be drawn from the larger world around you. It's not necessary that any chosen mentors also carry a diagnosis of bipolar disorder or any kind of mental illness; rather, they simply need to have been another human being who faced some enormous challenges and either overcame them or turned them to his/her advantage. If your support team does not have at least a few mentors on it, your team is lacking. One point worth emphasizing is that Mentors must be self-chosen. It's also worth noting that they needn't be alive; some of my mentors have included Helen Keller, Viktor Frankl and my own mother -- all of whom are dead.

Support Toolboxes are made up of things you (and members of your Support Team) recognize as beneficial and helpful. Support toolboxes can be quite unique because what we find helpful on an individual basis may vary considerably. They may include things such as education, exercise, medication, meditation, music, nutritional therapies, spiritual practices, personal journalling, etc.

A strong Support Team and a well-equipped Support Toolbox greatly increases the odds that if you're floundering in any capacity, you'll be able to find the person or thing that is most going to help take you forward. So, choose your team wisely and outfit your toolbox with care.