Brainb4,

My first major depressive episode happened at age 16. It took until age 30 until I was diagnosed with BP. It's a long hard road. When I was first diagnosed I fought medication because 1. I did not want to come to terms with my ailment. 2. Because I thought I could fix the problem myself.

My therapist who was awesome, put things into perspective. She looked at me one day and said "if you had high blood pressure what would you do?". I responded, "well I would take medication to get it under control." The light bulb went one for me at that very moment.

When it's a physical condition vs a mental condition it's much harder to accept the fact that med's can be a very important component of managing our condition. Med's are only a small part of managing our condition, but its a start. I will never forget the first 6 months I was on med's....it was awesome in a good way. I was balanced, focused, "normal", felt like I was a part of life and not just some odd ball.

1. Get into and stay into therapy (even when you think things are going well), because you will have your ups and downs. 2. Work with your Pdoc on med's. 3. It may take time to find the right combination that works for you, and don't be afraid to challenge your Pdoc if the med's are not working.

No one can force you to take med's, but also consider the fact that med's can help once you find the right combination. I wish you the best!!!!!!!