I'm in tears about the puzzle piece, that is so cool. Effexor is ok for some bp, but makes some of us manic. Work with the therapist - mood disorder can totally make me feel like different people and it sucks, it's like a crisis of my soul and which mood is the real me. But that's not multiple personality disorder. What a support group like here & therapy (and a lot of coping tools like meditation, journaling, walking) can help with is sorting out these pieces, putting them together, letting go of some, seeing the big picture, seeing that there's always more to the whole picture, etc etc. seeing that it's not all black or white, challenging the thoughts that generate the emotions that generate the responses we could give based on our mood. Hypo/mania can be so torturous for me because when my mind won't stop I can barely calm down enough to even sort out one thought if you know what I mean.
I'm really glad you're moms seeing you & sounds very supportive. A walk is really sound advice. You sound a lot better, but be ready for it to likely go up and down some more. Little steps.
And rxqueen I'm in tears over hearing your brother is being there for you. Even just a little understanding and kindness means the world while we are in crisis.
Big hugs