new person at clinic. kinda...stand offish, etc., but..professional enough. anyway, she says i could potentialy slowly taper the Abilify and not take an antipsychotic/tranquilizer, which...is sort of like a Christmas Miracle, in my world.

I asked how low I could go on Abilify, she said potentially down to 0...but if I decide that a slow taper is the thing to do, she will want to see me more frequently, which...makes sense.

downside: I could end up on a lot more Lamictal, possibly with another anti-seizure drug or something in the mix "for mood stability," etc. I think my diagnosis really is Bipolar I, and...I"m not gung ho about it, but it beats being labeled with "Schizophrenia," or even "Schizoaffective." Not that I"m "better" than people with those labels+problems, but...

the stigma is real in "Schizo-" spectrum diagnoses, and its an issue with the treatment providers, too. So..."Bipolar I" isn't exactly something I'm thrilled about, but its less stigmatizing and sort of like saying "there's a glimmer of hope for you, my crazy friend" vs "Schizophrenia," which often means "so, you need more Seroquel, huh?"

blah. Mental Health...can't live with it, can't live without it. LOL.