[John_Galt]

I've seen "recovery" used a lot in talk about Bipolar. Frankly, I don't know what recovery means. I've been stable for short periods of time but I am sure that isn't recovery. I know it doesn't mean going back to who and what I was before I was diagnosed. So my question is: What is considered "recovery?"

[Chompers]

Good question, I have been wonder that myself. The answer is going to vary from person to person, depending on what you want for yourself/your life.

TBH, I don't know exactly who I would be in recovery, because I have been this way for so long I know I will never be who I used to be. I do know that I will be able to go back to work while still taking care of myself, staying on my meds, & keeping my MH appts. Part of the reason I am on SSD now is because I have never been able to stay in care while working, which leads to... yep. Not happy times. I think I would also be able to socialize, make new friends, date, & other such fun people things. I would take better care of myself, I would care for myself, & leave the house more. Since atm, I can't even imagine wanting to do any of those things, I guess that will be part of my recovery, too.

[BlackPup]

For me recovery is being relatively stable - no massive mood swings. It's about being able to be functional in my daily life.
I will always have some range of emotions and be reactive to both good and bad things but my responses are closer to what is considered to be "normal".

[mommyof2girls]

I have to agree with Blackpup.....Recovery means to me that I can manage my job, home and personal life and use the coping skills that I have learned thru the years.....and not ending up in the hospital ......

[John_Galt]

These posts are making sense, it's relative to maintaining stability and expanding a "normal" life and normal is defined per individual. Thanks for the posts. This "recovery" topic has really eluded me, but the posts have shed some light. I guess I have a ways to go to say I'm in recovery.

[blossom12]

I agree with the above. I don't think "recovery" or "recovered" should be confused with "cured".
Aside from ECT, which I have no experience with and have not read much about, I have serious doubts about someone with screwed up brain chemicals, like me, ever being off meds.

My highest goal is to have the right meds to keep me from the highs and lows that make me unable to cope with life. My best hope is to be able to cope with life in a moderate way and find joy and be able to experience happiness again.

[venusss]

Let me chip in... for me it is not much about being stable... but about being able to be handle myself. I think you can get "used to it", when it comes to your mental quirks. I think there are positives in there too...

it is not about finding a "cure" or being "the way I was before" (because to be honest, many of us were ****ed up in one way or other, it was just not visible.... and that's why we broke).

[BlackPup]

It's great that for some people that recovery can be without meds but for me I know I need my meds - I can't go back to what I was like before meds. Even with the skills I have learnt to be able to cope and live with my moods and to react differently to adverse circumstances, I don't see living without meds as a viable option for me.
I guess I'll never know if I don't try but I don't feel like its worth the risk.

[hamster-bamster]

There is also the medical term, remission.

Per Wikipedia:

Remission is the state of absence of disease activity in patients known to have a chronic illness that cannot be cured. It is commonly used to refer to absence of active cancer or inflammatory bowel disease when these diseases are expected to manifest again in the future. A partial remission may be defined for cancer as 50% or greater reduction in the measurable parameters of tumor growth as may be found on physical examination, radiologic study, or by biomarker levels from a blood or urine test. A complete remission is defined as complete disappearance of all such manifestations of disease. Each disease or even clinical trial can have its own definition of a partial remission.

My doctor wrote that I am in partial remission, but I have way to go to recovery.

[blossom12]

Remission- good way to word it.

[John_Galt]

Let me see if I am getting this. "Recovery" is a state of managing the extremes of manic and depressive behavior. Not necessarily returning to the "old you", but defining a new you.

As far as remission, I understand that to be the absence of symptoms. Maybe what recovery in heading toward ie; recovery is containing the symptoms and remission is the absence of symptoms.

Thanks to you all. I'm new to the forums and appreciate the thoughtful responses.

[noneedtoknow]

Welcome the PC John_Galt-I hope you find alot of support and answers here

Originally Posted by John_Galt

..As far as remission, I understand that to be the absence of symptoms. Maybe what recovery in heading toward ie; recovery is containing the symptoms and remission is the absence of symptoms...

That's a good way to put it! (And welcome! Great question, John!)
Remission and recovery aren't the same thing. Thanks, hamster-bamster for the definition of remission. "Recovery" is a word that really perplexed me for quite some time. The understanding of it that I've gained is that it is the state of one who is making efforts, as you say John, "heading toward" one's goal of stability.

Kind of like if one had a physical injury or illness. Perhaps there are exercises to do, appropriate nutrition, rest, massage, meds, or whatever stratagies one can take to put themselves on the most helpful course of actions to bring things to the best place they can be. Um, recovery, right? Which, in the case of BP is a place relative stability where extremes are not wreaking total havoc with one's life.

(I'm still uncomfortable with the word itself for some inexplicable reason, but that's my problem and quirk, lol. At least I finally came to understand what people were talking about when they used it(!))

[Tsunamisurfer]

I see remission as having to do with the symptoms of an illness. E.g. Remission of hallucinations or a pathological indicator in a blood test. Recovery is just looking at it from a positive perspective, and considers getting back functionality you lost while I'll. People talk about recovering from an illness. I don't consider myself recovered if I am no longer able to do what I could before. Just another view on it.

[33yankee33]

Who is John Galt? Atlas Shrugged is my favorite book! Recovery for me means minimizing my symptoms, and getting my mrds optimzed for doing so. I would never go back to who I was before.I was totally messed up then. I self-medicated with drugs and alcohol. I've been sober since my dx thanks to AA. I'm reasonably stable now and I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.