Therapy

Hi guys,

How many of you with bipolar go to therapy and do you think its helpful?
Do people with bipolar disorder need to see a therapist if they have the means to do so?

I see a therapist for about 6 months and then get sick of it quit and go back a month later. I've been alternating between 2 therapist.. one male one female. Why? I don't know.

What are your thoughts on this subject?

I see a therapist once a week and I find it very helpful to just talk to someone about things I can't with my family get thigs off my Che's that are bothering me learn what my triggers are. It may take a while to find a therapist that's a good fit for you so maybe try other ones till you find the perfect fit.

I have done intensive group therapy programs a few times, and had a therapist for a long time.

The intensive group therapy seemed to help me quite a bit more than seeing a therapist one on one. Tho I already had a lot of insight into my own stuff and I am not sure, she didn't seem to know where to go with me, but she was a lovely women and good support when I was in real trouble with bipolar. Mostly we just chatted here and there, and she would advocate for me to my pdoc when I needed it.

I have read many times that short term therapy can achieve better results than long term. In some countries they have models based on this and what seems like better results. I could see this being even more true for people who do not have extreme problems. Long term therapy to me does kinda seem to dwell on stuff longer than needed, analyze every instance or thought, or feeling. And can create a dependent situation instead of person becoming independent and able. That is just my opinion tho.

So I think it does have a place, and appropriate use.

I don't see a therapist regularly but when I do see one, it is emensely helpful to me.

I saw a therapist for a few years (on and off). They are helpful if you're ready to face problems that you're experiencing. I think you have to be ready for therapy for it to work.

Short answer: Yes, I think it's helpful

Long answer:

My T is kind of an outside check point. She keeps an eye on my sleeping patterns, eating patterns, med compliance, moods, my interact-ability, consequences and thought patterns. We talk about anything that seems to glare in my charts. If I've been illogical or "flipping-out" (which is when I usually start threads ) that's the first thing addressed. I have pretty good self awareness so that's not an issues. My main issue is knowing when help is needed and perfectionism.

I honestly didn't tell a difference until my childhood hero died. I refused to be my family's rock and watched their lives crumble but I didn't feel guilty. I had to morn. I had to be healthy and kind to myself. I had to put myself first and I did! It's very, subtle changes that I notice, ones you'd overlook if you didn't sit down and think about.

So T is my much needed check point and is making little tweaks.

I had a nice T once...felt good to spill my guts in person. But, she was useless, I dont need to learn about myself, I have insight akin to super powers, maybe its intelligence, maybe its years of practice, but its not something I need help with. Friendly reminders when I struggle are more than enough to set me straight,and I get that here Next: I dont believe in emotional archeology when I've made my peace, its not how I do things.I wanted to learn new coping skills,she didnt deliver,I quit,T isnt for me

I started weekli therapy in April. Then changed to a different T in June best choice I ever made. I agree with several replies, therapy can and does help. You have to find the right T then be willing to do the work, be willing to have someone question you and give you suggestions too. My T helped me deal with the shock of learning I have BD and morn the old me. I still attend T weekly--not sure how long I will need it but right now I'm really new at having a MI and its helping me.

I totally agree

I have wasted an enormous amount of money and time on unsuccessful therapy, but this new lady, the intern... amazing. She works with metaphor and imagery and because I have a vivid imagination, she reaches something important in me.

A lot of it depends on the therapist and the type of therapy. Not all therapists are a like and not all therapies are the same.

I've been in therapy off and on for nearly 30 years (since I was a little kid) there's times I've gone 4-5 years without therapy. After I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder I've seen a few but stopped for various reasons. A few years ago I tried - I got the name of 8 or 9 out of that 2 were seeing new patients and I picked the bad one.

Now I'm in therapy (at the place where I see my shrink you have to be in therapy) and my first therapist was awesome. She'd do a scale of 1-10 to gauge how I was feeling and help me set little mini goals. Most of therapists want to know all about my childhood and work through that and what I want to deal with is day to day coping skills and how to deal with the present. My previous therapist did that but then stuff would come up from the past and we'd deal with it. My current therapist - we're still in the getting to know each other phase and she's nice. I see her once a week right now because i'm having a rough time and dealing with medication changes.

She gives me a good outside perspective on things. She also does DBT Therapy, which has helped a few people I know and I'm going to talk to her and see if she thinks it would be good for me. (DBT is Dialectical behavior therapy) .

I've done a lot of years in therapy, and it has been fairly helpful. However, I don't know that I consider it to be "for" my bipolar. It is more for helping me change unhealthy patterns in relationships and dealing with stressors. These things can make my depressive symptoms worse, but addressing these issues can't make the BP go away. When I realized this, I was mad "at therapy" for not "curing" me. I'm past that angry phase now and I take therapy for what it is worth. And in my book, overall, it is worth it.

Best,
EJ

Yes !
My T has helped me in so many ways. I don't think I will stay in therapy "forever" I'm learning coping skills and learning how to love myself ( something I could never do).

One on one weekly therapy helps me a lot

Thanks everyone for responding!!!

Sounds like its mostly helpful for people.

The therapist I'm seeing x1 week is good, she's trying to do cbt (cognitive behavioral therapy) with me. I'm trying to change my ways of doing things and how I look at things. She gives me homework but half the time I don't do it. So I guess if I put more effort into it, it'd work better for me. Duh. I get so lazy. So lazy to even post on here lol.

The other therapist is more of a "Solution based" type of therapist. He doesn't get too deep. We just seem to "get" each other and a lot of the time it seems we are just joking around and laughing laughing laughing. I feel like he's more of a paid friend and when I get feeling that way that's when I stop going to him. ugh.

Well I'm going to keep going for now, its my 6 month mark and I guess thats why I've been thinking about quitting....thats been my m.o. She has told me that it seems like I quit when I'm just starting to make progress. Maybe I have a fear of success...what a screw-up I feel like.....I know don't call myself names blah blah blah but if I can't do it here or in therapy where can I?

My T keeps me moving forward, working towards obtainable goals. He is 67 years old and I told him that I need to get myself all figured out before he ups and retires, I trust him completly and can not imagine having to start over and building that trust with someone new . I can not every think about needing a new therapist. No No No thank you.

I must be in the minority here, I've never even had therapy recommended for the BP although I've had therapy in the past for various life issues. Then again, my pdoc does both my med management AND therapy; he's been working with me on changing my dysfunctional thinking patterns and learning healthier means of coping with stresses. It's not like I go in for 15 minutes every few months to talk about meds and get scripts renewed; our appointments are always a minimum of 30 minutes and most are a full 60. So I guess I'm pretty fortunate to get all my psych care in one place.