[vortex]

i am totally new to this site and live in the UK. Hope you don't mind me joining in. I have been recently diagnosed BP type2 with complex PTSD and Borderline personality disorder thrown in for good measure. Am 'down' at moment, thinking i'll never again crawl out of this hole and into the light. any one out there feel the same or have any good advice?

[fluffycat]

Hi Vortex, whereabouts in the UK are you? I am in Hertfordshire. I too was diagnosed with Bipolar II, hypomania with mixed states a few weeks back now. The support on here is fantastic, keep posting. Post me a private message too and we can perhaps share notes, swap stories that kind of thing.... keep your chin up, I know its hard I am feeling quite sorry for myself right now, good and bad days and trying to get used to new medication as well.

Look forward to chatting with you soon, take care

[DaveyJones]

Hi, Vortex...

Welcome! It sounds as if you have a full plate to deal with. First advice: keep on posting, get to know folks here...I credit the community here with quite literally saving my life awhile back...this is a great resource.

Secondly, work with your doc to get your meds right. As anyone here can tell you, I'm a staunch proponent of mood stabilizers for bipolar of any sort, namely lithium or valproate. These, IMHO should be the foundation of treatment for bipolar disease. Other drugs, particularly Lamictal (lamotrigine) can be very helpful for BPII.

Third, find a good therapist with experience in treating bordrline personality disorder. BPD is not helped by drug regimens, only talk therapy.

Fourth, find a support group for BP, BPD or both. As good as this community is, there is no replacement for mutual, face-to-face support from those who share your conditions.

Fifth, live a healthy lifestyle...a good diet, excercise (preferably in the sun) and regular sleep will go far in helping you.

And finally, (and maybe the most important) -- SMILE! I have found that if I act the way I want to feel, things are a LOT better! Hold your head up, look people in the eye, smile and say hi...this one is HARD sometimes, but it will make you feel better quicker than anything else you can do!

I can say that I have started doing all these things, and I feel MUCH better than I did a year ago...better than I have in about 10 years or so, and I am confident that they will help you, too.

See you around!

DJ

[Azalysa]

Hi, Vortex!

Welcome to PsychCentral!

I was in a 6-month hole (including disability from work) not too long ago and am back "in the world" again so there is definitely hope!!

If you haven't been on meds too long (or at all) I would add to be patient. What will work for one person may be awful for another.

I've lived with depressive illness for approximately 15 years and have controlled it well with meds.

Keep talking to us! I have found this a very safe place.

[PlanningtoLive]

hi vortex, welcome to PC. I also have bp2 with borderline personality tossed into the mix. It's hard to cope with sometimes but with the help of some meds, it has become very bearable.

I hope you start to feel at home here and get to know us. Take care.

Mary Alice

[darkeyes]

DJ,
You are so very right in all that you just said, I've been doing the same (except the exercise thing ) And I can truly say, to those out there, all that has been mentioned will help, but be sure to be in touch with your pdoc and keep him or her updated, constantly, of how your meds are working or not working.
Take care,
DE

[vortex]

Dear DJ, thanks so much for your welcome. it is good to feel that there is somewhere to come when needing shelter from the storm of life and like so many others, my personal storm is certainly raging. In respect of all your advice, you certainly seem to have a positive outlook on things and i am very happy for you. i am one of the few who reacts badly to meds, having had so many over the last 28 years and thus whilst 'lamotrigine' and an atypical antipsychotic have been discussed with me, my Consultant psychiatrist has agreed to keep me on Prozac and Ativan. He knows the dangers of using them as a treatment, but he is keeping a weekly watchful eye on me and my progress. He has however, asked me to go into hospital voluntarily for 'a rest' which i have had to decline due to family circumstances. He thus has also made it clear that 'Sectioning' me is another option but he is afraid that i will lose trust in him if he does this to me. You too will most likely have some sort of legal process where patients considered dangerous to themselves or others can be committed to hospital. I have however, been granted a stay of execution until this coming Friday 23rd and will try to get an extension to that for another two weeks due to family activities that require me to be at liberty to look after my mother. After this time i will seek to reconsider his offer of a 'rest' and am up for talking about all this when i next see him. He is an excellent psychiatrist and i will be sorry when he leaves ( his stay is temporary , much to my great dismay.) Good diets for me mean not eating much of anything right now, but exercise i get aplenty. As for group therapy or councelling, i have none at present but did go through 4 years of one to one councelling that made me stronger and or braver, I'm not sure which. However, it couldn't resolve the S/H needs which are part of my Borderline PD and at the time it was not known or diagnosed that i suffer from complex PTSD. Lots to go figure on that one and it seems that it is very hard to define what part of my illnesses make me act and feel the way that i do. Suffice to say that any one thing within my diagnoses is responsible for something and when one is in utter depression, what the hell does it matter what the cause is? To all who have responded so kindly with their posts; Azalysa, PlanningtoExist (Mary Alice) and Fluffycat; thank you so very much for making me feel so welcome here at the forum. It is now the first place I come at 4.30-5.30 am England time, just to see if someone out there has time to care and share. PS. My real name is Lisa Alexandra Smith and I am not ashamed that you all should know. With hugs to you all.

[Camilla]

I'm in England too- Oxfordshire. I haven't been properly diagnosed yet but it looks like thats the way its heading. I've been on anti-depressants for years anyway (I'm 28) but nothing has really worked- hopefully if I am diagnosed at least I might have more luck with treatment. As things stand I am waiting to be assessed by the community mental health team. I'd love to be able to chat to you both as well- message me anytime- it's nice to know that there are people around who truly understand the lows. xxx