[tc2012]

Hello,

I am wondering if things may get better for my son. He was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder at age 22. He has taken several different medications but now it is much worse. He is 24 now. He has severe anxiety, so bad he cannot work. He has always worked since he was 16. The most recent Dr. he went to gave him Busporine, but it has not helped at all. Does it usually get worse in the mid 20's? Could it be that with age it will get better?

Thank you!

[Confusedinomicon]

Originally Posted by tc2012

Hello,

I am wondering if things may get better for my son. He was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder at age 22. He has taken several different medications but now it is much worse. He is 24 now. He has severe anxiety, so bad he cannot work. He has always worked since he was 16. The most recent Dr. he went to gave him Busporine, but it has not helped at all. Does it usually get worse in the mid 20's? Could it be that with age it will get better?

Thank you!

I would reexamine the medication he is taking and have him see a therapist who specializes in anxiety/daily life management. Have them test his blood levels too, to make sure he is not med-sensitive in that regard if they haven't already.

High dosages of medication is not always the answer. Therapy to look at behavior can help minimize the need of large amounts of meds and teach him how to better cope with the disorder by using tools like WRAP, mood charts, and knowledge of the disorder which will allow him to acknowledge when he is experiencing a mood state and the best way to counteract it. (Be it meds, see a psych, see a therapist, talk to mom, go on a walk, exercise...list goes on)

The biggest thing is not to let him feel like a failure and to be as supportive as possible. Be open to talking to him, but do not be judgmental about his condition. You may not understand what he is going through but having someone to talk is very helpful and therapeutic. If he qualifies look at the disability program in your state and see if they will support retraining him. (IE go to a community college/university to get a degree? vocational school?) Or even a few hours of volunteer work at a place like the public library where he doesn't necessarily need to interact with folks.

Honestly change comes very slowly and it will take a team of people who care about your son for him to overcome things.

[Trippin2.0]

Hi and
Many of us get worse right after being diagnosed, before we eventually get better. I doubt age is a real factor as on this board there are members diagnosed quite a bit later than their 20's

From my personal experience I can say with conviction that patients who are diagnosed and are going the med route should definitly seek therapeutic assistance from a competent psychologist. Having such a huge label dumped on you is earth shattering and a major blow to the sense of self...

Not only do we have the above going on, but we get SO caught up in this label, how to eat right, live right, take your meds right, that alot of us get lost beneath this label, that we lose sight of the bigger picture, and in my experience, adds stress, which then exacerbates our symptoms.

My advice besides seeing a therapist to help adjust in a healthy manner? Firstly speak to the pdoc, some meds do cause the symptoms they are supposed to treat, eg: Anti-depressant can cause suicidality, and a benzo can cause anxiety... Secondly; He needs to practice healthy hedonism and seperate himself from his label.

All the best to your son

[sprik]

love, and support and listening to me over and over and over goes a long way. I could not go through all the hard times with out my mom and telling me to stop it and start thinking properly. She is my rock. Even when I tell her to leave me alone, she gives me my space and is right there to pick up the pieces.