[Bipolarchic14]

I need advice regarding possible termination of therapy for bipolar disorder. I have been in therapy a little over a year, 9 months with my current therapist. How do you know when it is over? I thought I would know because I would be feeling better. I felt better for about two months but now I am rapid cycling again and back to having strong suicidal thoughts. I have been using some of the strategies I learned and trying to exercise regularly, eat better, take meds sleep etc. I have been a model patient because I hate feeling like hell all the time. I am paying a lot of money so I wanted to be sure I received the most I could out of therapy. Despite relapsing, I am uncertain how else therapy will help me. I don't know if this is just the depression talking or if this is the right move. I like my therapist a lot, and really look forward to our sessions but that's not a reason to continue. She is no longer giving me homework and she has little advice to offer to make my depression go away, other than to speak with pdoc which makes sense. I feel like she has checked out of the relationship without ending our therapy and it is frustrating. I hate awkward conversations. Should I just be like hey you are not as helpful as you once were...have I received all I can from therapy..is it over?

[sarahblue]

It sounds to me like you could use a med adjustment. It can be difficult to advance in therapy if you're not stable on meds.

I think it would be very beneficial for you to bring your questions up with your therapist. Tell her exactly what you said here.

[lonelychick]

I agree with sarahblue. I also think it's important to have fairly constant therapy. For me personally, I will probably always need it in some capacity. I just do better when I have someone to sort through things with. Sometimes my appointments are more closely spaced than others, but I've discovered that when I leave therapy, it never ends well. I think it's important to tell your therapist what you've been thinking. It sounds like you trust her and that's good. If you're worried you won't be able to bring it up, print this out or copy it down and bring it with you. I've found that having difficult things in writing first helps.

[jesusplay]

Personally I like having a therapist because I can say all the **** I want without losing a person. It's like a paid friend.

I don't have anyone I can talk to about my Mental illness outside of a therapist.

Does therapy help outside of that? For me no. THerapy is useless. I can learn all the coping skills online.

Therapy is just as important as medication in mental illness, keep it up.

[Victoria'smom]

If your suicidal and depressed your only goal is to show up and tell her exactly what your thinking until you feel better. This type of decision should wait until you feel better. If you do switch therapists see your therapist until you find one you really like after your third appointment with them then you can cancel with your current ther

[littlemiss44]

I would be careful and think hard if you truly think you may not need it. Sometimes when we start to feel better we think we may not need it. If you are having sui thoughts then I definitely wouldn't stop therapy. Maybe it's not a good fit for you if you feel like you've gotten all you can from her. For me I really like mine. My main issues are always going to be there. I.had a very abusive traumatizing childhood. Since I've been abused to the core therapy for me is a must have. Yes I have over come alot but I'm still left with junk that will take years to get thru. Having bp by itself is so hard and devastating with or without abuse. I need someone In my corner that I know won't judge me or turn on me. I strive to be the best I can be but it's still hard. I like it when I go into a session feeling great and especially when I feel really low. You know yr self the best. I would talk to yr pdoc about their opinion. See what they may say about it before you make any big decision. Good luck and if you keep having sui thoughts I'd go to the hospital. I'm sorry yr struggling with this.

[lilypup]

I agree with all above. If you are feeling suicidal at all, please keep up the therapy. You don't want to mess around with that.

[Bipolarchic14]

Thank you for your responses- I am just frustrated because I feel like I should be feeling better than I am. I have made a lot of improvement in my life though and I should not discount that. I like talking with my therapist. I am just uncertain what to expect from it. How long etc. I need to stop being a coward and just talk with her.

[doglover1979]

It's not cowardly to want to protect her feelings.

It's her job to listen to your input and help you find solutions, but you may really need to see your doctor to sort things out and make sure that the stuck feelings aren't something that can be fixed with a med change.

I hope you feel better. Depression sucks.

[wing]

I have a fear that my therapist is going to suggest I don't need her any more. I stopped doing the homework she's given me. I went to my psychiatrist within a week, and sure enough he felt I was depressed and made a med adjustment.

Years ago, I felt like I had "had enough" therapy and quit for years. When I finally went back for CBT I realized I needed help to sort through all the issues in my life. I've come a long way, so I' fearful that since my CBT skills seem to be working that she'll tell me she only does short-term therapy and I've used up all my sessions. I want to ask her what she's thinking but I'm afraid of the answer.

Do wait until you see your psychiatrist before making the decision, and do ask your therapist what she thinks about it. I should take my own advice!

[sarahblue]

Glad to hear that you feel that you've made progress. I know the feeling of "feeling like you should be feeling better than you are."

I have had trouble in the past talking to my therapist about therapy and the therapeutic relationship. I found out the hard way that this usually led to me dropping out of therapy and disappearing, only to get depressed and go out and get another therapist.

I encourage you to open up to your therp about how you feel therapy is going, to set goals together, and to talk about how long you see this therapeutic relationship going on -- and what would be the criterion for "being finished". If she is a good therapist, she will be open to these kind of questions.

Added for wing: same thing; talk to your therapist about how many sessions she wants to do! A lot of insurance companies will only cover a limited number of sessions, so it may not be up to her. It's pretty important to find out how many you're covered for. Her office might even be able to tell you that.

[Dix888]

my insurance now only pays for 4 therapy sessions/year. And some therapists I've seen say "I only do short term therapy: 4-6 sessions" I saw many therapists in my life. Most were very nice people, some excellent listeners/advisors. But in the long-run, it was medication that helped me, not talking.
I think you know when it's time to stop when you feel it's time. And you can just say "I'd like next week to be our last session. I've gotten a lot out of this but feel it's time to move onward." Or words like that


I hate awkward conversations. Should I just be like hey you are not as helpful as you once were...have I received all I can from therapy..is it over?[/quote]

[Bipolarchic14]

I can't believe I am going to say this but....I am actually looking forward to my pdoc appointment. I am hoping the new pdoc will not be as horrible as the last and can help me with my depression and anxiety.

Regarding insurance- I have a good insurance company through the company i work for. Fortunately, I don't have a limit per year on therapy. Now with that said I gave no idea whether they will eventually refuse to pay for therapy a couple of years down the road. Only time will tell.

[icinggurl]

I do think sometimes the therapy gets to a point where they've kind of said all they know to say. That's when it's time for a new therapist. I think it's very important to have both meds and therapy. My shrink requires us to do it. Meds aren't enough, at least not for me.

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