Questions: Bipolar version

my pain tolerance is extremely low, actually

you just have to touch me to start it off.

have you self-harmed in the past week?

In a way yes

have you ever been attracted to your therapist? How did you cope or did you?

no.

i've not

have you ever ran out of medication when you've needed it most?. how did you handle it

Yes. I brought it up and we talked about it and she said that even if she were attracted to me she would never cheat on her spouse. That helped me to put it to rest but may be a bit more self disclosure than some would like.

Have you ever thrown anything in therapy?

I think someone's not been reading the thread properly..

i'm only joking

yes i've thrown things in therapy, including, but not limited too, stuffed toys, a mobile phone, a notebook, some square blocks, a rubber duck, and a glass.

how many years have you been in therapy for all together

I've thrown things OUTSIDE of therapy that led me TO therapy.

I've been in therapy for over a year.

What is your "go to" method to deal with the effects of BP?

Depends on my symptoms at the time. I have various rules to follow about when to notify my pdoc, when to get in to my therapist early, when it's ok to try to handle things myself. I get mixed very easily and then it's very hard to fix so we err on the side of caution.

Have you taken a med in hopes of getting a weight loss side effect?

There was a glimmer of hope when I started lamictal last year. It killed my appetite for the first couple of weeks and I lost five pounds. But everything went right back to normal shortly after. I was able to keep those few pounds off, though. Until depression crept back in these last couple of months.

Have you been able to maintain employment thus far with your bipolar diagnosis?

no

on average, how many hours of sleep do you get per week?

God knows it varies I can sleep 6-14 hours a night so on this basis I'm gonna guess at about 60-70 hours a week

Question: Do you think having someone in the family with Bipolar is useful? If so in what ways?

I suppose it would be

even if it's just to get tips and tricks on how to cope with it

how much have you spent so far this month?. (on anything)

about £189.

so not too bad, I suppose

last thing to make you cry?

Last thing to make me cry?

Obsessing about concert tickets all day, then being told by my rational spouse that we can't afford them. And told to calm down (I may have been hypomanic). I ended up crying because I upset our family and also can't afford to see my favourite band.

Do your bipolar symptoms follow the seasons at all?

For sure. I start getting depressed when the weather dampens and the darkness deepens and I go fecking NUTS in spring/summer

Do you cry easily?

i'm as emotional as they come.

when you listen to music, are you mainly listening to the lyrics, the melody, or do you just listen to it because it's good.

Gotta have both lyrics and melody!

Ever purposely take medication that you know has an adverse effect on you? Ex. Taking antidepressants to get manic

Yes lol

Have you ever stopped meds to try and get manic?

Oh god yes!!!

What's your go to activity to take your mind off of depression?

It fluctuates. Sometimes I watch TV. Sometimes I chat with hubby, kids, friend, mom. Sometimes I listen to audiobooks....sometimes I take a shower....sometimes there is nothing I can do but wallow in bed sobbing or disconnecting from reality.

What is your healthiest coping mechanism for your mental illness?

Exercise

How many episodes do you typically have in a year?

countless. However this year since starting clozaril about 5. Yay!

Have you had a life-changing medication?

no,

but 1 day, perhaps
for those on meds, do you ever regret your choice to come off them all together or not take them?

I consider going off meds to get pregnant to be the very worst decision of my entire life.

Question: There's talk right now on the psychotherapy forum about transference. Do you feel like you have that with your therapist?

I think that my therapist and I moved beyond transference a long time ago. I suppose one could define our relationship with those terms but we are approaching 11 years together and honestly the relationship is very, very different now. Today he didn't have anyone after me and we just sat and chatted for a good 15 minutes. What our relationship exactly is varies on what I need. We're about to head into the season where he is very firm with me about managing holidays. Other days we can talk and work on social skills and he doesn't guide me any way. I do not consider him a father figure though. I guess it's complicated?...

Do you have help with housework?

I used to have a lady come in once a week to help with ironing (and other stuff if it needed doing). but now I don't, I'm on my own
what time do you like to get up in the morning? (asuming you slept well)