what did you do before PC?

to get support?

this is something i've been wondering about for a while- before you joined PC, what support outlets (if any) did you have?

I was on a few yahoo/msn groups, the owners were quite nice

on one, one of the members made things difficult, but the owner dealt with it.

what about you

I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after going to group therapy for my complaint about depression and anxiety, especially anxiety. I guess the group therapy was my first support, but I hated group therapy, and quit it soon after I started to get manic. As for peer-led support groups, I think my first long-term support came from a DBSA meeting (Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance) I went to in person. I recommend them, especially just after you get diagnosed. It has the advantages of being with people face-to-face, and the disadvantages, too.

Somewhere in the middle of my time at DBSA meetings I did find online bipolar support on sites like MDJ Junction and Mood Garden. At the time, both were very popular. They were my favorite sites and I felt very much part of the communities. Unfortunately, both (especially Mood Garden) lost a lot of members and the environment changed for the worse. I had discovered PsychCentral years ago, too. You can see that I've been a member here for over 5 years, though I forgot about it for a long time since I was mostly into the other two sites I mentioned. I also visited a couple other groups, like the DBSA online group, but I left them because some members were bullies or just unbearable.

Now I find PsychCentral to be busier and more supportive than the other two sites I used to frequent. I like it here. I also visit a bipolar subreddit. That is sort of very different from traditional online bipolar support groups. You can find support there, but it is primarily a place for fun/humorous stuff, memes, creative posts, and the like.

I chose NOT to participate in any bipolar related Facebook pages, and I never posted anything about my bipolar on my Facebook page. Even when I created my Wordpress blog, I did not link it to social media like most people do. I invited only who I wanted from my life to my blog. I have connected with many other bipolar bloggers, but also many people without bipolar disorder that support me in writing about all kinds of things.

I just had my family

I have the most amazing people in my life. Hands down. I've posted so much about my struggle on Facebook and my blog. I had friends reach out to me with their own mental illness stories too. I stumbled upon PC researching bipolar and have been so fortunate to make even more amazing friends.

Beseiged friends and family, and read books.

I was in all kinds of face-to-face groups. Unfortunately, some of them did more harm than good.

I joined Psych Central the day after I was diagnosed BP. I'm also in a couple of private groups on Facebook, one of which is for people with bipolar 1. I've never participated in any in-person support groups because I don't feel that I need one.

I had no support in real life and still don't have any, unless you consider my therapist as being support.

I don't do in-person support groups because I'm afraid that being open about my BP will bite me in the @ss career wise.

There is no one in my life who cares anyways, so I'm used to it. It probably won't change. That's why I just stick to online support, where I can vent away without being judged or losing my job.

I blew off my diagnosis the first time. The second time was somewhere in 2015.

I just white-knuckled I guess. I joined a depression and anxiety board for a short while on FB until I felt bothered by men there.

I was distracted by a new job until I found someone there to be triggering. It has been really great finding this board.

This. Then ran away and was homeless for a few years. The net was not a common household thing back in the 80's when I was first diagnosed.

For a few months before here I was on psychforums, which is pretty much dead now. I also have been going to group therapy as needed for 3 years.

I pretty much use this site out of boredom and entertainment. Don’t really need support since there’s nothing wrong with me.

I found PC the day I was told I have Bipolar 1

Prior to that I really had no one but my daughter to talk too.

I didn't have any support at all. I was all on my own, lost, and confused. I didn't understand what was happening to me. I found PC when I developed an attachment to my therapist, and I googled lots of things about how therapists think of their clients and that sort of thing. I came across PC and the bipolar and therapy forums. That was when I learned I'm not alone. Other people have felt the things I've felt. I understand my relationship to therapy and my therapist now. I understand my moods better. I am so grateful to PC.

I had no one really. So I am glad I found this site.

years ago, I was a member of "Mood Garden."

I am a much longer term member of PC's sister site, "NeuroTalk."
From there, I'd found PC!

Love to all!

WC

I only started reading these forums about 5 yrs ago, when I was diagnosed with bipolar.

you and me both.

hense why I joined this forum.

got tired of being told by real life people to " deal with it"

Before I found this site, my only was support was my pdoc and the T I had at the time. Glad I found this site to talk to people that "get" it.

I wanted to take a mania test and was sent here. They suggested I take the sanity test and to join, so even though I don't join anything, I really liked it here and signed up. One of my best ideas yet... I love PC!

There used to be an un-moderated chatroom on the bpHope website. Being un-moderated, it was a lot of fun & often got quite wild & crazy - so much so that they shut it down! I don't generally go into chat here because it's over-moderated & I don't really care what other posters had for dinner last night, or their cats' names.

Well it wasn't a support site per se but Crazy Meds forum was a great place to get information about drugs and about therapy. I miss it very much. It specifically discouraged people from using it for hugs (recommending other sites for that kind of support--like this one) but there was a feeling of we're all in this together looking for solutions and sharing information with each other which I found to be both very useful and supportive too.

I tried Wrong Planet but that mostly focuses on Autism, Asperger's, etc. Th bipolar section isn't very alive and it's bunched up with several other MIs.

I'm not sure only forums are helping me, but it can't hurt to try.

Wandered around undiagnosed and untreated; coming close to wrecking much of my otherwise easy life. Once I understood that something was actually wrong I used PC and reddit to get the courage up to go to a doctor and say, "hey, something's not right here." I went in manic, I guess that made it easy to tag'n'bag; though it was kinda hard to want to go and let them turn it off. Glad I did. Everyone around me is glad I did as well.

I totally did that too. Before PC, I would chat on chatsites like Yahoo, AOL, and hang out on Facebook and Myspace and get myself in so much damn trouble. Everything was totally out of control, that I even got drunk right after therapy.

Even group therapy was horrible.

It was a mirable when I found myself here. I come and go over the years, but knowing this place exists has been a godsend.