[Jester's Rags]

Anyone else see only a pdoc for your bipolar disorder? My doc and I work together to decide what med changed, if any, are needed. I’ve never found a therapist that actually helped me.

[~Christina]

When my T retires I will stop going to Therapy.

My Pdoc and I over the years always discussed any meds I want to try and we agree to try X or increase Y, I could not tolerate a Pdoc just telling me I’m going to take AB and C

Currently I am Med free

[Jester's Rags]

My doc is the same way. We always talk through options and side effects before making any change. I have veto power :-) We agreed at one point that Wellbutrin would be worth trying as it seemed Zoloft wasn't working as well. Instant Manic. Over the top behavior, seeing things that weren't there, etc.

I had a pdoc in the past that would basically push the new, non-generic meds on me. He had to be getting kickbacks or something.

I'm still trying to decide if I want to give traditional therapy another try.

[Moose72]

I always have a pdoc to check in with but only have a tdoc when "needed". They have to "book" you one its not just the same person you can see or not see.

I don't know -- meds only do so much, my therapist does, is nothing else, make me feel understood more so than the rest of those in my social circle. I think, for me, having a therapist is the bigger benefit. Granted my therapist and I email multiple times a week so it's not a standard session and it's kind of "as needed". I do enjoy that.

In my case, at this point and at all points since starting bipolar treatment, my psychiatrist has required that I have a therapist in addition to seeing him. I suppose if a therapist told me that I no longer needed therapy, my psychiatrist may consult with the person to determine if he'd lift his requirement. Obviously, going to anyone for anything is a choice. I could always choose to quit my psychiatrist for one that didn't require the same things, but I don't want to.

I have been seeing my psychiatrist for about 13 years now. During that period, I have gone through about 10 therapists, not even including the IOP therapists. It has, indeed, been difficult finding the right therapists at the right times. I've derived significant benefits from about four of the 10. I'm pretty happy with my current therapist. I know that I'm not yet ready to give up therapy. I'm on disability, have stressors I'm dealing with, have major stressors ahead of me, and want to make forward progress that I'm sure I could never make without such help. There comes a time when even the best medications can only yield a certain amount of results. For fuller results, lifestyle, coping skills, and other support are necessary. I know some people can master the latter stuff on their own, but many can't. I can't.

My psychiatrist offers me 20 minute sessions, primarily for medication checks and enough time to hear how I'm doing to help him make appropriate prescribing decisions. That's more time than many psychiatrists offer patients. I have grown to expect such care and when I eventually need to change psychiatrists, I will not be that happy with a 5 to 15 minute session. Certainly even 20 minutes is not sufficient for full therapy care, but 5 to 15?

[Pookyl]

I don’t see a therapist as I haven’t found a good one.
So I only see my pdoc - 30 min every 4 wks. If I am unwell she sees me for 30 min more frequently. I find this more than adequate.

[Merlin]

I see my psychiatrist continually and therapists as needed.

[bpcyclist]

I see a pdoc every 6 weeks or so, more when flaring, which is all the time lately. I literally cannot afford a therapist and my pdoc (he stopped taking insurance because they were hosing him, of course) is not cheap. But well worth it.

I try to read a lot, when I can, to supplement what I am doing. I am sure I would benefit from a good therapist, but I am currently supporting 7 people and it just isn't there.

I see my pdoc every month, although at one point, I was seeing my old pdoc every 2 weeks when I was rapidly cycling. (Short, 2-week episodes every month or two months.)

I see my therapist every 2 weeks.

Occasionally, my therapist is kinda harsh, albeit unintentionally. But the waiting list for a therapist in this area is like 3 months, so I just deal with it. (She isn't always like this and is helpful for the most part.)

[HALLIEBETH87]

I’m required by pdoc to see a t. But I like my t.

[MissDenim]

I used to, but it didn't work out as well as it does now since I now have a pdoc and a therapist. That was not by choice as I was a kid then, but meds can only do so much and I wasn't doing so well without any therapy. I'd rather not get into it anymore than I already have, but I personally think that you need both unless you are pretty stable.

[Jester's Rags]

I think I’m going to ask my Pdoc for a recommendation when I meet him next. I don’t think seeing someone regularly will help me, but I could really use someone to talk with during the sick times.

Do people look for suggestions and help from a therapist, or just someone to talk to and get it all out?

[~Christina]

Originally Posted by Jester's Rags

I think I’m going to ask my Pdoc for a recommendation when I meet him next. I don’t think seeing someone regularly will help me, but I could really use someone to talk with during the sick times.

Do people look for suggestions and help from a therapist, or just someone to talk to and get it all out?

I have been with my T almost 9 years. My T and I are very goal orientated. If I’m struggling with say self worth or feeling like a burden we focus on what is driving those feelings and work on allowing me to see just how skewed my thinking and feeling was.

Every T is different , I saw one other T .... absolutely useless to me UGH! , he was more about chit chat not really helping me with my emotions or a crying mess because of ptsd.

Sometimes it can take a few T’s to try to find one you click with. Don’t give up

[cashart10]

My pdoc also requires a t but I adore her. I adore both of them though. I see my t every 1-3 weeks depending on how well or unwell I am.

[Under*Over]

Originally Posted by Jester's Rags

Anyone else see only a pdoc for your bipolar disorder? My doc and I work together to decide what med changed, if any, are needed. I’ve never found a therapist that actually helped me.

I think thats what Im going to do. My psychiatrist is pretty good, my therapist not so much. Its not that shes intentionally bad, its just that I dont trust her to really be helpful to me in the long term because so far it just doesnt feel like it.

I think its possible to have a psychiatrist without a therapist but Ive also had therapists who were super helpful (1 or 2) so its also possible to find a good new therapist if you keep looking. Id recommend a psychologist if you can because they have more education and experience

[pumpernickel1]

Originally Posted by Jester's Rags

Anyone else see only a pdoc for your bipolar disorder? My doc and I work together to decide what med changed, if any, are needed. I’ve never found a therapist that actually helped me.

I don't see a therapist. Therapy makes me worse. I've been told over the years its just worse at first. That hasn't been the case for me and it causes mood changes and suicidal thoughts so I only see a pdoc.

[Misfit Toy]

I have CPTSD and bipolar II. I don't know what my first therapist's credentials were. Mostly it was talk about the week and dump my thoughts. Not much help. I finally started seeing a pdoc and started meds. It has helped a lot. I quit my therapist at the same time, and got a psychologist for therapy. Good move. He has helped me more in a few sessions than my first therapist did in a year. My new therapist is a specialist in trauma recovery. I may have gotten lucky and found a good therapist. They are not easy to find.

[BipolaRNurse]

I only have a psychiatrist, and to be honest, I don't feel I need a therapist. My pdoc gives me 30-minute sessions in which I can talk about how I'm doing, and sometimes he really makes me give up the goods! I have told that man more than I've ever told anyone, including things about hypersexuality and my deepest-seated fears. We cover a LOT of ground in some visits. Others, life is fairly uneventful and we get done in 15-20 minutes (med check/adjustments).

[Rick7892]

I live in what is considered a "rural" area though it is a small town of about 10,000 people. For many years, I have seen a variety of counselors (therapists). Most of them haven't been helpful, and for some of the others I have done worse after visiting them. The last one was angry at me because I wasn't getting any better. Most of them were more interested in chatting or just having me vent. Venting helps me to a certain degree, but if I do too much too often, it just makes things worse because I get stuck in venting. Plain talk therapy without guidance or direction works well and is easy for counselors, but doesn't help me.

Currently, I don't have a counselor, even though I am being pushed to get one by my psychiatrist whom I have never seen. They are trying to do tele-psychiatry with intermediaries. One mental health specialist did an assessment, sent it to the psychiatrist, who sent the results to my primary care provider, a Physician's Assistant, who told me what the psychiatrist wanted me to do, including what meds to try. Now their mental health professional is telephoning me once a month for 30 minutes to see how I am doing to report to the psychiatrist. My choices are limited.

I have twice seen different psychologists for a single visit, and was not impressed enough to return.

In spite of my bad experiences, I still suggest trying to find a counselor who is helpful. I had two counselors who helped me and both did more than plain talk therapy. Unfortunately, one retired and the other moved away.

I am not sure what I am going to do. But I am glad to have recently come back to this Forum. I get more out of here than most of the counselors I saw because here there are others with experiences like me. It is not only support but also helpful suggestions. Unless the professional has bipolar, I wonder if they really know what it is like living with it, even though they may have received much education about it and may have years of experience of treating patients during 30-60 minute visits.

When I am telephoned again and say I still don't have a counselor, I am going to tell the mental health specialist that I am going to Group Therapy at this Forum!