[Brentus]

So, disclaimer. I didn't make this up, and where I found it didn't make it up either. It's something I wanted to address here because I thought it was an interesting topic.

I'm part of a ADHD organization and I was watching a webinar about the topic. It was tailored to ADHD, but it perfectly co-relates with ALL mental health issues. A big part of ADHD that people may not realize is the comorbities with other disorders, and traits that you don't commonly associate-- like perhaps anger, or rejection sensitivity etc. There's a lot of takeaways from education, which brings me to the 4-point system, and the first point.

1. Education
2. Medication
3. Coaching
4. Psychotherapy

In my opinion, 3 and 4 are avenues for the same outcome just approached differently. Coaching is much more common of a practice in ADHD communities because there is an emphasis on getting daily tasks done. However, both deal with feelings and beliefs and modify them. Also, there is a lot to be said about community based things ( like forums) for peer-supported help.



Below are my definitions of the four pieces.

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Education
Learning all you can about your disorder and staying up to date with current information is vital in my opinion. The more you understand, the better the handle you can have on the situation. Also, the better you understand YOUR PERSONAL FLAVOR of [insert disorder here] the better you can help yourself.

Medication
Pretty simple right? Medicine is a crucial part for many disorders and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This is doubly true for us with bipolar -- we will probably need the meds the rest of our lives. Being consistent, knowing when to advocate for changes or lack thereof, and knowing your body all are important to make the decisions required for this piece.


Coaching
Here, I also submit we talk about peer-supported help; tips and tricks, skills, etc. You've probably heard the phrase before: "Pills don't teach skills". This is 100% true; we need to learn to accommodate for yourselves for our limitations.

Psychotherapy
While coaching offers a lot of this, psychotherapy also offers help with comorbidities, adding more skills to your toolbox, dealing with relational things more specifically -- grief, emotional dysregulation, etc. and offers professional help for areas beyond the scope of a peer.

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With that breakdown, what pieces of the treatment plan to you use? Which do you emphasize most for your personal treatment? What is the most challenging aspect for you?



I'll answer my own questions.

1)What pieces of the treatment plan to you use?
I do use all four components for my mental health treatment plan. I can't say I use them equally though. Coaching(Peer-Support) is one I am trying to use a little more regularly. I do think mental health in general should be understood as not an isolated disorder, because for most of us -- we suffer from multiple, and there are specific challenges often overlooked with "presentation of symptoms" like the example with ADHD and rejection sensitivity. Mood dysregulation is a big co-morbid issue with ADHDers too! Mental health encompasses EVERYTHING -- not just a specific disorder or it's core attributes. It involves a person -- uniquely individualized. It should be treated as such.

2)Which do you emphasize most for your personal treatment?
Medicine and psychotherapy are mainstays for such. However, I am a HUGE proponent for self-educating on the subjects. Want a good reason? Becuause YOU are the expert of YOU. For the experts in medication, or therapy to be most effective -- YOU need to understand your body, your needs, your life. Knowledge is power, friends

3)What is the most challenging aspect for you?
I think the most challenging aspect of my treatment plan for me is to consistently utilize the resources I have. I have feelings about being on meds, and wanting to go off them. I come and go from the forum a whole lot. I do therapy weekly -- but sometimes I feel like I'm not making progress or doing the work. Sometimes I fall into "common misconception" thinking when it comes to my own illnesses. I want to develop routine use of all four facets for my personal health journey.





So-- where do you all stand? Happy to hear your thoughts!