Determining services

Cross post:

I questioning how much help we really need from professionals. I'm not on meds, haven't been for almost a month. First it was by accident but it's become a "eh, I'll take it tomorrow." I'm on my shot but that's really it. I take the meds some days just not the lamictal. My husband is having the same problem. We're stable for now so therapy seems pointless right now. We see our pdoc in 11 days but I want to cancel until I'm back on medication. Which will take a month of consistent med taking. So I really need to decide meds or no meds for good.

We all know that bp cycles so both my husband and I will eventually become unstable. The problem is we feed off each other and tend not to get help when needed. So regular t appointments have kept us getting help earlier. Last thing we need is to need IP and not get the help because we wont. The problem is our center just lost 3 of 4 of their therapists in a two week period and the management is pushing to put me with my husband's T. Our thought is if he stops therapy that if one of us needs it she'll be neutral by that point.

In the past we've relied on our family to take care of my son when we have needed help. Recently it was made clear if he has school work he's not allowed to spend the night at family's house. So that means he's stuck with us through our worst.

I feel like we have a handle on things right now but bp's episodic. How do you determine what services you need? especially when you don't know when you need help and are on the severe side of bp?

Is it possible to make an appointment with someone (P-doc, T, whomever?) to discuss this very issue? I understand not wanting to if you think the professional is just going to flail their arms and give you the "ErMahGerd, You need to take your pills and do this and that and blah blah blah" speech. But if there's someone who will actually talk sensibly about this with you, I'd talk to them and come up with a care plan and determine, collaboratively, what sort of services you need.

My T is really good about this (might be his social work background) my problems aren't too severe (objectively, medically speaking) so my care plan has always been pretty simple--"Sure, go off your pills and stop sessions if you'd like. Try it for a while. If people start telling you you're acting crazy, come in and we'll talk about it. If you have a crisis, call a crisis line. Do you want me to call if I don't hear from you for a while?"

Hope you find something that works for you.

Besides my husband I don't know who would take me seriously. Professionals seem to over react and IRL people don't feel I need help.

The professionals are biased a pdoc is gonna pretty much demand pills unless you find an odd duck who actually would prefer you try without or alternatives. Therapists especially in clinics are typically over the top about following a pdoc. Honestly, these are decisions for you to make and your husband to make. However, do take into consideration your son and his well-being.

Are you generally stable when you take your meds?

If so, are you putting your son at risk by not taking them?

Finally... Is there anything that trumps your son's safety and emotional well-being? Do you have any greater responsibility than the well-being of your child?

IMHO when you look at it in such stark terms, the right answer immediately presents itself.

And FWIW your posts are usually much clearer and more coherent than this one. I wonder how well you really are doing.

Why aren't you taking Meds? Can you start again?

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Sorry to hear that Well, if it were me, I'd still go to the appointment and try to talk about it. The worst case scenario for me is that I'd have wasted my copay listening to the "ErMahGerd" speech and leave feeling irritated. Which, for me, doesn't outweigh the possibility that the appointment would be helpful.

What's the worst case scenario for you, if you go to your appointment/make an appointment and try to talk about these things? Does it outweigh the possibility that the appointment might be helpful?

Could you just decrease the frequency of your therapy instead of stopping it entirely? Like go every 2 weeks instead of weekly, something like that. That way, you could hopefully catch when you were becoming unstable before it became really bad. By stopping both meds AND therapy, it seems you'd be putting yourself and your family in a potentially dangerous place. Is there a need, such as financial, to do so, or just a personal preference?

Are you generally stable when you take your meds? I'm generally a bit depressed and have more anxiety when on medication. Which they like to throw more meds at me for that. I completely agree I need the abilify but the other stuff is less obvious. As long as I stay on the abilify he's not at risk.

Is there anything that trumps your son's safety and emotional well-being? Do you have any greater responsibility than the well-being of your child? Nope

Why aren't you taking Meds? It started off forgetting and it became "I'll take them later" now it's 3+ weeks in.

Can you start again? I have to start one of them very slowly. The others I can just take.

What's the worst case scenario for you, if you go to your appointment/make an appointment and try to talk about these things? He can hospitalize me for non-compliance.

That still leaves one of us without a therapist and the inability to leave her as a neutral party if one of us needs her later in the coming months. She's also just added tons to her case load so every two weeks may not be possible. I stopped my meds before finding out I had no therapist anymore.

Can he really? That's terrible. I thought you had to be, like, floridly psychotic or suicidal to be hospitalized against your will.

'Fraid I don't really have any suggestions at this point, but I wish you well and hope things work out.

He said he can hospitalize for non complies. Probably based on severity.

How often do you get the shot? Would your shot be at the next appointment? If so, I'd go get the shot. I have a feeling the hospitalizing for non-compliance is a scare tactic to get you to stay on your meds. However, don't quote me on that because I don't know that for sure. I don't have any good advice because I'm not the best with meds either right now.

I get the shot monthly from an RN always around the 1st. Pdoc prescribes it but the nurse gives it to me.

Does your primary care physician have a long-standing personal connection with you? Obviously when you are in the throes of severe mental illness the specialist is the way to go, on the other hand, a generalist can see the "big picture" of your life in some ways the specialist can't. Perhaps they can offer a balanced view between the psychiatrist and the average person and help here.

Another thought: I agree with the idea of continuing therapy but in a less frequent interval.

Does your primary care physician have a long-standing personal connection with you? No I only see them once a year and it's whomever is working that day.

Any thoughts on what you're going to do? Have you re-started medication? Sending good thoughts your way.

Didn't you once have a note in your forum sig that said if you mentiond had quitting meds that we should remind you that is a bad idea? Something along those lines?

My pdoc appt. is actually May 13th. I've restarted my medication only because DH asked. Hopefully there will be new T since it's over a month away.

Didn't you once have a note in your forum sig that said if you mentioned had quitting meds that we should remind you that is a bad idea? Something along those lines? Yes but that was years ago and I was unstable and scared of my dx.

Miguel'smom, you have been very unstable even rather recently and being inconsistent with your meds and treatment has been a long, on-going theme in your posts. I hate to see you without a therapist; I know your treatment has been very inconsistent because of your move and all. I hope you will be able to find another therapist because without services and consistency in treatment and monitoring, you do tend to become extremely unstable and unable to care for yourself or your family.

What's the worst case scenario for you, if you go to your appointment/make an appointment and try to talk about these things? He can hospitalize me for non-compliance.

That still leaves one of us without a therapist and the inability to leave her as a neutral party if one of us needs her later in the coming months. She's also just added tons to her case load so every two weeks may not be possible. I stopped my meds before finding out I had no therapist anymore.
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Are you on an involuntary certification?
Perhaps the therapist's function is to check in on you and your status between P-doc visits?

You have been very unstable even rather recently Really, what am I forgetting?

No I'm not involuntary certification but my MI is severe enough he can make a case to put me IP until meds kick in. The therapist was to check on me between pdoc sessions.

Could you and your husband go see t together? Just a thought that it might make it easier to get on t schedule, and that it would give you someone who could give good feedback if you were starting to cycle.