Hello Colleen

   Thank You for stopping by here and sharing your story with us. I know that it is not an easy thing to do.

    Bi Polar Disorder is perhaps the most difficult of all mental health challenges because of the unpredictability of it. Moving back and forth between the highs and lows can make life very difficult.

    You have made several very good points here in your post. If you are on medication, it is very important that you do not drink and drug. The brain chemestry involved in BPD is very delicate and once the right combination of meds and therapy is found, one must be very careful to keep that balance.

    The good thing about BPD is that it is very treatable. In fact, the success rate for treating BPD is much better than for diabetes, heart desease and many other illnesses. This may surprise a few people. The number 1 most common reason for relapse in BPD cases is,,,,,,people begin to feel so good and so normal, they stop taking their meds. It is very important to follow the advice of a mental health professional. Never mix prescription meds with booze or illicit drugs and never stop taking them without your Dr's advice. Follow these few simple rules and chances are, you can live a long, happy life.

   Well, Thanks Again Colleen. Please stop back again any time you like. You just never know whose life you may have changed with you words of hope. Take Care now and

Merry Christmas Colleen

hi Colleen

I am 50 years old and have suffered with severe depression since I was 17 so I understand how frustrating this illness can be.  With an unseen disability like mental illness I found people tended to fear me rather than help me this went for mental hospitals I was unfortunate to be a patient in in the 70's. Being a black woman my outbursts were viewed as rage that could only be controlled by me being heavily sedated.

I have 5 beautiful children who constantly being put in foster care because I found it difficult to trust the medical profession after such a harrowing ordeal as to escape rape while in one of these institutions.

God's love and mercy helped me with my struggle to seek help and above all respect so as to slowly beat the institutions and social services, which resulted in amazing help and all my kids back with me and not psychologically damaged.

God Bless you and yours

Roza

Hello Roza

   I am so sorry that I didn't get to your post sooner. I have so many threads that I must have missed the notification of your post here.

   I am very happy to hear that you have finally found some answers and that you have your family back together.

    You are so right about having to find the right combination of medicine and a successful treatment program. I have seen so many cases where people continue to suffer because of the lack of understanding about mental illness and the unavailability of viable treatment options.

    People are shocked when I tell them that there are more people behind bars with a mental illness than there are in treatment. So many lives are being destroyed because of such things as stigma, lack of insurance coverage  and no compassion. Our government needs to make some serious changes with regard to the mental health system.

   Roza, you are a shining example of what can be accomplished with a little understanding and compassion. I thank you for sharing your story with us.

Sincerely, Billdaddy