Posted by medlib on November 29, 2001, at 15:34:41
In reply to ex drug-addicts and psychopharmocology, posted by Peter on November 29, 2001, at 1:03:02
Hi Peter--
At your age, the prospect of having a chronic disease which requires life-long medication is a daunting one, whether it's rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, epilepsy, bipolar disorder, or others. Almost every young person diagnosed with such a condition has had to deal with resistance/denial. It will be difficult for you to move on with the rest of life until/unless you are as certain of your diagnoses as your pdoc is. To help accomplish this, you could seek other medical opinions and/or learn more about bipolar disorder yourself. One web site that includes a self-test is
http://depression.about.com/cs/bipolardiagnosis/
(There is an abundance of info and self-tests on ADD, as well.)
Severe or prolonged psychological trauma or stress are thought to cause neurochemical imbalances in the brain similar to those seen in "mental" illnesses, so it's not surprising that these effects can be difficult to distinguish from one another. Also, research has shown that both medication and psychotherapy can cause similar changes in brain functioning.
So...one alternative you might consider is leaving your current meds as they are while you utilize psychotherapy to develop healthier coping mechanisms for dealing with emotions. You may want to discuss Behavior Therapy with your pdoc. Then later, if you decide to change or discontinue meds, you will have some internal and external resources for support.
BTW, the upside of dealing with such problems at age 25 is that, at 50 (and later), you may have (and have had) a *life*, not just a lifetime of lost potential.
Well wishes---medlib
poster:medlib
thread:85484
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011123/msgs/85534.html