Posted by Ron Hill on May 2, 2002, at 15:25:57
In reply to Re: A budding bipolar ??, posted by colin wallace on May 1, 2002, at 13:30:24
Colin,
> Speaking of voodoo , I’m beginning to wonder whether you’ve placed some sort of hex on your ol’ limey pal !!
I wouldn't do that to my buddy, Colin.
>I took the test, and one other, and both came back with major depressive disorder/dysthymia.
I'm beginning to wonder if that on-line diagnosis test does not adequately account for dysphoric hypomania and, therefore, it may under diagnoses this subtype of BP II.
>As you say though, some face to face discussions with my doc are in order, and I hope to follow suit with a lithobid trial, if I have my way. Do you get any prominent side effects with it?
Initially, I experienced an increase in the frequency of urination and some rashes on my face. Both of these side effects subsided with time.
>I read that it can greatly increase suicidiality if discontinued after some timeBut the.Hair loss concerns me more !?
One problem with going off lithium is that some patients find it to be ineffective when (if) they try to go back to it later. I lost a lot of hair on Depakote, but I have not noticed any hair loss on Lithobid.
Colin, here are five self-help methodologies that I find useful in keeping any irritable (flash rage) tendencies under control. Some, none, or all may be of use to you.
1. Rigorous, strenuous, and regular exercise melts away stress like a hot knife melts butter. With stress levels lowered, my irritable mood is much less likely to rear its ugly head. You already know this, Colin, but I list it here because it is so very important.
2. Some call it meditation, I call it pray. Don't ask me how it works because I don't know. All I know is that pray (and/or meditation) lowers stress levels and, thereby, lowers the flash rage threshold in my emotional personality.
3. Regular sleep is extremely important. I can't overstate the importance of good quality sleep, of sufficient duration, on a day in and day out basis. It's critical for bipolars.
4. I need structure and order in my living and working environments. If I get disorganized, I have a very hard time. I feel overwhelmed in a disorganized environment and this triggers irritability and flash rage.
5. It is very useful for me to understand that, due to my bipolar disorder, I have a predisposition toward an irritable mood and flash rage (as well as other characteristics). This DOES NOT serve as license for me to act out inappropriately. But it does provide an internal explanation to myself of why it can seem so much more difficult for me to control my irritability than it is for the population at large. Understanding this helps my self-talk which, for example, can go like this:
"Okay Ron, I know you feel very irritable right now, but it's not really Candace's (my wife) fault. What she did was very minor. You are feeling this inordinately intense irritability because you are bipolar. These feeling will subside soon, so wait for a little while before expressing yourself because your feelings regarding the situation will very likely change."
I'm not suggesting that we stuff our feelings. Instead, I'm suggesting that merely understanding the characteristics of my bipolar disorder allows me the opportunity to implement coping strategies. In the example above, implementing some wait time can be part of the coping mechanism.
Further, understanding myself and understanding the disorder helps me to bring sense to my world. No longer am I stuck with the self assessment that I just must be a "bad person" since "good people" do not allow their temper to flash. Instead, there is a reason. I'm bipolar and, therefore, I need to implement coping strategies.
Lastly, in general, people that repeatedly display irritability and flash rage do not lead highly successful lives (e.g. relationships, career, etc). For example, the Stanford Research Institute conducted a study a few years ago that showed 87% of the probability of success in the workplace depends on our people skills and only 13% depend on our technical abilities. If these data are even close to being accurate, and my life experiences lead me to believe that they are, then it is absolutely essential that I develop excellent people skills. Therefore, I use this information in my self-talk by reminding myself that successful people do not explode and that the damage caused by such an outburst may have long term repercussions. I must be intelligent enough to keep my emotions under control.
-- Ron
poster:Ron Hill
thread:104523
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020425/msgs/104803.html