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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by super on May 24, 2001, at 15:28:37
Anyone have a significant other who doesn't agree with their diagnosis? My girlfriend, who is actually a surgeon, doesn't think I really have bipolar II--she just thinks I've had a few episodes of clinical depression. I've been on medication since I met her, so she's never really known me down-and-out. She thinks I could stop taking my medication. I don't know why she questions my diagnosis. At one point I did stop taking my medication, and she told me to start again. I want her to be right, but I know she probably isn't. I was just wondering how other people deal with their significant other's skepticism about their mental illness.
Posted by Phil on May 24, 2001, at 20:27:28
In reply to girlfriend doesn't agree with diagnosis, posted by super on May 24, 2001, at 15:28:37
I just terminate the relationship. : )
Also, I wouldn't go to my psychiatrist for a bypass.
Phil
Posted by willow on May 24, 2001, at 22:05:08
In reply to Re: girlfriend doesn't agree with diagnosis, posted by Phil on May 24, 2001, at 20:27:28
The other half can have a hard time with it. I've been told that the doctors are quacks and then on the flip side asked if I've taken my medication.
Whispering Willow
Posted by Sulpicia on May 25, 2001, at 5:12:03
In reply to girlfriend doesn't agree with diagnosis, posted by super on May 24, 2001, at 15:28:37
>I can empathize w/your position but frankly bipolar II looks a hell of a lot like
unipolar depression, especially if all you manifest is hypomania. This diagnosis eludes
experienced pdocs from time to time, never mind surgeons.I sort of understand where she's coming from tho; my daughter has bp II and I was in a
kind of denial at first, probably because I didn't know much about it and fed into the
goofy stereotypes about bipolar. I mean, it's not cool or trendy, and it can be extremely
dangerous -- to the patient. :)I can't tell you how my daughter feels but I currently run interference with her grandmother
who can't/won't accept it. She figures if I just made her *behave* all would be well.
The fact of the matter is that BP II has nearly killed her several times. I have a very healthy
respect for it. It's also HIGHLY treatable -- you can live your life without too much trouble.Does this have anything to do with your post on babble about stopping meds?
Mild or not, it is the road to hell if you stop.Can your gf learn a bit about bp II? I'm willing to bet that if she did, she'd stop endangering your
life out of ignorance.What do YOU think?
S.
Posted by kazoo on May 25, 2001, at 11:36:33
In reply to girlfriend doesn't agree with diagnosis, posted by super on May 24, 2001, at 15:28:37
> Anyone have a significant other who doesn't agree with their diagnosis? My girlfriend, who is actually a surgeon, doesn't think I really have bipolar II--she just thinks I've had a few episodes of clinical depression. I've been on medication since I met her, so she's never really known me down-and-out. She thinks I could stop taking my medication. I don't know why she questions my diagnosis. At one point I did stop taking my medication, and she told me to start again. I want her to be right, but I know she probably isn't. I was just wondering how other people deal with their significant other's skepticism about their mental illness.
Tell your girlfriend to stick to her medical discipline (of which I'm sure she's excellent at), and let your psychiatrist do his thing with you.
Good grief, talk about cross-pollination!
kazoo
Posted by super on May 25, 2001, at 14:08:33
In reply to Re: girlfriend doesn't agree with diagnosis » super, posted by kazoo on May 25, 2001, at 11:36:33
Thanks for the feedback. It's just hard to trust a p-doc who only sees you every three months over a loved one who you spend every night with.
There is a double-standard, where people say your not ill but then they change their story quickly when you stop your meds and start getting ill. It's like you have to get really sick for them to believe what you've been telling them all along.
My g/f says she'll support me no matter what I decide to do with meds, but I know she'd prefer I didn't have to take them. And I really want to not have to take them too. I want to be able to think myself well. I know that most people on this board think that's impossible, but there's always hope to my mind.
My brother had a manic episode in his twenties and took lithium for a while, but then he stopped taking lithium and he still seems okay--not perfect but functional. No major episodes in the past 10 years that I can tell. I'm not close to him and don't see him much but he has held down a job for nearly 10 years and he got married and had a baby. He eats and drinks more than he should...but so do lots of people.
I had my worst hypomanic episode when I was around the same age as he was when he got sick. I'm just thinking that maybe I could be okay without meds too. Sure, taking meds is the safest thing to do (though they can cause other medical problems) but you never know what's possible unless you try, right?
Posted by mair on May 25, 2001, at 22:13:00
In reply to Re: girlfriend doesn't agree with diagnosis, posted by super on May 25, 2001, at 14:08:33
>Have you been on meds continuously since you were first diagnosed. I'm not BP, but I've taken myself off meds any number of times and for any number of reasons. Mostly it's been to take myself off a drug that didn't work or that i didn't tolerate very well and I need a wash out period. In these instances I ended up not starting with a new drug until I really needed to. It's always very discouraging to have a relapse which reminds you why you were on the drug to begin with. Whenever I'm tempted to go drug-free, I remind myself of what it feels like to face another set back and how awful it is (for me anyway) to acclimate myself to a new drug. However, if you've never tried this it's understandable that you'd want to try this. Why don't you talk to your pdoc about this?
If there's a minimal danger and you or he can monitor changes well enough, maybe there's no harm in experimenting with this for awhile. Mair
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