Addict.. hmmm. Well, from my own experience, and from what I've heard from people I've talked to, I've found that people suffering from bipolar seem to develop an addiction for anything that can be taken to excess. More or less, I've done just that: sex, food, prescription drugs, alcohol, video games, TV, porn, and music (strange, but true.. need a music fix) have been abused. Strangely enough, I haven't abused exercise yet, but I think I mentioned going to extreme measures to try and lose weight. I'm familiar with support groups-- I attended one for bipolar for a while until I went back to school. I also attended a few when I was in middle school and high school, but then no one could identify my problem then-- I'd just been referred because of performance in school. Most of the kids I talked to were having the problems I'm having now. The psychiatrist I'm seeing now is usually good about delegating things when he needs help. Of course, he takes care of the medical aspects, and he's well-educated enough that he can take care of a few things in a psychoanalytic area, but there were two periods of time when I saw a case worker and then a psychotherapist for additional help. I have no choice now but to diversify my help; I see my doc this Friday, but he's back in my hometown area. My wife is seeing a counselor right at this very moment-- I think to discuss how sexual orientation has been straining the marriage, as well as other things concerning her. I'm contemplating seeking religious help, but I plan to talk to leaders who don't know me and won't be biased. Julie and I are also waiting to find a specialist in post-traumatic stress therapy. I'm slightly wary of counselors and social workers in general. Lutheran Social Services tacked a whole laundry list of personality and obsessive/compulsive disorders to me before I did something drastic enough during my first year of college to get myself into a crisis center with a referral to a psychiatrist. So, at best, I try to coordinate any social help with my medical doctor. He says that the moods seem to be regulated well with the medication I'm taking now, but that the baggage remains.
- Backtalk version 1.3.30 - Copyright 1996-2006, Jan Wolter and Steve Weiss