Bipolar

rmsrws

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dmpizza

Not me, but much of my family.
Tough road.

BobbyClerici

It's another bogus pop diagnosis to keep you dependent on medication and therapy.
Don't expect much support from the so called "professionals" with your health and fitness goals.

The agenda is to keep you on their dole, and self empowerment is not in the cards in their world of emotional exploitation.
You have a chance to shrug off the shackles of whatever label these people have given you to take ownership of your life, reach down and get a hold of your destiny; you don't have to be relegated to the comfort zone of handy excuses for failure.

You can win.
There is something inside of each one of us that won't let us go down if we tab into that abundance.

I wish you well.

Hambone23

May I ask does the Lamictal increase your appetiate

Not at all. And it has the least number of side effects of any of the mood stabilizers out there.

hazelnut861

Me too! My mom also so we're something together . She maintains better than I, I'm sure due to her age and infinite wisdom . I was about 16 when the diagnosed me. They just pushed Prozac off on me before and nothing happened. I don't take any meds and haven't for about 6 years. I get very self destructive and cut off my nose to spite my face. When my husband told me he didn't want me to go back to work I gained 20 lbs on purpose and will still eat horribly when he hurts my pride. I stopped smoking, but started again because well, to spite my face ... anyways, if you want to you can send me a friend request and I'm not a negative Nancy all o ver the news feed. I'll try to be as supportive as I can.

charcharbec

I am also Bipolar, diagnosed freshman year of college.... took meds for a while had a mental health counselor that only wanted me on appetite supressing meds....i finally stopped taking them and have been off them for years.... recently started therapy and my counselor said that as long as I was working out a lot, that I could probably manage. I work out about 6 times a week. No meds and loads of weightloss. WOO. I still get slightly manic and slightly down but its really not as bad as it used to be and normally if i go for a workout when I am feeling that way, it really levels me out.

Hambone23

It's another bogus pop diagnosis to keep you dependent on medication and therapy.
Don't expect much support from the so called "professionals" with your health and fitness goals.

The agenda is to keep you on their dole, and self empowerment is not in the cards in their world of emotional exploitation.
You have a chance to shrug off the shackles of whatever label these people have given you to take ownership of your life, reach down and get a hold of your destiny; you don't have to be relegated to the comfort zone of handy excuses for failure.

You can win.
There is something inside of each one of us that won't let us go down if we tab into that abundance.

I wish you well.

Ugh. I'm sorry. I have to jump in on this one. I agree that there's a lot of pop diagnosis going on out there. But some people actually do have mental illness. It's not a pop diagnosis when you're so manic you ditch your therapist appointment to drive four hours to another state in the worst blizzard of the year because it feels like you're flying only to realize once you get there that you don't remember how you got there. Or when you're hearing voices, or seeing things that aren't there. Or when you're so depressed that a loved one commits you to a psych ward because they're that worried about you. Please don't assume.

hypergrl

Hi, yes please feel free to add me whatever condition you may have :-)
I'm just looking for people who know what a struggle it is to lose/maintain weight with a mental health condition and all that entails.
My problem with food is that I self medicate with it when I'm low. I self harm with it and on top of my own personal issues I'm now on anti psychotic medication that makes you pile on weight :-/
So really just looking for anyone who knows what a struggle it is to battle with eating on these levels
Thank you so much for the replies so far, really good to know that I'm not alone :-)

Hi I'm bi-polar and I've been on meds that make you gain weight or make it hard to lose weight. I tend not to eat a lot so I'm not sure I'm the best person to chat with, but I understand the ups and downs. I'm off my meds right now because we are TTC and I don't want to risk them interfering with anything.

I'm working out like a fiend and it helps a lot. like rkorduner says it can be managable if you pay attention to you cycles and "triggers"

vinylscratch

It's another bogus pop diagnosis to keep you dependent on medication and therapy.
Don't expect much support from the so called "professionals" with your health and fitness goals.

The agenda is to keep you on their dole, and self empowerment is not in the cards in their world of emotional exploitation.
You have a chance to shrug off the shackles of whatever label these people have given you to take ownership of your life, reach down and get a hold of your destiny; you don't have to be relegated to the comfort zone of handy excuses for failure.

You can win.
There is something inside of each one of us that won't let us go down if we tab into that abundance.

I wish you well.

Ugh. I'm sorry. I have to jump in on this one. I agree that there's a lot of pop diagnosis going on out there. But some people actually do have mental illness. It's not a pop diagnosis when you're so manic you ditch your therapist appointment to drive four hours to another state in the worst blizzard of the year because it feels like you're flying only to realize once you get there that you don't remember how you got there. Or when you're hearing voices, or seeing things that aren't there. Or when you're so depressed that a loved one commits you to a psych ward because they're that worried about you. Please don't assume.

Took the words right out of my mouth.

I struggle with major depression, anxiety, and I'm actually taking inventory for a couple of different mood disorders next week to try to figure out how to get the right help. It's impossible to describe to someone who can't relate how difficult it is to function when you have to jump through so many hoops in your own brain. I completely feel you and am here for support!

Ashalena

It's another bogus pop diagnosis to keep you dependent on medication and therapy.
Don't expect much support from the so called "professionals" with your health and fitness goals.

The agenda is to keep you on their dole, and self empowerment is not in the cards in their world of emotional exploitation.
You have a chance to shrug off the shackles of whatever label these people have given you to take ownership of your life, reach down and get a hold of your destiny; you don't have to be relegated to the comfort zone of handy excuses for failure.

You can win.
There is something inside of each one of us that won't let us go down if we tab into that abundance.

I wish you well.

I do not have any of the previous diseases mentioned, nor do any of my loved ones, so I cannot speak from personal experience. What I can tell you, however, is that I have spent many years studying psychology on a biological level. Your quote is so incorrect; I don’t even know where to begin correcting you. These diseases are much more than :handy excuses for failure," sir. It is not smart to let your ignorance run your thoughts...

cabaray

It's another bogus pop diagnosis to keep you dependent on medication and therapy.
Don't expect much support from the so called "professionals" with your health and fitness goals.

The agenda is to keep you on their dole, and self empowerment is not in the cards in their world of emotional exploitation.
You have a chance to shrug off the shackles of whatever label these people have given you to take ownership of your life, reach down and get a hold of your destiny; you don't have to be relegated to the comfort zone of handy excuses for failure.

You can win.
There is something inside of each one of us that won't let us go down if we tab into that abundance.

I wish you well.

So I suppose diabetics are succumbing to a label as well. They have a chemical imbalance as well. Ignorant people like you are often the reason people don't seek psychiatric care. All I have to do is look at my life pre-medication and current medication to know that I have the right diagnosis and medication.

cabaray

I was diagnosed bipolar about 5 years ago. It took awhile to get on the right combo of meds, but everything is great now. My psychiatrist has worked well with me to find medication that would not make me susceptible to gaining weight. I take Lamictal, Geodon and Pristiq and things haven't been this good for a very long time. When I was younger I self-medicated with alcohol and drugs. When I stopped that, I started self-medicating with food. I have added you as a friend. We can get through this together!

dlyeates

In the past I was diagnosed and treated for Major Depression.

I also am a Clinical Therapist who has spent years working with people of all ages with every mental health diagnosis imaginable. I would love to be a support to you.

Add me if you want!!!

noexcuses1218

It's another bogus pop diagnosis to keep you dependent on medication and therapy.
Don't expect much support from the so called "professionals" with your health and fitness goals.

The agenda is to keep you on their dole, and self empowerment is not in the cards in their world of emotional exploitation.
You have a chance to shrug off the shackles of whatever label these people have given you to take ownership of your life, reach down and get a hold of your destiny; you don't have to be relegated to the comfort zone of handy excuses for failure.

You can win.
There is something inside of each one of us that won't let us go down if we tab into that abundance.

I wish you well.

I wish I had time to dissect the fallacies and factual errors (or lack of factual evidence) in this post. I wish you were kidding, but you're not. I wish you would consider stepping outside of your own paranoia to let go of the ridiculous judgement you've made about the mental health field as a whole. I wish you would acknowledge the fact that bipolar disorder has a high morbidity rate in terms of suicide, and that it can be just as dangerous and deadly as any other disease or chemical imbalance.

Maybe you've been able to manage it without meds or therapy or any other treatment beyond what you in your infinite wisdom have deemed appropriate and necessary. But I wish you wouldn't spout this nonsense in places where people who are at risk and in unstable situations might decide that they can jump off their meds and leave their therapists behind in the hopes of "tapping into that abundance."

Best of luck to you.

dlyeates

It's another bogus pop diagnosis to keep you dependent on medication and therapy.
Don't expect much support from the so called "professionals" with your health and fitness goals.

The agenda is to keep you on their dole, and self empowerment is not in the cards in their world of emotional exploitation.
You have a chance to shrug off the shackles of whatever label these people have given you to take ownership of your life, reach down and get a hold of your destiny; you don't have to be relegated to the comfort zone of handy excuses for failure.

You can win.
There is something inside of each one of us that won't let us go down if we tab into that abundance.

I wish you well.

So I suppose diabetics are succumbing to a label as well. They have a chemical imbalance as well. Ignorant people like you are often the reason people don't seek psychiatric care. All I have to do is look at my life pre-medication and current medication to know that I have the right diagnosis and medication.

I have to second this one. As a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor who has worked in drug/alcohol rehab, juvenile justice, with the homeless, in a psychiatric hospital and with people suffering and living with mental illness I would really hope that on a thread asking for help that you would keep your ignorant, uneducated comments to yourself. (per guidelines I am trying to make sure to attack the words and not the person).

There are many wonderful treatments available to people who have a chemical imbalance that just so happens to be in their brain. While diet and exercise can help with some symptoms it by no means addresses the underlying imbalance. While doctors and drug companies may want to make a buck (and so do we and that's why most of us work) there is no denying that there have been great men and women who have been able to research and come up with medications that can control the chemical imbalances that cause mental illnesses and a lot of the symptoms. And a good psychiatrist or therapist should recommend healthy related activities because they boost overall health and self-esteem. But like everything there are good and bad ones our there.

A mental illness and the chemical imbalance like the last poster said is no different then the chemical imbalance that causes diabetes or high cholesterol (the genetic kind). When you are ready to say that someone with diabetes (especially Type 1 that is not caused by problems with diet or exercise) or with cancer or with an ear infection should empower themselves and not take the medication that can treat them and control the issues they have, then you can talk about someone whose chemical imbalance is in their brain instead of their pancreas, etc. and causes behavioral problems versus blood sugar, cancer cells, ear problems.

I'm sorry for the vent. I know that these disorders are very real and can cause immense emotional and physical problems when not treated or before the right combination of meds is found. CONGRATS TO ALL OF YOU WHO ARE SEEKING HELP AND DOING WHAT IS NEEDED TO REGAIN CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE AND NOT BE CONTROLLED BY YOUR EMOTIONS!!!!!!!

BobbyClerici

I have anxiety and depression and have been on so many different meds it's hard to remember them all. I am hoping that with diet and exercise, I can eventually get off the medications all together!

Feel free to add me too!

At least somebody is willing to set a goal of empowerment. Best of luck to you!