Lived Experience Forum

[Molly942]

I have spoken to many adults and researched..

I am believed by people in my life that I have bipolar 1. However I have never seeked professional care as my parents don't believe in conselling/therapy. I have noticed many patterns in my moods. And each up and down lasts 4-5 months and I do crazy things. And I often become suicidal when I change my ups or downs. I want professional help and a proper diagnosis or if it may be something else causing long term habits and illnesses. Please help

[Historylover]

I don't offer medical advice @Molly942, but you need a professional to talk to if these down moods take you so low. And if you do see a therapist, I suggest not saying what you think you have, give your symptoms and just let him/her make a diagnosis and see if it agrees with yours. If not, research the new one when you get home, see how it fits and adjust your thoughts on how to proceed.

I wish you well, and hope you find a way forward soon.  

[tyme]

Hey @Molly942 ,

As @Historylover has mentioned, our services are limited in that we cannot provide medical advice. However, I reiterate that if you have doubts, it is important to speak to your GP. If you are of age, you do not require the consent of your parents to see your GP.

Conversely, I'd like to welcome you to the forums here where you can connect with others and share your experiences. 

All the best on your journey,

tyme

[Willy]

Hi @Molly942 

You will get very different opinions on this forum from different people but no one, no matter what they claim, has all the answers.

I am going to offer you a different view and it is much the same one I offered my now 19 year old granddaughter a couple of years ago when she got caught up in what I will call the mental health game.

It sounds like you are quite young and you seem to be having some pretty serious difficulties with your life.

I understand your concerns and anxieties and you probably do need some help but in my opinion you also need to be extremely careful about how and where you go about trying to find it. It is all too easy to get caught up in a mental health game run by medical professionals and government departments. Not only will many of these people not help you but they can make your life very much worse.

One well respected, long time member of this forum said recently that the mental health authorities seem to be more about control than cure and recovery. You can find stories on this forum about the ways that they have taken over peoples lives and turned them into utter misery.

If you have done your research you should have discovered that there are many highly qualified and reputable people around who believe that the mental health diagnostic system is hopelessly flawed and unreliable. Simply getting a medical label for your life problems may not mean much even though I can fully appreciate that you want to understand why your life is in such turmoil and want to know what you can do about it.

The treatment that almost inevitably follows a mental health diagnosis these days is some form of pharmaceutical (drug) treatment. In my experience, psychiatric drugs can be very helpful in some circumstances but not always. They can, and often do, create more problems than they solve and there is considerable concern that they are over prescribed.

Again, if you have done your research well, you will have discovered that there are proven non drug based treatments that are available. These are definitely a viable option and are at least as effective as drug based ones. You don't need a diagnosis to go down this path because they attempt to deal with the underlying thoughts, feelings and behaviour, not some abstract medical condition. Many of us believe that the popular idea that people with mental health problems have a “brain disease” that requires diagnosis and medical treatment is nonsense.

Unfortunately in Australia non drug based psychological treatments  can be a bit more difficult to access but this situation appears to be slowly changing. If you want to investigate this approach you may need to be a bit more persistent.

You probably won’t like me saying this but your parents advice may actually be quite sound. Your next step is probably to talk to some trusted person who has experience of the mental health system but please continue to do your own research, You need to be able to intelligently discuss your options with people and perhaps more importantly know what you might be getting yourself into.

The next trusted person you talk to may well be your general practitioner but it doesn’t necessarily need to be a medical practitioner. In my experience many, but not all, general practitioners are quite naïve about mental health and best mental health practices. They receive very little formal training in this increasingly important area.

So just rushing off and getting a mental health diagnosis may very well be just jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Please be careful.

Good luck and take care

Willy

[tyme]

Hey @Willy ,

Firstly, thank you for sharing your thoughts. I too agree that we need to be open-minded and do our own research when it comes to mental health.

Conversely, I would also like to mention that there are those out there who do give sound advice and can support you. I, myself, have had a sensational treating team for which I am eternally grateful for. I would not be here, doing what I am today, if it wasn't for the advice, support and encouragement from a range of treating specialists.

It was only a few years ago that I was in the depths of despair. I lost hope in humanity. I never thought recovery was possible. 

@Molly942 ,

Listen to your heart. Your gut feeling will help you decide. Persistence is vital. And like @Willy has mentioned, you may be knocked back and let down many times before you find something that works.

All the best,

tyme

[NatureLover]

Hi and welcome, @Molly942 ! It's good you've joined, where people can understand what you're going through. 

I also want to chime in with @tyme  and say that without professional MH (mental health) support, I would not be alive today. When I was intensely suicidal for 3 years, I had a trusted GP who saw me weekly and spent a long time with me each time, which helped to keep me alive. Then I also found a psychiatrist who changed my medication, which saved my life. She also provided good talk therapy and I started to heal from my childhood (really lifelong) trauma. Then when she retired, I was fortunate to find a caring psychologist, who continued my healing. I still live with 6 MIs (mental illnesses) but am able to function and be stable, with no SI (suicidal ideation).

To get professional help, the first stop is your GP. They can create a MHCP (Mental Health Care Plan) and refer you to a psychologist for 10 (20 during Covid) sessions per year. The sessions are heavily subsidised. 

I see you live with your parents...I assume this will make things difficult in getting professional help. All I can do is wish you all the best in going forward.

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