Tag: doctor

I’m underage and idk

reversethebipolarities_oqhia1Leave a comment

I’ve always my diagnosis might be that I’m bipolar II for a number of reasons but I’m underage and idk if my doctor is waiting for me to be out of age. What I know is that I was diagnosed with major depression back in 2014 and more recently with ADHD. What sparked my interest is that I take this pill for my migraines and my doctor forgot to prescribe me them, so I had to mark an appointment. She knows I’ve been taking this medication for about 2 years now for migraines but she said: “Good thing that you mentioned that I forgot. This one is for the migraines and bipolar.” While I know that various medications can be for
many things, idk why she said that knowing that I’m aware that I take
it for migraines and have been for the past year. And I also take
Lithium, low dosage, but idk I think that she might think I have this
diagnosis too. How can I approach the subject? or do I wait to have a
hypo/manic episode?

Good question, anon!

I’d start by asking them outright.

Doctors are medical professionals.

In my experience doctors are more than happy to go through the logic and reasoning behind a diagnosis.

Let’s be real – diagnosis is pretty much 50% of their job.
So they aren’t likely to hold back on explaining their reasoning to you, their patient, no matter how old you are.

If you feel that you are experiencing symptoms of a flavour of bipolar disorder – or any mental health issue for that matter – then speak up about it. And if anything changes, let them know.

With mental health, the professionals can only act with the information you give them.

So make sure it’s complete!

Not A Real Doctor

reversethebipolarities_oqhia1Leave a comment

A friend is suffering through a bad bout of depression. And something hits me – I’ve never really experienced it from this side before and I’m a really shit therapist.

I’m trying to remain present, and fix what I can, but:

  • Every cool or interesting thing I show them gets shot down
  • Offers of food/drinks get criticised
  • Every conversation turns to how shit their life is

And you know what? I got resentful.

Like, how dare they demean me like that? Why can’t they see how excellent they are? And can’t they see how their baggage is bringing me down too?

NO. STOP IT.

I haven’t been able to see the water I’m swimming in. Individually, people can be nice and kind and generous and wonderful. Collectively, we’re as thick as wooden planks. Society says to focus on the me, making me better – and so I focus on it to the exclusion of other people’s plights.

Well, I call bullshit. I can see from my time with this person that it’s really, stupidly hard to help people with depression, simply by the given nature of the disease.

They can’t accept help, can’t ask for it, can’t get out of bed in the morning. I have written about all this before, and I thought I understood it thoroughly. But now I have a massive appreciation for everyone who has ever lent me an ear when I’m venting, or traveled with me to the doctors because I’m too unstable to drive.

And I can see now that there’s so much more room for me to improve. Management isn’t about having a destination – I will never be “cured” – it’s about building myself up day by day to be better. I know this – but it applies to everyone else as well. And I think I lost sight of that somewhere along the way.

So thank you, traveling partner. Thank you for showing me that I don’t have all the answers, that I could stand to be more sympathetic and understanding. And for understanding why I slipped up.

I’m not a doctor, not even at all.

+++++

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