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New member with bipolar

ZilllahNew Contributor25 Oct 2016, 5:16 pm AEDT

New member with bipolar

Hi,

I don't know about where other people live but there is no mental health support,where I live.

Twelve month wait for public mental health and 10mths plus for prvate and

even then I had a horror experience with private mental health professional.

My problem is that my mental health is last on the priority for the person that

I have lived with for the past three decades, the only time it comes up is

if he meets a stranger for 5mins and then it is all about him and how much

he suffers because his partner has bipolar !

My parents are in there 70's and even though I was diagnosed 16yrs ago,

the word biploar has never been spoken by either parents !

I totally understand everyones struggle and before I hit rock bottom,

I have to encourage everybody not to exhaust yourselves trying to

live up to everybody elses expectations ! Take small steps bit by bit,

Don't be brutal to yourself ! nobody's perfect and no one is able to

make dramatic changes over night.

3 replies

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In response to: New member with bipolar

Faith-and-HopeSenior Contributor26 Oct 2016, 1:43 pm AEDT

Re: I am struggling at the moment

Hi @Zilllah

Welcome to the forums.

It sounds really tough ..... I have a DIL with bipolar, and I find some people take offence to the word being mentioned, which confuses and saddens me .... we still have a way to go to remove whatever stigma they are associating with a health condition.

I hope you find some comfort and support here amongst the variety of different issues we all walk with, often with humour, and certainly with compassion.

Look forward to hearing from you again ....

🌷💜

F&H

In response to: New member with bipolar

Unknown userMember26 Oct 2016, 7:16 pm AEDT

Re: New member

Hi @Zilllah, welcome to the Forums. I hope you don't mind but I moved your post to it's own thread so it wouldn't get lost. You are certainly amongst friends in terms of your bipolar. There are quite a few members dealing with it - both in treatment and alone. Check out this thread which introduces you to @Former-Member and has a great discussion about your condition.

Those wait lists sound brutal. Are you on the public wait list? I would imagine that it's even more important to you to have counselling as an outlet when you're not getting support or validation at home or from your parents.

Thank you for your encouragement and advice to other members. Do you feel that you're heading towards rock bottom?

In response to: New member with bipolar

MoonGalSenior Contributor27 Oct 2016, 10:47 am AEDT

Re: New member with bipolar

Hello @Zilllah - welcome to the forums. I too live with Bi Polar (and cPTSD, anxiety and OCD) it is a hard road to hoe.

I am sorry to hear the person you live with for 30 years has no insight into you and what you need, seems very selfish to only ever disclose to gain sympathy for himself. That must make you feel very unsupported.

Living with Bipolar is a ride isn't it? But you are still here doing it and I am SO glad you came to the forums.

What kinds of things do you do to get through your worst patches in the absence of any real help? We are incredibly resisilent aren't we?

I wonder if the threads The Coping Box might be of benefit to you where people have shared the kinds of things they do when things get tough... ?

One thing I have gained from the forums is a sense that I am not alone. I wrote a poem about living with Bi Polar here: I wonder if you identify with any of it?

My elderly Mum (in her 80's now) doesn't 'get' that I have a mental illness she says "but you are so clever?" so obviously for her MI and intelligence is mutually exclusive. I tried to tell her but the run was too late - my diagnoses was finally when I was in my 50's before that I JUST LIVED IT, now I just live it with labels. 😛

Rock Bottom is always the hardest time and I have found a cushion to land on here in the forums. the love and care and strength of others. i hope you find that too.

PS: thanks @Former-Member for the heads up

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