There are three main types of talking therapy aimed at helping you cope: cognitive therapy, behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy. These therapies are about the “here and now.” They do not get inside your head. By the end of 12 or so sessions, you will be on your way to turning your “It’s the end of the world” thoughts into “Let’s find a solution.” Read more about therapy here.
Over the long term you may want to seek out talking therapy to help you resolve deep-seated trauma and abuse and other issues, but now is not the time. You are in no shape right now to deal with bad memories and past and present injustices. Work on getting stabilized first. If you are in a toxic working environment or a bad marriage, your meds aren’t going to make your life better. They will help get you back on your feet, but you will find yourself right back in bed or bouncing off walls if you don’t work on correcting the underlying problems.
Isolation Kills
Perhaps worse than the illness is the isolation it brings on. The depressed phase of our disorder turns us into wounded animals seeking the solace of a quiet cave. The manic phase is all about how to lose friends and alienate people. Add to that the stigma and the shame of bipolar disorder, and suddenly Robinson Crusoe looks like a party animal. Once deprived of meaningful human contact, the illness tends to feed on itself, starting a destructive cycle that sends us deeper into depression and robs us of the social skills needed to successfully negotiate stressful situations.
You may be in no mood to talk to others right now, but you can resolve to get out of the house once a day. You may be unable to work, but this should not stop you from performing volunteer work. You may despise egotistical loudmouths, but this should not prevent you from seeking out kindred spirits.
Finally, You Are Not a Helpless Bystander
By now you have learned that meds are just one part of the picture. The bad news is they are unlikely to get the entire job done. The good news is there is a lot you can do to help yourself.
You have just survived a horrific experience and are not yet out of the woods. Please take comfort in the fact that you are much stronger than you think. Living with bipolar disorder will always be a test, but a meaningful and productive life is not out of your reac—however, different it may turn out from your original expectations. Be hopeful. We all hate our illness, but we hardly hate what this illness has made of us. Yes, we would all trade it in in a heartbeat, but we would choose to hold on to the wisdom and insight and deeper sense of humanity and divinity we picked up along the way.
Live smart. Be well.
