How to Cope With Manic Depression

Manic Depression, or bipolar disorder, is a chronic illness that affects an individual’s relationships, response to stressful situations, ability to work, and overall health. Learning how to cope with manic depression helps to minimize symptoms of the illness, causes remission to last longer, and gives an individual with manic depression the resources they need to learn about their illness and find support.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Internet (for finding psychiatrists, therapists, and support groups)
• Family and friends
• A lot of patience, hope, and courage

1. Verify your diagnosis. Getting a diagnosis of bipolar disorder or manic depression from a psychiatrist you trust is the first step to accepting your illness and coping with the affect that it has on your life. If you don’t know what your diagnosis is or question whether or not you have bipolar disorder it will be difficult to accept your illness.

2. Find a psychiatrist you trust. Having a relationship with your psychiatrist that is based on trust helps you and your doctor find the right medications, communicate effectively during emergencies, and explore non-drug therapies.

3. Find a therapist. Therapy is essential to helping an individual with bipolar disorder cope with not only the illness itself, but also problems that may arise as a result of manic or depressive episodes. Psychology Today has a very useful therapist locator on its website that contains listings of practitioners nationwide.

4. Find support. Individuals with manic depression, like many chronic illnesses, need help from family and friends during manic and depressive episodes. Identifying someone who can be there in a time of crisis is important for coping with an emergency situation. Talking with other people with bipolar disorder is beneficial because it gives the individual an opportunity to communicate with someone who knows what it’s like to be affected by manic depression, talk about medication and treatments, and learn about their illness. Face-to-face support groups like the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance are located across the country, and are generally held weekly. Online support groups like Web MD’s Bipolar Disorder support group and forums like PatientsLikeMe also enable individuals with bipolar disorder to support each other. Web groups, unlike face-to-face support groups, enable participants to communicate more frequently and anonymously.

Tips & Warnings

• See your therapist regularly. Having a relationship with a therapist who you see on a regular basis helps him or her help you all kinds of problems - from crisis to lifelong issues.
• Coping with manic depression is often difficult. Don't forget to thank your supports - and yourself - for their patience and their continued support.

Resources

• PatientsLikeMe
• Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
• NAMI: National Alliance of Mental Illness
• Find a Therapist
• WebMD Bipolar Disorder Support Group

[listenhere101]

on 12/24/2008 informative!