Quote:
Originally Posted by Rhoni
Dear Mom,
Thank you for letting your daughter tell us her story...that is such a brave thing for her to do. I'd also like to say that it is a brave thing for you to do. I can't imagine how afraid you were when you realized the depths of her depression. It is unusual to diagnose such a young girl as bi-polar but than God you found a good therapist who found this out.
Many people who are truly bi-polar have to take medicine the rest of their life, like a diabetic has to take insulin. There is no shame in taking medication to control the symptoms of this disease. The alternative would be a history of jobs you quit from or are fired from because of impulsive behaviors and explosive temper, a long line of broken relationships, and poor interpersonal skills.
I'd like to thank you for listening to the therapist and allowing your daughter to get the treatment she needs to be successful. Many church saints & leadership do not understand mental illness and the effects on the family so it must have been difficult to go against the popular religious belief system to get your daughter help. I am sure you have been rewarded in your efforts because look at what she has accomplished, and I know you are so proud. 
Again, thank you and your daughter for giving us a true case in point. Your story may help others struggling with the same thing and encourage them to get help.
God bless your family,
Rhoni |
Rhoni, Your very welcome happy to help!
I'd like to mention this all took time, there is no magic pill when dealing with this type of illness, thankfully our daughter felt she could confined in us with such a matter. Your right mental illness is like any other illness it needs to be manged kept in check, the biggest hurtle we had found is getting the person to realize they are not well, luckily our daughter knew she was not well. We contacted a therapist who was able to confirm a Bipolar disorder, but she was willing to work with our daughter and us, our daughter really did not want medication. The therapist respected this , so three months later our daughter came to us telling us she needed something, she wanted to die, didn't want live anymore! So we went on medication, this took about six weeks to really kick in, her mood change, a lot her temper was gone and was able to leave the house, her depression was not as bad.
As I mention above getting the person to realize they are not cured after they are feeling great due to treatment, is a whole other matter! This has been an issues, one that we have hopefully gotten across to our daughter, getting the person to realize, this like any other illness needs to be kept in checked. Keeping their treatment up no matter how much better they feel. Like a illness they may feel great, but stop treatment they'll go down hill after a time, end up worst then before. She did try to go off her medication about a month ago... it was really difficult on her.. she ended up back at the bottom. She was having panic attacks and depression again. She got really upset for no reason and couldn't function normally. She decided to go back on the med's and she has done really well so far. She does sometimes still have bad days every now and then but we get through them easier now. One thing we had to learn to do is not over medicate her. If she took too much she'd become numb and if she too too little it didn't work. So we had to find a balance. What I'm try convey here is this didn't happen over night, it started when she was really young. And like any other illness its okay to seek treatment and medication, because life is too short to not wanting to live it.
Maybe i could ask her if she would later write about what actually made her condition worse. Since it partially deals with religion. Probably would be best if she sat down and expressed it in her own words.
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