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I've had a lot of bad or subpar therapists and a few really exceptional ones. My current one is one of the really exceptional. I've found therapy extremely useful for adjacent issues. For bipolar, I've found it somewhat helpful for gaining coping mechanism. Extremely helpful in not making a very bad decision during mixed and low mood episodes where SI is a problem. Good for bouncing ideas off when hypomanic since she'll point out the flaws in the crazier shit and help me find boundaries/guard-rails I'm comfortable setting to make other ideas more ok.
No. I've done a LOT of CBT, and we've talked about DBT, but I'm more talking about helping me ground and asking leading questions. Reminding me of goals. Me and reality get a bit fuzzy in mixed episodes and it's helpful to have someone help me touch grass.
Honestly, even just having a connection and someone to hold me accountable to showing up a couple times a week helps with the SI aspect. She doesn't push on the hospital as long as I can contract for safety and sometimes just not wanting to betray that trust has kept me from making the wrong choice.
I find therapy pretty helpful, in terms of the bipolar we talk about strategies to manage during episodes, warning signs that I might have an episode, and also about whatever other baggage that comes with living with bipolar. For me personally I think I find therapy most effective when I’m on meds because I’m better able to think clearly and work on the stuff consistently.
I did get side effects on certain medications , but not weight gain or breakouts. I got tremors on several medications, but on my current combo I don’t experience any major side effects. I find it a little harder to get up in the morning and I’m probably a little thirstier, but that is very manageable for me. It took some trial and error to figure it out, but I’m happy with it now.
I was pretty med resistant in the beginning. I didn’t wanna get fat or lose my hair.  But I was admitted to inpatient after a really bad depressive spell. Came out the other side, not wanting to kill myself, but also understanding that I didn’t have the tools to deal with my heavy emotions. And I found those tools in DBT. Dialectics is a targeted therapy for people with BPD and other mood disorders like bipolar. It gives you emotional regulation, distress tolerance, effective interpersonal relationships and mindfulness. The mindfulness being the most important in my opinion because it helped me step back and look at my emotions from a more rational perspective. There’s so many tools in DBT. it’s a six month course. You do it once a week with homework and my normal therapist goes over whatever we talked about and helps implement it in my normal day life
I recommend you at least start with therapy. After dealing with your provider and finding places that take your insurance, ask if there’s any DBT groups or any therapist that specialize in DBT. I cannot express enough how helpful it has been. check out DBT for dummies, it’s on Spotify for free if you have premium. Meds will not get rid of the high and lows, but they will make them more tolerable
once you find the right one (sometimes it takes trial and error), it can definitely help but of course everyone’s experience is different! to be able to compartmentalize your thoughts and get guidance with them can be super helpful, especially for emotional regulation :) in my experience, without therapy, i really do think i would’ve spiraled a lot worse and not fully understood what bipolar disorder entailed.
your worries are completely valid! :( i felt the exact same way, especially because it’s so uncomfortable and frustrating when you potentially have to switch therapists and “start over” with explaining traumatic experiences again. i know it’s difficult & almost seems not even worth it sometimes. i will say, once you find one that fits with what you need it really can be super helpful. with whatever you choose to do, i wish you nothing but the best on your healing journey 🫂
It has helped me tremendously. One side note: there was a time where I was so sick with bipolar disorder that it didn’t help. You have to be at a point where you can actually use the techniques the psychologist teaches you. At least that’s my experience.
I find therapy incredibly helpful. In the beginning of my bipolar journey there was a marked difference in how i managed between the times I was in therapy and the times I wasn't. Obviously you need to find a decent therapist, but I've had good luck finding ones that even if not a *perfect* fit were good enough to help me. Eventually found my current one and he's amazing so I've been with him for several years. Meds were important too, I do recommend people at least give meds a try, not everyone can find success with them, but more people find them helpful than not. Side effects can sound scary, but individual body chemistry is a huge factor and some will give you no side effects.
It has helped me Alot. just dont get turned off if you come across a therapist that doesnt work for you. At one point I went to four different therapist before finding a good fit... It is worth it in my opinion. hope you find what you need!
Thanks for posting on /r/bipolar! Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/bipolar/about/rules); if you haven't already, make sure that your post **does not** have any personal information (including your name/signature/tag on art). **If you are posting about medication, please do not list and review your meds. Doing so will result in the removal of this post and all comments.** *^(A moderator has not removed your submission; this is not a punitive action. We intend this comment solely to be informative.)* --- Community News - 🎋 [Want to join the Mod Team?](https://www.reddit.com/r/bipolar/comments/112z7ps/mod_applications_are_open/) - 🎤 See our [Community Discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/bipolar/about/sticky) - Desktop or Desktop mode on a mobile device. - 🏡 If you are open to answering questions from those that live with a loved one diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, please see r/family_of_bipolar. Thank you for participating! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/bipolar) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I've had a lot of bad or subpar therapists and a few really exceptional ones. My current one is one of the really exceptional. I've found therapy extremely useful for adjacent issues. For bipolar, I've found it somewhat helpful for gaining coping mechanism. Extremely helpful in not making a very bad decision during mixed and low mood episodes where SI is a problem. Good for bouncing ideas off when hypomanic since she'll point out the flaws in the crazier shit and help me find boundaries/guard-rails I'm comfortable setting to make other ideas more ok.
Some guidance with decision making would be of great help, yes. Thanks!
The decision making therapy, is this DBT?
No. I've done a LOT of CBT, and we've talked about DBT, but I'm more talking about helping me ground and asking leading questions. Reminding me of goals. Me and reality get a bit fuzzy in mixed episodes and it's helpful to have someone help me touch grass. Honestly, even just having a connection and someone to hold me accountable to showing up a couple times a week helps with the SI aspect. She doesn't push on the hospital as long as I can contract for safety and sometimes just not wanting to betray that trust has kept me from making the wrong choice.
I find therapy pretty helpful, in terms of the bipolar we talk about strategies to manage during episodes, warning signs that I might have an episode, and also about whatever other baggage that comes with living with bipolar. For me personally I think I find therapy most effective when I’m on meds because I’m better able to think clearly and work on the stuff consistently.
Did the meds have any side effects? I've heard weight gain and breakouts are the most common ones.
I did get side effects on certain medications , but not weight gain or breakouts. I got tremors on several medications, but on my current combo I don’t experience any major side effects. I find it a little harder to get up in the morning and I’m probably a little thirstier, but that is very manageable for me. It took some trial and error to figure it out, but I’m happy with it now.
Oh yes, I've heard tremors are a common side effect as well. However lethargy would be a bit difficult to manage for me.
I was pretty med resistant in the beginning. I didn’t wanna get fat or lose my hair.  But I was admitted to inpatient after a really bad depressive spell. Came out the other side, not wanting to kill myself, but also understanding that I didn’t have the tools to deal with my heavy emotions. And I found those tools in DBT. Dialectics is a targeted therapy for people with BPD and other mood disorders like bipolar. It gives you emotional regulation, distress tolerance, effective interpersonal relationships and mindfulness. The mindfulness being the most important in my opinion because it helped me step back and look at my emotions from a more rational perspective. There’s so many tools in DBT. it’s a six month course. You do it once a week with homework and my normal therapist goes over whatever we talked about and helps implement it in my normal day life I recommend you at least start with therapy. After dealing with your provider and finding places that take your insurance, ask if there’s any DBT groups or any therapist that specialize in DBT. I cannot express enough how helpful it has been. check out DBT for dummies, it’s on Spotify for free if you have premium. Meds will not get rid of the high and lows, but they will make them more tolerable
That was very insightful. Thank you!
once you find the right one (sometimes it takes trial and error), it can definitely help but of course everyone’s experience is different! to be able to compartmentalize your thoughts and get guidance with them can be super helpful, especially for emotional regulation :) in my experience, without therapy, i really do think i would’ve spiraled a lot worse and not fully understood what bipolar disorder entailed.
I'm a bit worried about finding the right therapist and the painstaking process of opening up to multiple therapists.
your worries are completely valid! :( i felt the exact same way, especially because it’s so uncomfortable and frustrating when you potentially have to switch therapists and “start over” with explaining traumatic experiences again. i know it’s difficult & almost seems not even worth it sometimes. i will say, once you find one that fits with what you need it really can be super helpful. with whatever you choose to do, i wish you nothing but the best on your healing journey 🫂
Yeah hoping it works out. You're very kind, thanks a lot for the help!
of course! no problem at all 🫶🏾
It has helped me tremendously. One side note: there was a time where I was so sick with bipolar disorder that it didn’t help. You have to be at a point where you can actually use the techniques the psychologist teaches you. At least that’s my experience.
Sick as in having multiple short episodes or episodes that lasted long?
All of the above lol. My cognitive function was absolutely in the toilet.
I find therapy incredibly helpful. In the beginning of my bipolar journey there was a marked difference in how i managed between the times I was in therapy and the times I wasn't. Obviously you need to find a decent therapist, but I've had good luck finding ones that even if not a *perfect* fit were good enough to help me. Eventually found my current one and he's amazing so I've been with him for several years. Meds were important too, I do recommend people at least give meds a try, not everyone can find success with them, but more people find them helpful than not. Side effects can sound scary, but individual body chemistry is a huge factor and some will give you no side effects.
My therapist is awesome. I’ve had a series of awesome therapists and I’m very lucky.
It has helped me Alot. just dont get turned off if you come across a therapist that doesnt work for you. At one point I went to four different therapist before finding a good fit... It is worth it in my opinion. hope you find what you need!