Adrienne G
When i was 18..i was also diagnosed with bi-polar.. i didnt believe in mental illness...neither did my family-im 22 now and currently going through a re-occurence..last time-which was also the first time i couldnt get out of bed for months-i gained weight...nerotic at times-but i held in a lot fear of being judged and afraid of people being afraid of me and my thoughts..the hardest part is differentiating myself from the illness since when i was young i covered it up with drugs..after high school it became boys--i didnt believe or want to believe i was sick..my advice..tell her not to be afraid..most important you dont be afraid..its like any other illness except it is more taboo to have a mental one..she should not be ashamed.. next if a doctor told her within 5 to 10 minutes she is bi-polar and prescribes medicine right away--move on honey..you need someone with compassion..it took me a while to find one and he works with natural herbs as well as pharmicuticals (i know-bad spelling).. take the medicine at the right time..dont be afraid to experiment..the faster you find your combination, the better.. keep taking it because once you get off...back to the drawing board..also..medicine isnt enough.. healthy diet, excercise (i do yoga-its fabulous and spiritual as well.), and meditation are excellent forms to keep stress levels down..i have a lot more to say but i have to go-if your daughter is interested in talking about it e-mail me...i never have talked to anyone with my disorder-i have been sort of afraid to tell the truth, but i think it would be helpful to not feel so alone...p.s.-patience is a virtue-it takes time to heal-im going through it right now and honestly-it plain sucks...sorry about the bad word-heee.