Posted by JahL on November 12, 2001, at 12:31:03
In reply to BPII and stress; can meds help one cope?, posted by Sue4 on November 12, 2001, at 8:24:03
> Hi,
>
> Does anyone know if the condition of BPII, and in particular rapid cycling, make it harder to cope with stressful situations, and if so, does medication, in theory, help?
>
> A doctor recently said to me that he thought my difficulty coping was "me" not the "illness"; if so, why should I bother taking a second mood stabilizer as he suggests...if it's not to treat an "illness" then it sounds like it serves no purpose at all. I have liked this pdoc in the past, but that statement made me feel rather hopeless. To some extent, he may have said it because he doesn't know how much more "fine tuning" we can do on the meds...I may be at the best that I can be, but still does that mean I'm in full remission when he says my difficultly coping is me and not the illness?No. Hi. I was going to reply but then I read John's response & I pretty much agree with everything he said. Just to add, pdocs will often tell treatment-resistant patients (& as a BPII sufferer you almost certainly fall into this category) that failure to respond is somehow their fault ("you're not trying hard enough"). Personality disorders are also brought up. This is a pdoc ploy to disguise their own inability to treat successfully. This isn't necessarily their fault; fact is medical science is yet to catch up with this terrible condition. I just wish they were more honest & explained that this is the case.
Fwiw, I've dropped every pdoc that has dared to suggest anything along the lines of "maybe you're just made that way" or "maybe you just expect too much from life" etc etc.
J.
BTW I'm BPII. I try & avoid stressful situations like the plague. My temper can get the better of me...
poster:JahL
thread:83956
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011104/msgs/83971.html