If there is no struggle, there is no progress.
~ Frederick DouglassLet’s get this out in the open: I am bipolar II. That means the mania is really low-key and infrequent and the depression, at least in my case, for most of my life, has been pretty much nonstop.
There are degrees of depression, of course. Mine gets severe relatively quickly and stays that way a relatively long time. Yes, I have been an inpatient at psychiatric hospitals. Yes, I have self-harmed. Yes, I have been on every psychotropic medication known to man, and failed most of them. The two that I’m on right now combine for one really annoying side effect.
I have even, since about New Year’s, been undergoing a course of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). My memory is shot, along with many other things, but the suggestion to do it came up in month 6 of an unrelenting depressive episode. Nothing else was working.
Despite all this, I’ve managed to push through as best I can. I’ve found work, and a work schedule, that works for me, as well as a compassionate employer.
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Great post, Candy. Thanks for the read.
Absolutely stellar article..I have a degree in psychology, diploma in addictions and 15 plus years working as a volunteer in psych hospitals and selling pharmaceuticals specializing in men and women’s sexual, reproductive and mental health medications. I have suffered from depression about 35 out of my 53 years on the planet and have been misdiagnosed as being Bipolar ll. In my case (and this is why I am compelled to share my story) my misdiagnosis was based on two hospitalizations for depression. But the 2nd time it was triggered by a psychotic episode after a month of very little sleep and appetite and a lot of smoking marijuana (back in my 4th year of university)..all caused by a very bad breakup from the first time I fell in love. The second event that created some so-called evidence for my disorder was my tendency to shop a lot to fill the void of true love in my life…and finally my incessant frantic energy level to not let ANYONE know I suffered from depression..–the stigma for having depression reared its ugly head when after writting a lenghty competitive anaylsis of the anti-depressant market for Organon’s upcoming launch of Remeron, I was denied the product manager’s job because Quote “you are a single parent who suffers from depression”. Like most people, and especially women I didn’t launch a lawsuit for discrimination hence I be tainted a “trounle maker” and blackballed by the pharma industry as whole I quit that job I loved and excelled at for almost ten years and eventually left the industry altogether..my plan now..become the best womens healthcare advocate and addiction counselor I can be. Caveat: don’t belief the labels you are given..your labels do not define you, your intelligence, talents or your worth as a total human being