Okay purple,

you are selling this idea of getting a machine. In the 1990's, I healed my self with a kit that I purchased from a book club I was in. The kit used sound, color, and smell.

I have to give some credit to aroma therapy and I have grown my own herbs and studied herbs and their benefits

my associate studied sound therapy in college and I have heard of some amazing things, using sound as a healing tool.

I do have healthy outlets no problem there.

Are you suggesting that family and friends support me financially?

How about this? I travel around visiting relatives and board my home up. That would save utilities and I would only have insurance and car payment.
Hummmmm

how about this? I join a monastery or convent?

I am trying to think outside the box...

I am interested in the cbt therapy. I will look into it on the internet.

I am off for a date with my grandson,

ruby

I was trying to make some suggestions - not sell or be rude or whatever you seem to think.

Do what you like - board your home up- the choice is yours - if however you actually wnat someone to suggest ways you might find help - emotional, physical & financial - then don't attack!!

I for one do not come here to be attacked or to be the butt of sarcasm - I try to help - if you don't want help go back to the booze & smokes.

Purple,

i am manic right now and my sarcasm has reached out and hurt some one again. Purple it is the mania speaking not me. I am regretting my words. Yes I do want help.



i am grateful that you called me to task. You may not remember what I say but you will remember how I made you feel...I am regretting my words.

When I am not manic I am much better at expressing my self.

Ruby

oh I do not drink alcohol. I am addicted to caffeine!

I was thinking that your family might a) help you out if finances became worse or if you needed soem money to help get treatment or the cbt book etc - also they (if close - emotionally as well as geographically) can be a good place to go to vent & get a hug - something we can all use all the time!! = but especially when things are bad.

Also maybe if you have a 2 bedroom home a family member or friend could come & stay & pay board to help out with keeping your home as well as providing company - maybe you would each be helping the other.

Please look into cbt (cognitive behaviour therapy) & the book by sam obitz - as I understand it many colleges/hospitals etc in the states run course free or cheap in cbt - this may or may not help - but you've tried different meds had different diagnoses so why not try something different????

Also if you could rent/hire/borrow a ces machine (do some on-line research about them & see if you feel it could help you - not what ad r says - what you think - my dr says many drs don't recommend ces or sound/light machines because pharmaceutical companies don't get the repeat business & nor do drs that they get from prescription meds - which makes sense to me!!

Aside from manic & so forth - what are your symptoms (not the "text book" descriptions what do you experience? Maybe this would also help me suggest some free or cheap things/ways to help you.

Last but not least are you allowed to earn any money at all without putting your social security income at risk??

I am ruby here....

I do want to try the sound light machine.

My symptoms...During manic phase

i talk fast and loud,
i have racing thoughts,
i have no appettite,
i start five projects and never have the focus to finish even one of them
i have no impuluse control
my words can be attacking and biting towards others
i sleep total exausted or no ability to sleep at all
i take events or conversations to heart and think everything is directed at me.

Whi8le depressed....

I do not wnat people to look at me
i sleep for days
i do not eat
i cry often (a sobbing soulful cleansing crying episode) tears seem to come out of no where.
Feel like I am walking and talking in slow motion
cannot finish sentences, no concentration no ability to focus

i have a living plan for each end part of the cycle and 5 people who will be supportive while I am in the highs or lows.

I am in an out-patient program right now, but I agree with you purple that it is in the best interest of the pharmachutical and medical communities to keep us sick.

I am cleansing my liver and working to rid my body of infection caused by an over production of yeast. (candida) I believe this will have a definate affect on my mood swings./

the full moon has an affect on my moods too. How about you?
Ruby

35 years & counting & drs have been unable to figuer out what's going on for me - many treatments, many meds, many diagnoses, no real help until my current psych & the ces machine. Thing is family mental health issues both sides, ptsd from several events as a child, physical health problems, high iq (good for some things but it makes diagnosis of mental conditions harder) & multiple unresolved grieg & guilt issues.

I can relate to virtually al you say about your manic phase - although I eat (caps!!) - hence making depression & health problems worse due to being overweight!! - your depressive side I can relate in some ways to - I am somewhat agoraphobic so going out among people is stressful - more so at some times than others but worst if i'm alone; the sleeping alot - yes & at all the wrong times generally - but not the slow motion & in general I can finish sentences & ideas - unless I get too many interruptions, I wish I could cry - I have always had trouble venting through crying even when in severe pain - so often want to but can't seem to figure out how.

Looking into cleansing your liver is a good start but i'd take it a step further & check if some of what you eat(other than yeast producers) might be having a negative affect on your body &/or emotions - for example: many foods contain tryptophan which is converted into 5htp & ends by balancing the serotonin levels in the brain & so stress levels - so eating more foods containing tryptophan can be helpful. Plus if you're producing too much yeast you may have a problem with breads etc so check out lowcarbfriends.Com - even if it just gives you information - every little bit can help.

I have heard from many sources that the full moon affects peple I haven't found it does but maybe i've just not noticed - it's not an idea that I find unbelievable.

I read your reply to someone else about drinking water & kleeping rack by putting pennies in the sink - I think that that whole regime could be useful in other areas - think about it.

Check out dynamind.Com re the ces machine & theie sound/light machine - I belive you can rent them in order to see if they do help you.

Could you get some part-time or casual work (to help financially but also as a way of keeping yourself occupied outside of yourself0?? Otherwiese maybe some voluntary work - for the mental health reasons but also you never klnow you might get some free meals included - this would help the finances!!

Purple and those who are reading,

i have been careful to watch what I eat. I want a nutritious balanced meal. I have never been on a diet except for two times.

Once my friend was having severe health problems and several of us girls went on a no fat, no sugar, no meat, no dairy, no salt eating routine with her. That was interesting, I dreamed I was eating bacon every night!

The other time as a mother and wife I went into a whole body depression and candida infection. The medical community did not know what was wrong with me so I put my self on mega vitamins and a protien diet, somewhat like the atkins diet.

Now many people here in this area of michigan are talking about the eat for your blood type routine. I am finding that if I listen to my body and likes and dislikes, I would eat this way anyway.

The struggle is this with eating. In my life I have found that what I am sensitive to or allergic to I crave! Cabbage, shrimp, cookies, cashews,
sausage, bacon, cheese, chocolate milk, soda pop......That is my list. I use self-talk to get beyoind the desire...Like ruby you know you really like saurerkruat but remember how sick you get after eating it? It feels like I have the flu the next day when I eat say lobster with butter and paprika...I am allergic to all three!

Once I heard, "getting your food allergies under control is half the allergy battle."

i took that to heart. So friends, find out what your blood type is and get the little book and eat for your blood type it really helps you get balanced with energy and spirit and menatl clarity.


How do you focus on your issues and heal then go on? This go round I am getting the anger out of me and forgiving myself. That's enough to get through in 10 days of therapy in the hospital as an out patient chient.
I relate to that high iq yo have. Most of the people I meet in the hospital are very intellegent. A blessing yes, but we can fool even the best therapists. I will not even consider a therapist unless they have a phd.
Psycologists are better at cutting through all my smoke screans and masks I have found. What do you all think
ruby

i try not to have these foods in the house. That helps...I have made substitutes and I try just about any new food

I agree that we tend to crave those things that are worst for us but often it is also an indicator that we need something that those foods have to offer - so if you are adversely affected by say citrus but are craving it then maybe you need vitamin c so eat soemthing else that has vitamin c in it, or if you crave bread then have a low gi carb food instead but definitely keep the foods you react badly to out of your reach!!

When I talk of diet I also mean just what you eat not necessarily a weight loss regime or I may mean a diet specifically for a particular condition ibs, diabetes etc.

With food/eating/diet etc you also these days need to consider the contents/ingredients etc of what you buy - here there is a brand "savings" a home brand so to speak of a store they make a smooth & a crunchy peanut butter - one has salt & sugar the other doesn't so if you have ibs you have to be sure to buy the right one!! Some cans of tune(from the same manufacturer) have sugar & wheat others do not - again a problem if you have ibs or gluten intolerance!! So check labels!!

Theoretically I can deal, heal & move on but in reality I often find I slip back. Then I have to accept that i'm human & forgive myself (or try to). Also I think we have to set realistic goals not try to overload ourselves & also we need to realize that soemtimes no matter how realistic our goals we don't succeed due to outside influences (outside our control). Eg you or a family member gets the flu & that has to be dealt with instead.

Ruby you will appreciate this: a psychiatrist with a couple of phd's actually, told my daughter that you can not be gifted in more than one area!! I think it's not so much the degree or the type of counsellor psychologist/psychiatrist but rather the individual - whether they can treat you as a person, whether they can think outside the square, whethr they will listen to you.

I have worked with children through adults in education most of my life.

Gifted? I have experienced this, we all are gifted.

One of my students who stuttered was one of the most gifted writers and had a dynamic sense of humor that I would have considered gifted. He could not spell worth a darn! Oh but he was gifted.

One young man could not read. But he was so mechanically gifted he could take things out of your kitchen and make a rocket and the fuel to boost it.

I have experienced those who have the gift of healing hands. And how about that one person who hugs you like they really mean it and that hug brightens your outlook for the rest of the week? Gifted? You bet!

But if I hear from a therapist one more time...."how intellegent bipolar people are..." you will be able to hear me scream all the way down under purple....What good does intellegence do when I am disregarded by people for having a mental illness as well as having a disorder that has kept me from having a career as a full time teacher?

What does your daughter do and how is she do\ing?

I wonder, ruby

You are sooo right so many people think of "giftedness" in terms of either sports stars or pure iq rather than as something every one of us has in some way - some are lucky enough to find out what "it" is that we are gifted at & some aren't & some find out but never "use" our gift but that doesn't alter the fact that we all have & are "gifted".

You asked about my daughter - well it's hard to say - so much has happened & changed in her life over the last 2 years. She learnt italian & went to italy for over 3 months ona student exchange - great experience but the high carb/fat etc diet bought her irritable bowel syndrome out in force & she lost weight (came close to dying) drs of course refused to consider that as a cause - teen girl weight loss had to be anorexia nervosa - she became suicidal due to their treatment - I took her out of the hospital admitted her under a psych into apsych unit as it was the only place I could find where they'd think outside the square - she self-diagnosed ibs & weight gain began - whle all that was going on she was doing year 11 (2nd last yr of high school) & applying to skip yr 12 & go straight to university - which she did at age 15 - she was still traumatuised by all that had happened last year & her moodiness plus coping with 4-5 hours of travel to & from uni each day & extra curricula stuff (alot) ended with her moving out about a month ago - at least we can talk now without screaming abuse at each other!! She earnt 3 distinctions & 1 high distinction in her 1st semester - 2nd semester started 23rd july. She's on the theatrical society committee (currently producing a show!! - opens tuesday) the student alumni committee, is running for office in student guild elections works casually with student marketing goes to parties & that's in her spare time between classes & study!! Oh & she writes for the student newspaper - her univresity has approx 35,000 students.

She also panics at the drop of a hat (actually it takes less than that) & is so emotional & uptight but what is due to all the changes, what to being just 16, what to ptsd from last year & on-going health issues (she now can't stop gaining weight which is worrying her alot) & what to "mental issues" is impossible to tell until something (anything) settles down abit so we can start to see the individual bits of the puzzle instead of just a mess. I get several phone calls a day venting or panicking or needing help & that at least is easier to give now that distance means we're not at each others throats constantly. But mention drs or weight or food or being weighed or anything like that & well i'd like abottle of valium & a bottle of vodka before I raise such issues with her because her reactions are so stressful.

My son(9) is also gifted re iq but is as yet unable to utilise it as he won't learn to read properly - he probably has a mood disorder & is oppositional defiant (very defiant - passive agressive as well) my psych though has suggested some natural supplements rather than meds & getting diagnosed as he says drs (psychs) tend to diagnose kids with whatever is the current "in" thing because kids are so hard to diagnose & this means kids are put on the wrong meds & this can cause bad long term side effects both physical & mental.

I hope that you're doing ok, & that you can get some casual or voluntary work because I think that "work" often helps keep us sane.

Purple,

for so long children were my work as a mother and a teacher.

Thanks for sharing about your gifted ones!!!!!!

Now a year off to learn how to take care of my needs is almost up.

Am joining a dbt group on-line and at local menatl health services.

Time has opened up a whole bunch of things for me to do, arranging flowers, adopting gardens, making friends, reading, painting and of course photograpy.

I volunteered all my inner resources away at one time so I had to learn to take care of me.

How about if I start a weekly group meeting of bipolar persons?
(i am serious!) has anyone reading this ever been in a self-help support group for bipolar people?

Ruby

Ruby,

i think the concept of a weekly support group is wonderful, but have experienced freinds who have or have tried to start support groups for many things/issues over the years & while not wanting to be a wet blanket I do feel that there are some practical issues to consider (thhings I learnt from my friends experiences).

Where to hold the meetings (consider safety, - personal & theft etc -) can people get there, a time to suit all is impossible - one place or a changing venue, convenience for all but especially if at the one venue -problems for "convenor/facilitator" especially if that person is unwell in any way.

Do you "vet" the group members or is everyone welcome??

What if there just aren't enough people who are regulars to make it work??

Labels are things many people dislike so a group for those with bi-polar may not get a response many people may "fear" responding because of the label even though they would probably want to respond.

How would you advertise the group??

Also some people who have bi-polar or any mental illness call their "problem" by a different name - misdiagnosis, misunderstanding, fear, the fact that bi-polar is simply one of their problems & may or may not be the main one or they may not realize it's their main one - not that in my opinion it matters whether it's the main one or not.

On a more personal note think about this - might it be too much for you - which would also then be hard on those in the group. If all these can be sorted to your satisfaction - go for it (caps).

Ruby,

i think the concept of a weekly support group is wonderful, but have experienced freinds who have or have tried to start support groups for many things/issues over the years & while not wanting to be a wet blanket I do feel that there are some practical issues to consider (thhings I learnt from my friends experiences).

Where to hold the meetings (consider safety, - personal & theft etc -) can people get there, a time to suit all is impossible - one place or a changing venue, convenience for all but especially if at the one venue -problems for "convenor/facilitator" especially if that person is unwell in any way.

Do you "vet" the group members or is everyone welcome??

What if there just aren't enough people who are regulars to make it work??

Labels are things many people dislike so a group for those with bi-polar may not get a response many people may "fear" responding because of the label even though they would probably want to respond.

How would you advertise the group??

Also some people who have bi-polar or any mental illness call their "problem" by a different name - misdiagnosis, misunderstanding, fear, the fact that bi-polar is simply one of their problems & may or may not be the main one or they may not realize it's their main one - not that in my opinion it matters whether it's the main one or not.

On a more personal note think about this - might it be too much for you - which would also then be hard on those in the group. If all these can be sorted to your satisfaction - go for it (caps).