Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness also known as manic depression where the sufferer has episodes during which moods get out of control. This can result in recurring depression and/or mania.
Mental health recovery is something that goes on all the time and is so natural we hardly pay it any attention. As we go through life we will often suffer poor mental health through extreme stress, bereavement, physical ill health and so on. We recover.
It is only when we have a mental health diagnosis that there seems to be a widespread belief that there will be little or no recovery. The episodoic nature of bipolar disorder re-enforces the view that people who are doing well are simply `in remission'. This idea can take away hope of further recovery and leave us almost waiting for the next awful high or low.
Most of the time I firmly believe in recovery, where we continue to improve our mental health and make relapses less likely. (I see recovery as a journey rather than a destination.) So far, I have found this approach has kept me well for 9 years. But am I kidding myself? Maybe it is all about medication after all? Will I be ill again next week? I am keen discover more about sustained recovery from people who are discovering what works for them.
To give people a chance to do this I have set up an on-line dis cussi on group where people can share their experiences of recovery from bipolar disorder, manic depression, mood swings (or even just big changes in energy levels).
This link has been disabled for now
190208