Bipolar4LifeSupport

Recovery is a Journey…

Recovering from mental illness includes not only getting better, but achieving a full and satisfying life. Many people affirm that their journey to recovery has not been a straight, steady road. Rather there are ups and downs, new discoveries and setbacks. Over time, it is possible to look back and see, despite the halting progress and discouragements, how far we have really come. Each time we reach such a milestone, we see that we have recovered a piece of our lives and we draw new strength from it. The journey to full recovery takes time, but positive changes can happen all along the way.

Stages of Recovery

The first step in the journey to recovery begins with a decision that life must improve. Having a mental illness can affect our lives in many ways:

•Our normal activities suffer;

•Intimate relationships can be profoundly affected;

•Friendships may be lost;

•We may lose employment and financial security.

The pain of mental illness, coupled with such losses, can be overwhelming. Yet at some point we find the determination to stop just surviving, and start gaining back life, piece by piece. That is when recovery begins.

Early on in the recovery process, treatment may focus on finding the right diagnosis and relieving the most severe symptoms. It’s important to realize at this early stage that it is vital to find support from people who understand what you’re going through. Family, friends, your faith community, self-help groups, and community organizations can all be of help.

As time passes, you may find yourself in another stage of recovery. Your condition is becoming more manageable. Many things can contribute to this improvement: an accurate diagnosis, effective medication, supportive talking therapy, and your own growing knowledge of your condition and how to live with it.

Once it was thought that this plateau of stability was as far as people with mental illness could go. Maintaining stability was the goal of treatment. But today we understand that much more is possible. You can expect to return to an active life based on your desires, preferences and abilities.

Finding Hope

Being told that you have a mental illness is not the end of the world. With help and support, you can recover and achieve your life’s ambitions. Of course, you will face many challenges as you begin your treatment, but there is hope. Mental illnesses are manageable. And there are a number of things you can do for yourself after a diagnosis to cope with the news, keep up with your treatment, and support your own recovery.

Understanding of mental illness is much better today than it was in the past. There are different illnesses that require different approaches to treatment. New medications and new types of therapy improve the chance of successful treatment. And , also a lot has been learned, a lot about how people recover and lead full lives.

It’s important to realize that you are not alone. Mental illnesses are common, affecting one in five Americans. Many people with mental illness, including well-known celebrities, are leading very successful lives. You can gain hope by connecting with other people who share your condition. From them, you will gain insight, experience acceptance, and get invaluable support.

Hope can come from our own inner desire to regain health and live. It also can come from the assurances of people who care about us or from the examples of those who have lived through similar experiences. The more active we are in understanding our condition, taking responsibility for our own care, and reaching out for help, the more chances we have of making gains that give us greater reason to hope.

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When Change is Hard

Making a change is not easy. In fact, 60 percent of people who achieve their New Year’s resolutions flop once-or more-before succeeding.
But you can pump up your healthy habits. And the more you stick with a new behavior, the easier it gets. That’s because repetition actually can build pathways in your brain.
If you’re having trouble, consider these tools for sticking with change.

Boost Your Motivation
Everyone has times when their motivation sags. Here are some tips to boost yours:

•Remember your why. What made you try this wellness tool? Was it because you wanted to be more focused at work? Less grouchy to your spouse? Less winded at the gym? Or maybe it was just because you deserve to feel good. Whatever your reasons, keep a list to inspire you.

•Make a change. If you’ve tried your chosen tool for a while and aren’t feeling better, try another. Remember, not all of the 10 Tools are right for everyone. Also consider shifting the way you use a tool to avoid boredom. For example, if you’ve chosen to help others, instead of checking on your neighbor this week, try donating to charity.

•Get support. If appropriate, join a group or work with a friend. You also can ask those around you to support your change. If you’re trying to stay positive, you might ask your kids to tell you something great about their day.

•Congratulate yourself. Success breeds success, so acknowledge yourself for any steps forward. Little rewards sometimes also work well.

Resisting Temptation
At times, you may find yourself on the verge of returning to unhealthy behaviors. Tips for those times include:

•Be prepared. Some temptations can be avoided altogether with a little planning. You can pack healthy snacks to resist junk food. You can record your late-night TV show to avoid losing sleep.

•Wait it out. If you’re feeling an unhealthy urge, remind yourself that it will pass. Most urges fade pretty quickly. If yours is stubborn, try distracting yourself with something fun.

•Ask yourself about yourself. What will make you feel better about yourself later, sticking with your wellness change or dropping it?

Dealing with Setbacks
Failing is not such a big problem. How you deal with failure is often what really matters.

•Don’t give up. When you break your plan, try not to assume all is lost. It would be a shame to give up entirely just because you slipped for a few days-or even a few weeks.

•Don’t overly criticize yourself. Scolding makes you feel bad about yourself, and bad does not promote success. Instead, imagine what you’d say to a friend if she had failed.

•Think about what went wrong. Then start looking for solutions. Were you too tired at the end of the day? Try moving your activity to the morning instead. Did you feel like you didn’t have time? You might switch to one of the wellness tools that take almost no time, like staying positive. Did you put other people’s needs before yours too often? Remember that if you don’t take care of yourself, you may wind up too burnt out to help anyone else.

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How Stress Hurts

Evolution was pretty savvy about danger. See a saber-tooth tiger, get moving! Today, flight—or fight, if necessary—still triggers major bodily changes, such as:

Sugars in the bloodstream increase to supply energy

Muscles tense so they’re poised for action

Heart beats faster to get blood pumping

Digestion and other functions slow to save energy needed elsewhere

The problem is that our brains react to ominous loads of laundry and upcoming dentist visits like they were vicious predators. And the onslaught of today’s stressors is fairly nonstop. When our bodies stay triggered for too long, lots of possible health problems can develop or worsen.

Stress may contribute to:

high blood pressure
heart disease and stroke
decreased immune defenses
cancer
stomach problems
poorer brain functioning

Stress also can lead to serious mental health problems, like depression and anxiety disorders.
Of course, you can’t necessarily remove the sources of stress. But you can figure out ways to cope better with whatever comes your way. And decades of research suggest which steps are most likely to work.

Are You Too Stressed?

Your stress reaction can boost your performance and get you through a crisis. But too much stress can lead to serious problems.
If you’re concerned about your well-being, take a look at the symptoms of stress overload:

fatigue
headaches
loss of concentration
difficulty making decisions
inability to control anger
increased use of alcohol, caffeine, cigarettes or drugs
increased or decreased eating
feeling overwhelmed
thinking often about what you need to do

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According to the most recent literature on substance abuse and bipolar disorder, these two problems occur together so frequently that all young people with a bipolar diagnosis should also be assessed for drug and alcohol problems. Those who experience mixed states or rapid cycling have the highest rate of danger from substance abuse — the discomfort a person feels in these chaotic moods is so great that she may be willing to do or take almost anything to make it stop.

Some drugs, including marijuana, downers, alcohol, and opiates, seem to temporarily blunt the effects of mood swings, only to cause ill effects later. Others can actively exacerbate manic depression. Speed (methamphetamine, crank, crystal) and cocaine are two that have sent many abusers into mania, often followed quickly by deep depression and psychotic symptoms. Hallucinogens, including LSD and PCP, can set off psychotic symptoms as well. These drugs are not a good idea for any child or teenager, but their effects on young people with bipolar disorders can be even worse.

As with suicide, accidents, and SIB, the best approach to substance abuse is prevention. First, take a look at your own example: if you find that drugs or alcohol have become important coping strategies for you, seek immediate treatment. Talk to your child about responsible use of alcohol, for example, a glass of wine with a special meal, or a cold beer on a hot day at the ball game. Point out examples of inappropriate or excessive use, from street alcoholics to news stories about young people in trouble due to drug use or drunken driving. You really don’t have to preach, just provide a good example and accurate information to counteract the messages your child will receive from ads, pop culture, and peers.

When a person first begins to try drugs or alcohol, there’s still time to stop without involving a detox center or other strong measures. She needs to think about why she has chosen to try alcohol or drugs, such as feeling self-conscious in social situations or inability to handle peer pressure; other activities that might have the same positive effects, such as improving her social skills; and ways to avoid temptation, including choosing a different peer group or steering her friends toward something other than bong hits and beer bashes. These are issues that can be discussed with a parent or a counselor.
Most teens will attend a wild party or two, out of curiosity or boredom if nothing else. You may be able to prevent them from coming to harm even when they’ve made a bad choice. Many families have drawn up a contract with their children, promising that they will retrieve them from a dangerous situation at any hour, with no lecture to follow. Let them know that while they may make some poor judgment calls, you’re available to come to their rescue.

You may also need to actively help kids whose peers are fixated on drinking and drugs to find other ways to spend their time. This negative aspect of youth culture isn’t just a big-city phenomenon by the way–small towns and rural areas, with their lack of activities and places to go, can have extraordinarily high rates of drinking and drug use among teens. The drug and alcohol problems of suburban youth are often covered up, but they’re there in force, spurred by lack of supervision after school, access to cash, and easy mobility.

When substance abuse progresses in frequency or seriousness, or when highly dangerous drugs are involved, early intervention is essential. Experts in treating children and teenagers with a dual diagnosis of bipolar disorder and substance abuse or bipolar disorder and substance dependency say success depends on appropriate medication; education about their psychiatric condition, psychiatric medications, and the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse; and close monitoring. Lithium has proven to greatly reduce or eliminate substance abuse in as many as 75 percent of dual-diagnosis youth with a bipolar disorder. It can be assumed that when other types of mood stabilizers are tested, they will show at least some positive effect on substance abuse as well. Twelve-step programs such as AA are important for reaching and maintaining recovery.

Although some sources recommend treating the substance abuse first, mostly because drugs and alcohol can have severe interactions with the medication used to treat manic depression, both really need to be addressed at once. Obviously, a person who is not sober is unable to adhere to the lifestyle changes, medication regime, and therapy appointments needed to hold back mood swings. At the same time, most bipolar substance abusers drink or use drugs partly to self-medicate their symptoms, and they may misuse their prescription medications as well.

Drug treatment programs, including inpatient detox centers, are beginning to be more knowledgeable about working with bipolar patients. If your child will be going to a drug treatment program, make sure that its clinical staff is fully aware of the implications of his illness, and that appropriate medication management and psychiatric expertise will be available.

Most detox centers say that about a month is needed to break a true addiction’s physical grasp, and it takes a year of sobriety before an addict can honestly feel mentally comfortable without his substance of abuse. Relapses are common until several years of sobriety have been achieved, and can present severe dangers, including suicide. The earlier a drug or alcohol user seeks effective treatment, however, the more likely he is to achieve complete freedom from substance abuse without progressing to substance dependency.

Many addicts use self-help resources like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), or Rational Recovery to get and stay sober. In these programs, people attend regular meetings to talk about their addiction problems and offer each other support. Former substance abusers who have gotten clean act as mentors to newcomers. Generally speaking, these 12-step programs are an excellent resource for drug and alcohol users in recovery. There are special groups for teens, although many experts recommend teens attend mixed-age groups. Participants in 12-step programs are paired with sponsors who can help them deal with temptation, social pressure, old behavior patterns, and the stress of meeting new expectations.

There are also adjunct groups for the families of addicts. Family support groups can really help you make it through this difficult period. You’ll learn many strategies for helping your child on the road to recovery. Families Anonymous is one with many local chapters.
The only down side of 12-step programs is that a few former addicts are against using prescription medications for brain disorders, seeing them as simply a legal substitute for street drugs or alcohol. This is not an official policy of AA or NA, by the way. To make sure a particular 12-step group doesn’t have this orientation, talk to one of the group’s long-term members or to its institutional sponsor, if any.

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Getting Help When You Need it Most

We could all use help from time to time dealing with stress, family concerns, and other life challenges. Sometimes discussing problems with a friend or co-worker is not enough. We go to the doctor when we have physical problems. So where do we turn for help when our mental health is at stake?

Some employees have access to an EAP, whose sole purpose to provide help. When employees bring their personal problems to the job, they can lead to poor job performance issues and impact productivity as well as co-workers and colleagues.

Often employees fail to seek help until it is too late. They may be too embarrassed to go to counseling, feel they can’t afford it, or do not know what resources are available. Personal issues may continue to have a negative impact on the employee or they may leave the job due to stress; other emotional issues or they may be faced with disciplinary action. It makes good business sense for a company to provide encouragement to use an employee assistance program for their employees to provide resources in a convenient and timely manner.

When and How to Use Your EAP

Any situation that is causing you or a family member distress is appropriate for the EAP. Typical referrals to EAP may include, but is not limit to, the following:

• Substance abuse

• Family – Marital relationships

• Depression – Anxiety

• Grief and Loss

• Job related issues

• Stress

• Child – Elder Care Issues

• Legal or Financial problems

A variety of services that include assessment, brief solution focused counseling, referral to the appropriate level of treatment, interface with resources and follow-up are provided by the EAP.

Access is quick and easy; your company will provide a number to call to speak with your EAP and coverage is available 24/7 for emergencies. Based on your specific needs, you will be referred to an EAP counselor for a personal appointment. From there, the counselor will help you assess the situation, identify options and develop a plan of action to achieve your goals. Depending upon your situation, your EAP may provide problem-focused counseling or refer you to another resource. Should you need assistance beyond the scope of EAP, the counselor will offer recommendations of where to obtain care including local resources and/or referral to your behavioral health benefits.

Using your Behavioral Health Benefits

EAPs are provided by many employers and are free to the employee and their family members. Having a place for early intervention of problems and concerns can be cost effective. However, there are times when it is necessary to have on-going counseling, medication management, or inpatient treatment to deal with problems.

Many EAPs provide gate-keeping services for the behavioral part of the company’s insurance and they are often accessed when a referral is warranted whether or not you are an EAP client. They can give you information on behavioral health providers and facilitate a referral for out/inpatient treatment and provide appropriate aftercare.

Getting into Treatment

Knowing the community resources and how to access them is a strong component of the EAP. Your EAP can make sure that the treatment option you or a family member may need is covered under your insurance benefits and is the best fit for your needs. They can also help facilitate getting access to services. Finally, the EAP can provide “return to work” assistance by appointing a liaison between you and your workplace.

FMLA

Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 allows “eligible” employees to take off up to 12 work weeks in any 12 month period for certain issues such as birth or adoption, caring for a family member, or if the employee has a serious health condition. An employee can take this leave on an intermittent basis, allowing him or her to work on a less than full-time schedule. FMLA is often used to cover time off for treatment options such as inpatient care for emotional illness or residential substance abuse treatment. This program is managed by your Human Resources Department and they can provide additional information.

ADA

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibits employers from discriminating against a person with a disability. According to the EEOC an individual with a disability is a person who:

• Has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities;

• Has a record of such an impairment; or

• Is regarded as having such an impairment

There are several questions often surrounding substance abuse and mental health issues. ADA does not cover an individual who is currently engaging in illegal use of drugs, but a rehabilitated user may be protected. In the case of mental health issues, it is not the name of the impairment that determines whether an individual is covered under the ADA, but instead it is the effect of the impairment on the individual. Your Human Resource can answer any questions concerning the Americans with Disabilities Act.