Sharing Knowledge of Your Mental Health Issues

We were on Route 9 in between Kremmling and Silverthorne, Colorado. Our ultimate destination was Colorado Springs. To say that we were out in the boonies was an understatement. Mountains rose up to the right and left of us. I was enjoying the solitude when suddenly my cell phone rang. Who could be calling me? It was a New York City area code and a phone number that I didn’t immediately recognize. I was surprised I could even get cell phone service at this altitude. “Hello,” I said. “Laura, it’s Maria. I’m calling your from Switzerland.” (Maria’s husband was from Switzerland, and they often vacationed there.) Maria was my friend John’s sister. I feared the worst. Had John passed? “Maria…what’s up?” “I’m here with my friend Gerda, whom I’ve known for over 30 years. She has some of the same issues you do; she’s bipolar.” “O.K.,” I said. “We’re calling you for advice.” I was a bit taken aback.  “Well, I’m no doctor, but I’ll try to help.” In a nutshell, Gerda was taking an anti-anxiety med, and she was having terrible side effects with it.  She couldn’t stop pacing.  Her doctor was going to prescribe a different medicine to control the side effects. I’d been on that med before, and I too had not liked it. “Maria, that’s an older anti-anxiety med. Tell Gerda to ask her doctor to try Abilify. I’ve found this to be a great medication with no noticeable side effects.” “Thanks, Laura. I’ll tell Gerda.” “You...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Anxiety and Panic Bipolar Medications Peer Support Personal Stigma Bipolar Disorder Helping Others new medication Sharing Wisdom Source Type: blogs