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IS MEDICATION NECESSARY FOR BIPOLAR OR IS GOD ALONE ENOUGH? (765 hits)

This is for me an interesting question that comes up all the time. There are so many people who have a deep faith in God and I am absolutely one of them.

I believe that through God, I can do anything. However, I went through a period of Christian naivity believing that I did not need medications. My belief was rooted in my denial that I had an uncurable brain disorder and then, whatever could be wrong with me, God would fix it.

Well, I spent time frequently in and out of the hospital when I limited my faith to that poor thinking. I had to learn through trial and tribulations that God was medicine in a way. What happened was that I grew closer to God spiritually and in that growth period, I discovered that God created doctors for a purpose, too. This ocurred to me years ago when I read "Gifted Hands" by Dr. Ben Carson.

My spiritual understanding went from "I don't need medicines" to "I need the people God annointed to help people with brain disorders like me." Now, there is no cure for a brain disorder, only treatment. So, I had to first accept that doctors were anointed to do their work just like religous leaders were anointed to bring God's Kingdom forth.

After I accepted that doctors were anointed by God, I could then believe that being treated by doctors included taking medications and receiving therapies. I developed trust in God to keep me in the anointment of doctors' care. I then began to understand that I needed to trust the people God sent to help me. I began sticking to my prescribed medications and therapies. Because of my obedience to trust God and allow His annointed ones to treat my brain disorder, I began to stabilize for longer periods of time. Taking my medications was the key element in that stabilization process. Once I realized how much better I felt with my medications and enjoyed freedom from the hell that was all the symptoms I allowed myself to suffer with, I desired mental wellness forever!

The blessing for my obedience was receiving full understanding of what God's purpose for my life was. It was not to live as a zombie in a mental institution or spend my life under blankets or constantly explore ways to end my life. It was to be fruitful!

As an individual with a brain disorder known as Bipolar, my purpose is to share my story so that others will come out of darkness living a life of denial about a brain disorder, shame and embarassment for having a brain disorder, refusal to find peace and happiness by following a doctor's order, and raise awareness that through Christ, all things are indeed possible.

So, faith in God alone can and should lead you to mental healthcare and improve your quality of life. Are you trusting God enough to seek mental healthcare treatment for yourself or aide a loved one to do so?

Visit the American Association of Pastoral Counselors for more personal guidance towards mental wellness at: www.aapc.org

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!:)

Agnes B. Levine
Author of: "Cooling Well Water: A Collection of Work By An African-American Bipolar Woman" ISBN 0975461206 Winter 2009 Release Pending
www.myspace.com/coolingwellwater (Subscribe Now); www.blackhealth.org (Subscribe Now); www.levineoliverpublisher.com

Founder/President: Levine-Oliver Publisher, the Exclusive publishing home of Swaggie Coleman. Support Swaggie's Voice© at: http://swaggiecoleman.blogspot.com by casting your vote today at http://aambcvoting.blogspot.com in the category of Professional Blogger of the Year 2008!

Posted By: agnes levine
Thursday, January 1st 2009 at 1:54PM
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Agnes I am bipolar or manic depressive and I have found that some people do need to take the meds to balance out the chemical imbalance in their bodies. I have yet to have to take medication. I have learned when I am going through an episode and how to maintain an amount of normalcy in my life. As a matter of fact at six out of nine of my children are all suffering from what my mother has passed on to me. So if you do have children you might want to share this with them, that it can be passed on through the genes. I just thank GOD that I haven't had to take medication, and I am praying that my children don't have to either. But do what you need to do, because yes GOD brought doctors into being for these very reasons. Peace and blessings to you!
Friday, January 2nd 2009 at 10:17AM
Janice Tuggle

Hi Irma and Janice,
1) yes, Bipolar is a chemical imbalance of the brain that is strongly linked to genetics. I am not a doctor, however, my continuing research states that the only way to treat the chemical imbalance is with medication--hopefully, the ones prescribed by doctors and not self-medicationwith alcohol/drug use.
2) during a hypomania stage--(Irma) one of the symptoms is increased racing thoughts. I have that symptom whenever I am in a manic episode. I have learned while taking medication and preventive measures to notice when my chemicals are getting out of balance by changes in my behaviors. When I find that my thoughts are racing, I immediately contact my doctor and follow my mental wellness plan and get through it successfully in most cases.

You may recall recently I had to increase race and stay off the computer (I'm still in that mode so I have cut back on activities).
3) for me, an increase in spending would definitely indicate my need to makes changes in accordance with my wellness plan. Spending money is a classic example of Bipolar activity imbalanced. Be careful. Look at why you are spending, what you feel is necessary to spend on and what are your life circumstances during this period (stress, anxiety, worry, fear, etc.) Talk therapy may be necessary and it would for me so that before spending, I would talk it out with a close friend/family member or doctor. The financial mess created from manic spending only adds to the problems over the long haul.
4) Janice you know I love you but you sound dangerously close to denial and tolerance when life with medications is soooo much better. The fog is lifted and until you experience treatment with medication, you can never know the improements. I say that without judgment, only genuine knowledge and experience on both sides of the spectrum. Sometimes we are n suspension with mania and it just feels good. I'll be the first to say it feels good. I will also be the first to say that the crash will come eventually and Lord, it is some kind of awful.
5) Also, Bipolar and Depression closely mimic each other on the depression side of the polar. This is the exact reason that depression becomes generational. Our children see us just doing the best we can to get through it without seeking professional healthcare. They grow up to suffer, too, because mama made it without help! Until you know the awesome side of treatment, you can also never truly know how much better you will feel with treatment. I have been on both sides of the polar and I wll continue my faith walk with medications. My medications have been significantly reduced because I learned strong coping and managment skills.
One of the main reasons I learned to stay on medications is when I learned that an illness can trigger you into an episode. I had to have emergency surgery and got thrown in a manic episode as the result of the experience alone.
When I needed to have oral surgery after that first experience, I learned to plan with it under close monitoring by my docotr and I did not experience another manic episode.
Of course, each personis diffeent and must come to terms with how to best live their life. So, I offer my life to all so that each person can make an INFORMED decision about mental healthcare. When we seek treatment, we must have th basic information to at least know some important questions to ask to deermine the best healthcare strategy. Without trying to sound curtsy or flip, Janice, I would ask do you talk to your children about treatments being available, too? They need to know because they may not be as strong as you.
Peace and love and thank you beautiful friends for this dialogue.
Hopefully, we will get some expert feedback from the professional healthcare members, too.
Sunday, January 4th 2009 at 9:54AM
agnes levine

Oh, my sistah, Irma, don't even go there about the phone calls. For a minute, folkks just hid from me. We can laugh about those days now, but it hurt to be shunned so to speak because I did not realize that people needed to sleep--LOL!

Now, I have always hated the phone. I will share why much later in the year, but a ringing phone annoys the heck out of me. That is why it is an immediate red flag when I start calling folks, teehee.

I so appreciate your support (and everybody's) and I will continue to beat the band on this topic until I personally see those awful black mental health statistics climb. I know that women, black women are very strong like sistah Janice. I was one of those "strong" women, too. It hurt, hurt, hurt deep down in the soul in the middle of the night, too. We tend to push away issues that hurt us be it employment issues or family matters or personal relationships and we certainly do anything to take care of our babies. We must learn another element to taking care of our baby's emotional being and prepare them to do likewise. My joy is being able to talk deep with my daughter who is a young adult and teach her what I lived and experienced that aides her to shape into a strong emotional being. My mom did not do that for me. All the love and stuff she did was terrific, but she failed to teach me about getting mental wellness help because she did not know herself. She was of the first to tell me I did not need those meds just shake things off, etc. She had given me the foundation of Christ to fall on and Praise Him for being there. My entire family has SEEN and WITNESSED and HEARD through me that there is a better side of life with mental wellness.

Now, I have just one person who will allow me to call them in the wee hours of themorning when I'm manic and just long enough to get me help! LOL
Peace and love my sistahs....here's to our mental health:)
Monday, January 5th 2009 at 5:45PM
agnes levine

Agnes, I am Bipolar. My psychrist says that everything today is being put into the bipolar definition.Were you dignosed that you had a major chimical missing in your body that is needed to balance out the need to just write and just write for days and for nights? to not sleep for days and weeks because you cound not stop your mind from racing enough to get to fo to sleep. This is what my doctor calles my being in my 'manic' state. I never get depressed stages usless, I do not see the sunshine for a lot of days in a row.

Is your bipolar like mine as I some times must just spend money. Just things I must do over and over and over as I am so speeded up. Manic stage again. could you give me an answer. I look foreward to this. and thanks my sister.
Thursday, April 10th 2014 at 6:47PM
ROBINSON IRMA

Janice your comment just reminded me of something else about this illness. A lot of people are only deemed as alcholocs because they use alcohol to dull the manic stages or to try and slow themselves down mentally as alcohol is a downer DRUG. Alcohol is almost never called what it really is..an addictive,acute drug.
Thursday, April 10th 2014 at 6:47PM
ROBINSON IRMA

Agnes, my sure sign of a manic eposode on set is the need to talk on the phone. I never, ever spend much time talking on the phone and rarly use the phone unless someone calls me.

My husband seem to notice this sooner than I do. He is very wise and will hide all of the phones!!!! you see Agnes, I live on the west coast and my family (including my children and grand children and childhood friends) live on the east coast...need I say more?(smile)

Agnes, it is my family that make phone calls to me, me I rather write letters. I can laugh at this is a small part of what I have put my poor husband through as we both learned about my condition and how to control it. It took over twenty years!

Therefor my sister please keep bringing this subject up will you? thank you. Mental illness is still carrying a false stigma. It is a handicapp like any other short coming of your body. My psychrist always says what is "NORMAL", as the difinition changes as society changes. And you , my guarding angel in health issues, thank you and keep doing what you do for all of mankind.
Thursday, April 10th 2014 at 6:47PM
ROBINSON IRMA

Agnes, I pray(shant)that your family and friends now fully understand that you had to go beyond the fear of going to hell in order to live a "happy" life by being the best person that you could be to bring peace and happines to not only yourself but for those in you life also. TRUTH /self worth/reality can be a burden just as well to stand (alone)by many times.

there is no number to record the people that what you do today will help, tomorrow and tomorrow and...we all walk with you in spirit, Agnes those who know you or about you and those who do not...
Thursday, April 10th 2014 at 6:47PM
ROBINSON IRMA