Being Your Own Advocate

An essential tool for getting the best treatment for your bipolar, depression or any other mental illness is to be your own advocate. To be your own advocate, you need to have a strong understanding of the mental illness you are diagnosed with or one that you feel fits you. While some say you can’t always believe what you read on the internet. Although many people are afraid to be stigmatized or stereotyped for speaking about their mental illness, the few represent real world experience that can give someone suffering from certain symptoms the ability to get ideas of what is the underlying cause of the symptoms.  In today’s age of healthcare mental health and those suffering from a mental illness are highly stigmatized result in an inaccurate diagnosis, which I personally experienced when I was constantly told by my primary care physician and psychiatrist that I was suffering from adjustment disorder and that I didn’t have depression or anxiety and that not sleeping was normal. While being knowledge still didn’t help me get the treatment, I needed at first, it led me to continue to fix to get a true diagnosis from someone that wouldn’t stereotype me and that would listen to me. My gaining knowledge I knew my symptoms were not normal and that the treatment plan my doctors had me on was making my symptoms worse. When it comes to mental health you need to overcome being stigmatized by doctors and be willing to fight for yourself because when it comes to mental illness you will most likely be the one having to fight for yourself.

In case it may help someone get the help they need, on my first visit to my doctor I presented with the following symptoms:

• Not sleeping for over 120 hours
• Severe depression and anxiety
• Suicide ideations, that eventually turned into a suicide attempt because the citalopram I was prescribed made my maniac state worse
• Auditory and visual hallucinations which was further exacerbated by my citalopram

For over a year I was fought telling my doctors the medications were making my symptoms worse, to only be told I had adjustment disorder and was unable to deal with life. My incorrect medications put me in a super manic state for over a year, where I was the best person, I treated people in ways I should never had, I have made poor decisions due to my inability to see clearly and make sound decisions. Now that I am getting off the wrong medications and onto the right medications after finally finding a doctor that would listen and tell me I have bipolar 1 with psychotic features, I have begun to regain clarity and sound decision making. Unfortunately, it current have my life in shambles, but in the end, I pray I will get to have the opportunity to make a positive impact in life and help those suffering from a mental illness.