I was diagnosed, when I was 16, with major Depression. I’ve been a glass half empty person for as long as I can remember.
I was then diagnosed, at 26, with Bipolar & Anxiety/Panic Disorder.
The Bipolar is hard to live with, because of the mood swings. One minute I’m happy and smiling, the next minute I’m crying and miserable, or sometimes angry and unbearable. I am on multiple medications, but sometimes the medicine doesn’t even help.
The Panic Disorder comes from years of abuse from my first husband, that’s where it started. I was always afraid of being abused, and now, with my current husband (who has never hit me) I still flinch if he gets too close to me. Now, with a 3 year old, boy, the panic disorder is even worse! I’m always afraid he is going to get hurt.
Then about, at age 28, I was diagnosed with PTSD because of an experience I went through that isn’t worth mentioning, but it’s still part of my diagnosis.
The medications DO help, but they are not a cure all to fix the illnesses, contrary to what others think. And, these illnesses are hereditary!
Believe it or not, I understand what Robin Williams was going through, I’ve been there. I’ve tried ending it all multiple times, but I’ve survived and become a stronger person. I’ll be 39 this September and I now realize that I have a lot of life left to live. I have 2 beautiful children, Jacob (age 3) & Sarah (age 17), and I don’t want them to go through life without me.
I recently found Molina Healthcare’s Website, and I absolutely love how informative it is.
“We put your needs first and treat you the same way we would treat our own loved ones.”
First thing I found on Molina Healthcare was Tips for how to handle stress. It’s really informative, and I even bookmarked it. Now, when I get panicked, I sit down, take a breath and go to this page.
You can look for Doctors & Pharmacies through the Molina Healthcare Website. This is an awesome feature.
Molina Healthcare is a great program that I’ve enjoyed using, and I learned from it, as well. I will continue to use it in the future for anything I need to look up.
The opinions in this article are my own. I do not work for, or with, any brand mentioned in this article, nor do I have any official relationship with them. I have a relationship with GigaSavvy, for whom I create original editorial content.
I was diagnosed as manic depressive when I was 14 years old. As you know, that was “upgraded” to what we know as Bipolar years later. Thank you for sharing this post. Those that don’t understand the disease don’t understand the disease (yes, I meant to write that twice) yet they are often quick to judge or think they understand. Bipolar is a daily struggle t hat takes a great deal of work and monitoring. Here is hoping the future will have a better handle on such chemical imbalances, what causes them, and how to live with them without being in a constant state of “medicated.”