Study, Study, Study

By Debra Hoppe

The 3^rd part of our series is the need to study your mental illness.  It is important to find out what you are dealing with such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or depression.  The only way to learn about them is to study.

I access the library at work because it has a vast array of information.  It eases my tension when I can look at the bookshelf and pick out any book I want and study my heart out.  I don’t have to return it at any set time.  I can just study anytime I want to at any speed I can handle.  No worries.

There is also a huge amount of emphasis on the internet.  I found this resource to be never ending.  You can log on to www.namimt.org to find out more about bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, major depression and the list goes on.  My coworker, Quentin Schroeter, has videos online to help people understand their conditions. (Here's one where Quentin discusses psychosis.) I have found that a person with a mental illness can alleviate their stress by reading and understanding their condition.  I know it worked for me.  I read about bipolar disorder and it helped me to understand more about myself and it helped me to get out of my funk.  It might not be that simple for some people but at least you can try to read something even if it is a pamphlet.  Knowledge is knowledge no matter where it comes from.

Another way to gain an understanding of your condition is to attend a NAMI conference.  There they offer a wide range of information and have a great line up of guest speakers that have so much to say about different things.  I have gone to 2 conferences and brought back many things from both of them.  I heard Kevin Hines tell about jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge and surviving the fall.  I went to a Peer to Peer class where I got to tell a brief description of my story and boy did it feel good to get that off of my chest.  You see there is a place to learn if you just look for it.

Just remember that no matter what your situation is or what you may be going through you are never too old to learn.  I am 51 years old and am still learning about myself.  I don’t like what my bipolar disorder does to me some days but I do understand it more everyday because I study about it on a regular basis.  I not only do the studying but my family does as well.  Get people involved in your life because you will benefit from the outcome. 

Thanks for your time and I hope you have a nice day.  Stay tuned for the 4^th part of the series I will give you some hints on what websites may be beneficial to you.  See you later. 

Finding the Right Therapist

By Debra Hoppe

The second part in our series is Finding the Right Therapist.  This is no easy task.  It takes a great deal of thought and understanding of yourself and your needs.  The way that I found a therapist was again through the Center for Mental Health in Helena, Montana. 

The gal that I was paired up with is a good listener and a very compassionate person.  She has a wonderful attitude and a great sense of caring.  Those are the qualities you look for in a therapist.  You also want to have them understand your personal needs so you can have a good relationship with them. 

Patience is another thing that you need.  Finding just the right therapist takes time and effort.  It may take more than one therapist to find the right balance of understanding and knowledge.  It took three therapists for me before I found the perfect person for my needs.

Another thing to remember is if he/she caring enough to tell you when you need help or what you need in your life to be successful.  I know the therapist I have is a compassionate person and a good listener.  She is new to me so I am just getting to know how competent she is.  She is a very good match for me because she listens to me and helps me through the hard times.

I just had a hard time and I needed help to figure out what to do next.  She helped me through this rough patch because she understood what I was doing wrong in my life and was able to help me to become a better person.  It took guts to work through my bipolar disorder and diabetes, but she managed to fulfill her job description and now I am not going through as much of a crisis.

What a wonderful feeling to know you have a supportive team out there helping you not only through the hard times but through the good times as well.  Everyone keep up the hard work and remember that a good therapist is hard to come by but finding the right one is worth the effort.

NOTE FROM NAMI Montana: It is also important to ensure that your therapist is using an evidence-based type of therapy for your condition such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression or dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) for borderline personality disorder.