manic depression

[the hurdy gurdy man]

on monday i was diagnosed with manic depression. they tell me that the best thing to do is to go on some kind of medication. if it is at all possible, i would like to avoid this. do any of you know anything, like alternate therapies, etc? or should I just resign myself to being medicated the rest of my life?

[birdman]

meditation and activites whose goal is to quiet and calm the mind. i do yoga, and it does wonders. you could also try changing your diet. less sugars, more greens. more sleep. etc. simple daily things make very big changes.

[Harnk]

you know some kunt is gonna chime in and say "Of Montreal!"

[Harnk]

Of Montreal !

[ObsoleteTimeMachine]

Opium/Opiates. Delve delve delve consume endorphin reception.

[ladylamentingonalawnchair]

The Icarus Project: theicarusproject.net is a website/activist/resource center for bipolar people. It's really great, and they have lots of info about alternative therapies.

Also check out Safe Harbor at www.alternativementalhealth.com

I would really stress not trying to medicate yourself by smoking a lot of weed or something. I think talking to people, especially a therapist if you can afford it, is really important, and having a network of supportive friends who can help you work through things.

[opopopo]

Yeah, there are definitely a lot of options out there if you really don't want to use drugs. It requires a lot more discipline and is a lot more dificult to use alternative methods, but I think it's worth it. I got diagnosed a couple years ago, and have been experimenting with vitamins and minerals and this and that. I'm currently taking some vitamins that are put together specially for people with bipolar disorder. Their website is here. (http://www.truehope.com/) I'm also taking inositol and choline, and I'm actually just about to start experimenting with some amino acids. It definitely isn't easy to find exactly what will work best for you. I would suggest doing as much research as you can and monitoring your moods closely.

The drugs that I have been on made me feel worse than I have ever felt, so I'm realllly not a fan of them. For some people, however, they do work really well and they help them live a normal happy life. It wouldn't hurt to maybe get a perscription written that you can kinda keep as a backup. A good friend of mine takes drugs so that she doesn't have to put up with keeping regular sleeping patterns and being all healthy and careful.

Other than that, regular sleeping hours, eating well, getting atleast an hour of sunlight every day, exercise, and talking talking talking.

I am totally into talking about alternative medicine. There is a lot of research being done that's showing how mental illnesses and nutrient deficiencies are connected.

[the hurdy gurdy man]

Originally posted by birdman
you could also try changing your diet. less sugars, more greens. more sleep. etc.

i'm diabetic too, so my sugar/junk food intake is very limited already. :o

thanks everyone for the words of wisdom. i have already discovered that weed doesn't help, so that's not an issue. so i'll just experiment... thanks again.