Expert: Libby Bonner - 10/13/2008

Question
I was just dignosed with bipolar Disorder about 3 weeks ago,I am not yet on medication for it but have been on depresion meds and other meds for almost 4 years. I am waiting to see my GP and then other Doctors to deal with the bipolar and some social anxity. I am scared but want to get better and learn all I can about this illness. My main quistion is how long is this going to take me to start and get better?? I now this is a lifelong problem and I will have to deal with it the rest of my life but will I ever be able to feel normal again??
I am on Ontario Works and this makes it very hard for me to make ends meet and eat good food on a reg basis. How can I get help with this??? I have been fighting with ODSP for 3 years now and they still will not consider me a person with an ongoing/perminit disability. I get so fustrated!!!!
What can I do now to help control my bipolar???

Answer
PS, and thanks for your nice answer.  Do see whether there is a NAMI Family to Family class that your boyfriend or mother could take.  Would be so helpful to all of you.  Class runs 12 weeks; is excellent; is free; changes lives.
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Getting the right diagnosis should go a long way toward helping you feel better.  Major depression and bipolar depression are treated quite differently -- though it is common for the latter diagnosis to be delayed for some time, as yours was and as my daughter's was.  In fact, antidepressants are used quite cautiously w/ bipolar depression because of possible side effects.

And so I am very hopeful that you will begin to feel much better when the correct meds and the correct doses are established....could be some initial trial and error, so try to be patient if meds need changing from the first ones, first doses, tried.

Will you feel normal again?  I wish I could even guess.  "Recovery," in the context of mental illness, is terribly individual.  I am on safer ground about how confident I am that you will feel better.

I'm sorry, but the Canadian health and welfare system is something about which I know nothing......tho your struggles and frustrations sound awfully similar to those of patients here in the States. But here, unfortunately, even those declared to have a permanent disability often live with very inadequate funds.

I hope, tho, that I have found a new source of help and info for you: ontario.cmha.ca.  That's the Canadian Mental Health Association.  The site looked very helpful and I hope it will get you unstuck w/ you ODSP problem....your new diagnosis might help you there.  When you get to the site, look up especially Services and Support and contact every person or agency that sounds useful.

Besides new help that may come from that, check bphope.com.  The site has articles and some info about their very good magazine - think it's just called bp - AND you can get on the mailing list for their free newsletter, which is very useful.

I wonder if you have any family who check on your well-being?  If you do have family, but are not close because they don't understand your illnesses, check the CMHA site for NAMI classes for family members....those classes are a great help to families here, and can help bring patients and families closer again.

I wish you good luck.  Pls do write again if I can help.