Health Diaries > Bipolar Disorder > Handcuffed to the Roller Coaster
April 12, 2005
Telling Your Dr. What's Wrong
It's awfully easy to view your dr. as sitting just below God. That's because that's often where your dr. thinks he/she is sitting. You are just a lowly patient, and take the treatment meted out to you by this godly being. This is wrong.
If you feel like a drug or therapy regimen isn't working, you need to tell your dr. so he/she can adjust your treatment. This can be scary. After all, your dr. knows a bunch of stuff you don't.
My advice to you is to educate yourself as much as possible about your illness. Learn about all the meds on the market, not just the flavor of the week (Is it prozac? Or zoloft?) Learn about the side effects, in case your dr. doesn't tell you about them. The more you learn, the less godlike your dr. will become.
Know your symptoms. You should be able to tell if you are feeling unusually high or low, or if you are cycling again. Don't let your dr brush these things aside. If you feel you need to adjust your meds, tell your dr. so.
Remember, you're the one who's sick. Not your dr. Know your illness. Direct your recovery.
Posted by Susan on April 12, 2005 4:00 PM
