What do YOU do when you start to feel yourself slipping?

[earlysigns]

I don't have a 'care plan' as such. I do recognise some of my triggers and have got a lot better at recognising some of the early signs in myself that mean I'm not 100% OK. But I am still not great at stopping depression/anxiety/hypomania in its tracks, even when I can see and feel it coming.

Quick background:

Diagnosed as Bipolar Type 2 in Sept 2012 after two episodes of severe depression and two hypomanic/possibly 'mixed episodes' in the space of 2 years. However, my diagnosis was changed to PTSD in July 2014 after I had a sort of breakdown and was hospitalised (although not sectioned). I was discharged from mental health services in Dec 2014.

I don't really know what I think about my diagnosis. I feel like Bipolar fits better, but I have been well for almost three years now and had sort of stopped obsessing about it, I suppose.

My mental health is definitely closely linked to my hormones, and a low dose of Prozac has really helped with the severe dark depressions I sometimes got as part of PMT. However, I have long suspected there is some sort of seasonal thing going on for me, as in Spring/Summer 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 I wasn't well at all. 2015 and 2016 I was fine - but since it has started to get light again this year, I feel out of sorts. My anxiety is just the right side of unmanageable - I'm functioning, but have a feeling of dread and foreboding all the time, feel tired and nauseous and my bruxism (teeth grinding) is the worst it has ever been.

I suppose whatI am trying to say is - I don't feel right and I don't want to get any worse. How do I approach it? I don't know what my GP can actually do. I didn't find mental health services very helpful a all, outside of the short period I was in crisis. Are their self-help things I could try? What do other people do when they're not in crisis...but not feeling right?

Appreciate any replies!

[NolongerAnxiousCarer]

For me for depression I see my GP as soon as I feel I'm slipping, for medication and book into see the councelling service at my work too. I also do meditation, mindfulness and exercise.

From a PTSD perspective I have an excellent therapist I see privately for IEMT ( similar to EMDR ) which so far has got me back on track quickly.

For DH with his psychosis we go to his CPN for additional support.

In all 3 cases the number 1 thing is to reduce stress levels somehow.

I think its finding the right thing for you is the main thing thing. Your GP is the one who can refer on to other services or adjust your meds.

Incidently did you get treatment for the PTSD when they diagnosed you?

[earlysigns]

Thanks so much for replying NolongerAnxiousCarer.

I have booked to see my GP next week, but I'm not sure what he will do meds-wise. He prescribes the Prozac, but in the past when I was taking combination Bipolar meds, I was under the care of a psychiatrist (and luckily so, as I had a dreadful time with them and none of them worked well for me).

I was fobbed off re: treatment for PTSD. Told my area doesn't offer it on the NHS and to see a private psychotherapist, which I did for almost a year. It wasn't EDMR, though, I don't think. I found it made me feel a lot worse, too, sadly, which people said to expect with therapy, but it was extremely painful and destabilising and I just couldn't continue.

[NolongerAnxiousCarer]

Traditional talking therapy can make PTSD worse. 2 of my therapists have told me that. The other one was a psychologist who made things 10 times worse. They don't reccommend talking therapies for PTSD. Check out the NICE guidelines for PTSD and then quote them to the GP. They set out the reccomendations for what you should be offered. They reccommend either trauma specific cbt or EMDR as the only 2 types of therapy with evidence to help PTSD.