When you can't get outside help

[SinkingSand]

What do you do to get better? I have bipolar disorder and Im struggling. I'm sinking further into a depression, Ive left my home aprox 10 times in two years as I feel too anxious to even answer the door most days.

I've spoken to the GP many times but all I get is a referral to Psychological therapies (formally called IAPT) and they refuse as they don't take on patients with bipolar disorder. Ive tried several antidepressants for the anxiety but they don't help. I'm not unwell enough for help from secondary services.

So what do others that fall between the gaps do to get better or at least stop themselves from declining further? I'm desperate not to become more unwell and I'm barely holding things together as it is. If I do become more unwell I won't be able to engage with any help anyway.

Are there any support groups in your area for Bipolar?
There will definitely be online groups and some will do zoom calls which are great if you don't feel confident to leave the house yet. I joined a zoom group last week and it was great to hear other people talk about their experiences with the condition I have. People often share tips too or could give you some advice

This looks like a really good source of help

https://www.bipolaruk.org/listing/category/online-support-groups-parent-category

Thank you for that suggestion. I feel bad but unfortunately I actually have a great phobia of groups and people.

Information on BPD from NHS

Rethink

Bipolar UK

Anxiety UK

Mind information on Bipolar

Here are some organisations that might be able to help. Rethink is a mental health charity that has a good helpline on anything to do with mental health.

Anxiety UK offers reasonably priced therapy for those on a low income. Bipolar UK has a helpline for advice and support.

I have included the NHS and Mind who offer comprehensive information on their websites. Hub of Hope is included in the links which is a search facility for your area to see what support is available.

Ideally you want to see a psychiatrist who can sort out your medication and get you stable.

None of those organisations can help, they're all basically peer support groups. I cannot engage with groups and struggle to even make phone calls.

I'm more after techniques or books that I can do by myself. Or herbal remedies.

OP if you're talking about the links I've provided, you're mistaken. They're not all peer support groups, you need to actually open the link and explore the information.

You cannot treat bipolar with herbal remedies and you could make yourself worse. You need to be on the right medication that will help stabilise you.

You can't stabilise bipolar with books.

Rethink is a mental health charity. You can contact them via email if you don't want to talk on the phone. They can offer advice on how to get help.

Anxiety UK offer therapy, not peer support. They're trained therapists. You said in your OP that you're trying to get therapy. Their website has lots of information on anxiety.

Bipolar UK offer advice on how to manage bipolar and can do so via email if you don't want to talk. They can answer any questions you have and can advise on strategies to manage your illness.

It sounds to me like you need to tackle the social phobia first. You'll be able to find the resources to help that online too@

Anxiety UK offers reasonably priced therapy for those on a low income. Bipolar UK has a helpline for advice and support

Bipolar helpline just gives you the same info as on their site. I've tried them in the past. All the other links say the same basic info that I've read for many years.

AnxietyUK does not offer therapy to those with bipolar, schizophrenia or personality disorders. Almost every service won't accept a person with those conditions as we're deemed too complex. Those services say go back to your GP.

I have a mood stabiliser for my bipolar, I'm not trying to treat it with herbal remedies-the remedies were for the anxiety.

I do appreciate the time you've taken to post, I really do. I could've probably worded my OP better to explain things.

Have you ever tried the Bach rescue remedy spray? May be a placebo but it can help some people in stressful situations

That's no problem at all OP. Please don't take herbal remedies or try to self medicate without speaking to a psychiatrist. They are the best person to advise on any medication.

I'm surprised that Bipolar UK were unhelpful and just repeated information from their website. They're usually very helpful.

CBT is good for anxiety and you might find mindfulness helpful as well. You can do a free CBT course here. There's lots of information regarding mindfulness online.

I understand you've read the information from Mind many times but they have a lot of information on getting therapy.

I recommend taking magnesium, vitamin D, probiotics and B complex.

All the best.

Yes, I tried it and it's very tasty but had no effect. Tried that CBD stuff and no effect, same with kalms, tea etc.

Are you not under the care of CMHT? In our area, people either mood disorders are offered Mood on Track course (online) for just these types of issues.
As PP states, the only person who can help with medical remedies is a psychiatrist. Herbal remedies of any kind can be dangerous for someone with bipolar. My GP wouldn’t feel expertised enough to help with that so I definitely wouldn’t take any recommendations from unknown people online myself.
a philologist would help with practical strategies - again should be accessible via CMHT. People with bipolar can be staple enough to be discharged from CMHT back to GP but I would have thought someone housebound wouldn’t be considered well enough.

Would you be o.k with overplaying your symptoms a bit, then you might get the secondary services help?

Take a look at nutritional therapies.
Take a look at the metabolic mind channel on YouTube, and start with the discussion with Matt Baszucki.

Best of luck.

Treating Bipolar with Ketogenic Therapy- An Interview with Matt Baszucki

I was diagnosed years ago. I've only ever seen a psychiatrist twice in person and 3 follow up calls to check no adverse reaction to medication and that I felt it was working. After that I was discharged to GP. I've never had any CMHT involvement (unless the psychiatrist was from that team?).
When first diagnosed I was offered group therapy but panicked so much at the assessment because it's a group that I was deemed unsuitable for it.

I'm aware that I need to see a psychiatrist but my GP will not refer as I'm not unwell enough. All the GP does is give more antidepressants that don't work for me and sends another referral to IAPT which is refused.

It sounds unbelievable but there really gap in what's available for people like me. I'm on my own with it all really.

I don’t think there is any need to exaggerate anything if things are as they are being stated.

Someone diagnosed with bipolar disorder who feels unable to leave the house should already be under the care of CMHT likely with a nominated Psychiatric Community Nurse and nominated Consultant. Being on antidepressants would be very unusual because they usually make someone with bipolar more ill. In my experience speak to your GP about concerns with regard to your bipolar and the first thing they do is recommend a referral back of CMHT. CMHT might suggest you can be discharged if you feel you are well enough but again in my experience they will keep you under their care purely on the basis you wish if if you have bipolar disorder.
When you’re unwell, it can be hard to access the care by the very nature of the disorder. Usually you have a care plan to help you try and access help early enough but that can only work if someone feels well enough to do what it says. If the op isn’t get anywhere with her GP, a direct call to CMHT would be my recommendation.

I've looked before at ketogenic diet in helping bipolar disorder symptoms but I have very limited diet (I think it might actually be AFRID) so wouldn't be able to follow it. It's very interesting though.

Would you be o.k with overplaying your symptoms a bit, then you might get the secondary services help?

I struggle to fully explain my symptoms as it is, I don't think I could manage to lie. I also don't want to take services from those more in need

The GP says antidepressants are fine to take as I'm on a mood stabiliser. I don't take any antidepressants at the moment though as none of them are effective for me.

For me antidepressants just don’t work, they make (ironically) both mania and depression worse. I have a set routine which I stick to religiously, plus i see cmht twice a month and see a private therapist weekly. Both have helped me draw up routines to help stabilise my moods and rescue plans for when things do go wrong - which it will do. A good support network of friends and professionals is a must along with robust, regularly reviewed rescue plans. Exercise figures heavily in my daily life and work are accommodating. Fingers crossed I’m about to start mood stabilisers soon which hopefully will help.
Not going to lie- it’s lots of hard work to remain stable.

Everyone is different, what works for one person won’t necessarily work for another, but professional support will help you discover what does work for and support you whilst you get there. The Bipolar disorder guide by David Miklowitz is a good book.

Yes, I do understand what you're saying; even explaining things as they actually are is hard enough.
I wasn't very thoughtful making that suggestion since I wouldn't want to do it either.

In my experience speak to your GP about concerns with regard to your bipolar and the first thing they do is recommend a referral back of CMHT. CMHT might suggest you can be discharged if you feel you are well enough but again in my experience they will keep you under their care purely on the basis you wish if if you have bipolar disorder.

I can only dream of such an experience.

CMHT does not take self referrals. All has to be done via primary care but I'm not unwell enough for primary care to refer. I think it's because I'm not suicidal and I WFH full time (only just hanging onto my job though). I can imagine that I appear to be functioning ok but I'm not and it's only getting worse.

The entire issue is that I'm unable to access the professional support I need so am having to look at alternatives that I can do to help myself.
I've had bipolar disorder for many years, I'm well aware of the importance of routine, good sleep hygiene, exercise all etc.

I wish you well in your recovery.

I’m sorry but this simply doesn’t ring true. Bipolar disorder is considered a serious mood disorder and a serious mental illness. There is no recovering from it just living with it. I appreciate CMHT in your area may not be as amazing as the one in mine but they would expect someone living with bipolar who is actively unwell to be under their care. If you’ve not been under their care, they may ask for GP referral but I would expect them to help facilitate that. I struggle to belief that a GP would tell someone with bipolar that they weren’t ill enough for a CMHT referral.

I also don’t believe a GP would prescribe antidepressants to someone with bipolar. A psychiatrist might under very specific set of circumstances but it would be extremely rare to do so. At my surgery even considering a change to the level of mood stabilising drug for bipolar prompts a referral back to CMHT.

Do you have 111 press 2 in your area?

Where I live you can ring that number, speak to a mental health professional, and get a referral to secondary care. You don't have to go via your GP.
Make sure you tell them that the GP won't refer you but you feel you are becoming unwell again

It's entirely true @MurderSheWrote2025.

Quite upset to be called a liar though so I will be leaving this thread and hiding it now.