How do you know if your medications are working? What does it even mean to say they are “working”? How long does it take to see if there is a real change in your situation as a result of taking (or changing) medications? A recent conversation with a patient, let’s call him Jim, highlighted some of these issues. Jim is a careful observer who has experience with balancing treatment for ADHD, anxiety and bipolar. He notes that it isn’t easy to tell right away if a change will be beneficial. “I feel like I'm on an effective dose now, even though at first I don't think I got the full benefit of it. I had to live with it for ...
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Is it helpful or hurtful? Is it easy or hard? Do I give more or get more? Can it change my life? Can it change the world? Empathy is a much-maligned skill set that mostly just makes life a little bit easier. It doesn’t mean becoming a doormat, or completely subsuming your own feelings for those of others. Only someone who is strong in their own convictions can take in what others are expressing with understanding and compassion. While some people seem to be more empathetic naturally, empathy can also be learned, practiced, and strengthened. Learning to better understand other people’s emotions, to respond with concern, and to develop connection with others can build stability and resilience among your circle ...
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Once you see a physician, get a diagnosis, and get a prescription for the medication you need, the hard part should be over, right? But sometimes people face long searches to find a pharmacy that can fill their prescription in the face of shortages and uncertain supply lines for medications that many people need. You have to sit by the phone and call pharmacy after pharmacy only to be told “sorry, it’s not in stock”. Enter Medfinder.com, an online service that, for a small subscription fee, searches all the pharmacies in your area to find the meds you need. Started by regular folks who were frustrated by constant shortages and difficult searches, Medfinder utilizes “pharmacy-level inventory data” to find out ...
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Don’t take “no” for an answer! Here’s a great resource for anyone encountering barriers to getting insurance coverage for mental health care. Cover My Mental Health is a non-profit offering help to people battling for insurance coverage of care. They offer free guidance for every step of the way, including: No in-network care When a claim is denied Next steps: formal complaints And encouragement for patients, whatever the barrier, from people who have been through it themselves. CoverMyMentalHealth.org ...
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Work is one of our biggest sources of anxiety and stress. So often a small incident at work can turn into something bigger, resulting in negative supervisor reviews, which results in more anxiety and ruminative thinking about the original incident. “What really happened?” “What should I have done differently?” “What should I have said when I got called on it?” Then, there’s a whole pile of worry about what could happen in the future: “What if I get laid off?” “Who will take care of my work if I can’t do it any more?” “Where will I be able to get another job?” Not only are these thoughts non-productive, they can distract us from doing our best work, and use ...
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California law allows a mentally ill person to be placed in care involuntarily for a maximum of 72 hours if a designated officer finds that the person is a danger to him- or herself, a danger to others, or gravely disabled and unable to perform self-care. Once this 72-hour period is completed, a hearing must be held to determine if the person should remain in involuntary care for a longer period of time. This hearing consists of a hearing officer, someone handling inpatient care, and a patient’s rights representative. However, in the past, the hearing itself had only the statements of these persons, and the patient him- or herself to use in making the determination. A recent revision to the ...
Read More About MoodSurfing
Welcome to MoodSurfing.com, the site that highlights strategies for living creatively with moods and coping with depression. This site is for people with bipolar, depression, cyclothymia, and others who experience powerful moods and want to figure out how to integrate these experiences into successful lives.
Although most of us are mental health clinicians of one kind or another, this site is not about providing people with medical or clinical advice (see below). We hope that we can help you cope with depression, maybe even allow you to live well with moods.
If you like what you see here, be sure to sign up to get updated with new posts.
We have done a series of interviews with people who have interesting things to say about different aspects of living creatively with moods. You can find those under the heading “Conversations.”
DISCLAIMER
This site is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. Through this site and linkages to other sites, Moodsurfing provides general information for educational purposes only. The information provided in this site, or through linkages to other sites, is not a substitute for medical or professional care, and you should not use the information in place of a visit, call consultation or the advice of your physician or other healthcare provider. Moodsurfing is not liable or responsible for any advice, course of treatment, diagnosis or any other information, services or product you obtain through this site.
IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY, YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CALL 911 OR YOUR PHYSICIAN. If you believe you have any other health problem, or if you have any questions regarding your health or a medical condition, you should promptly consult your physician or other healthcare provider. Never disregard medical or professional advice, or delay seeking it, because of something you read on this site or a linked website. Never rely on information on this website in place of seeking professional medical advice. You should also ask your physician or other healthcare provider to assist you in interpreting any information in this site or in the linked websites, or in applying the information to your individual case.
Medical information changes constantly. Therefore the information on this site or on the linked websites should not be considered current, complete or exhaustive, nor should you rely on such information to recommend a course of treatment for you or any other individual. Reliance on any information provided on this site or any linked websites is solely at your own risk.
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