Dear Kelly,

This is the first time that I have read one of your posts. I am a lifelong Unipolar Depressive but I usually hang out on the Bipolar Board because Depressives are too depressed to write .

Parenthetically, thanks to Barb for that wonderful, information-filled reply.

I think that you should copy your original post and show it to your shrink. It gives a pretty clear picture of how you feel, (I think). If you give it to him, since it was written for consumption by non-pros, he won't feel that you are trying to tell him what to do.

There is a toothpaste and chewing gum named, "Biotene", that is supposed to be useful for dry mouth. I have never used it myself, just passing along the information.

I see that you are diagnosed with BPD. I have always thought of this as a subset of Bipolar Disorder, one that calls for different meds than either Major Depressive Disorder or Bipolar Disorder. You might ask your shrink about that possibility.

I have been looking into volunteer possbilities myself. I currently "volunteer" as a board member and facilitator in the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance of San Francisco, but since I enjoy the company of my colleagues, I don't actually think of it as volunteering. Also, I have gotten so much uplifting support from the organization that what I do is no more than payback. There are a lot of DBSA chapters in Michigan, but I do not know where, "Jackson", is. You could check the www.dbsalliance.org website if you are interested. Our group has separate meetings for young people.

I thought of teaching English as a second language, and asked a colleague in the DBSASF who had said that she intended to pursue that how she was doing, but she said that, rather than a structured class, which is how I think of ESL, the volunteer center popped her into a homeless shelter where she functioned more like a housekeeper. I shall continue to look.

Chiao,