Originally Posted by Brokenfriend

Waves. I also had a terrible combination of devastating emotions when I was 29,or 30. They sent me to the psych ward in a regular hospital. When I got there they took me off of all my medications cold turkey,and thought that they would treat me in a different way. What part of taking the Valium,Ativan class of meds for 10 years did they not understand.

I couldn't sleep for a couple of nights,and then I had a seizure. What part of withdrawals did they not understand. They put me right back on my medication. I liked the patients,but the staff didn't know what they where doing with me. This was one of many horrible experiences in my life that I can't undo. It was just a horribly painful experience that I had with no closure. I found those records in micro-file tapes from the medical records department at that hospital recently.

I don't recommend a hospital psych ward to anyone. ANYONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would recommend a Social Services Wellness Center. I had a good experience at one of these a couple of years ago.
BF

Originally Posted by waves

i had a prolonged hypomania (or mild mania) at 17 when i was sophomore in college (young due to changed school systems, good grades). then at 18 i had the longest and weirdest manic episode probably in my life. i only had a mild depression/anxiety in between.

i graduated but decided to go back to a different university to study CS (a practical field). at 20 the first of several long and crippling depressions hit. i got the BS by the skin of my teeth leaving a trail of regret for a couple of classes i know i would have enjoyed if i could have got myself to them, and a host exasperated and bewildered professors who seeing my ability, were kind enough to give me help and second chances... with inexplicably absent results.

subsequently i worked and managed to run the gauntlet between highs and lows until around age 30 when i had a terrible crash, saw a therapist who sent me to a pdoc who finally dx'd and treated me.

i knew what manic depression and bipolar was but it had never occurred to me that i had it... until i read a couple of books by Kay Redfield Jamison... esp. An Unquiet Mind...

~ waves ~

Originally Posted by katmae

Good morning Butterfly,I was not on line all weekend and was just reading all the new posts,my Bi-polar started for my as a young child do to things that happend to me from a very young age,but got much werse after the birth of my first child at 16,that is also when my first husband started to fisacaly abusive,I hope that you had a nice weekend have a grate day

Originally Posted by butterfly11

I can't believe you had seizure because of their incompetence!

Originally Posted by butterfly11

thank you everyone for sharing your experiences We are all different, yet the same. We have had different experiences yet arrived at the same place.

waves, BF, and katmae - I am sorry for your pain. I wish I could undo it.

Originally Posted by Mari

I worry about being on benzos and being in a wild, hard to plan situation where I cannot be on my medications.
It is frightening so I try not to think about it.

Originally Posted by Mari

I also do not like to travel because I am not around my stuff and my routine and I cannot predict what is going on.