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Old 14-07-2011, 08:57 PM   #3
whirlpools
 
Join Date: May 2008

Hi there. I don't have Bipolar but I do have a diagnosed mental illness which is sometimes considered lifelong.
My opinion about recovery in mental health is around the Recovery Model - that real recovery is about being able to live a meaningful life whether in the presence of absence of mental health problems.
Don't write yourself off - not everyone with Bipolar does take medication all the time, though it is very helpful for a lot of people. Also, many people are able to learn to live alongside the symptoms and may find that they learn a lot about themselves and the world. It doesn't have to be doom and gloom.
I consider it possible that mental ill health could strike anybody at any time, so learning to deal with it now puts you at a great advantage to having a stable future - though I do understand that you may be more susceptible to relapses than people who are 'mentally healthy' (if there is such a thing!)
What I am, very inarticulately, trying to say is that it's better to get mental health problems treated early rather than later in life.

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