What Is Recovery?

Bipolar Disorder = a painful disorder that has been diagnosed by a psychiatrist.  

The Bipolar Complex = a particular, inherited set of positive and negative personality traits and physical (chemical) attributes which is often mistaken for bipolar disorder. Once you have recovered from bipolar disorder (see below), what is left in your personality makeup is the bipolar complex.

Bipolar = person with the bipolar complex.

"Manic Depressive" (an old term) = person suffering (no, let's say "not recovered yet") from bipolar disorder. (Let's not call recovered bipolars manic depressives any more. And let's not use the word "suffering" for people who aren't suffering.)

You want to recover from the disorder side of the bipolar complex, and keep just the positive traits. But will you recognize recovery when you get there?

If you are expecting every one of your symptoms to disappear, and to sleep like a baby all night, you will never get there. Better to define recovery more realistically. You have recovered (or are pretty close to it) when:

1. you can tell when you are hypomanic. You sense it when you are getting ideas extra fast and crossing bridges you won't come to for months or even years.

2. one of your old, familiar, obsessive thoughts comes back to haunt you and you spot it so fast that you can nip it in the bud.

3. you get another ache or pain and you don't go rushing to the doctor because you know it's probably just a remnant of that old bipolar disorder.

4. you not only never entertain suicidal thoughts any more, but you are starting to genuinely like being alive.

5. in general, you learn to recognize your own particular symptoms quickly enough that now you, not the symptoms, decide what you will do next.

6. you get so that you don't crave excitement all the time or despise boredom so much. In fact, a moderate amount of repetitious daily routine gives you a secure feeling.

7. What's the surest sign of recovery? When you are no longer so much as tempted to go off your meds!

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