I have had years of therapy in my life to deal with bipolar disorder (and other assorted issues). I would say, at least 15. It makes my head spin thinking of all the therapists I have talked to in my time.
But I admit, I’m not in therapy now. I know, as a role model I probably should stand up and say that everyone needs therapy all of the time but I don’t think that. I think that you can outgrow therapy for bipolar disorder.
Therapy for Bipolar Disorder
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m a big believer in therapy for bipolar disorder. If you haven’t had any – you need it. Trust me. Basically, I think therapy is good.
And I’m not the only one. When scientists studied bipolar disorder outcomes, they found that people who go to therapy and take medication do better than people who do one or the other exclusively.
My Experience in Therapy for Bipolar Disorder
There were times when therapy was essential for me just surviving my life and my bipolar disorder. There were times when going and talking to a therapist was absolutely critical for my mental health (what little there was of it).
But, over the course of many years, the need for this became less and less. Over the years, I realized I wasn’t getting anything out of therapy any more. The bipolar is in my brain. No amount of talking will get it out and I have more advancedcoping strategies than anyone I know, so therapists have virtually nothing to teach me (although I have taught them plenty). I would be better therapist than some of the therapists I have talked to.
Ongoing Bipolar Therapy
This is not to say that ongoing bipolar therapy doesn’t work for anyone. Of course there are people who will always benefit from an honest outlet where they can talk about things they likely can’t talk about anywhere else. So I’m not saying you should stop therapy, no matter how long you’ve been going. If it works for you, it works for you, and that’s what matters.
What I’m saying, though, is that it is possible to get to a place when bipolar therapy is no longer helpful, and that’s okay. You shouldn’t feel like just because you have a mental illness you have to be in lifelong therapy. There are only so many things therapists can teach you and you may get to a point where that is simply no longer useful.