@ anyone that read my pre-edited post: I rewrote my post due to the realisation that I was merely perpetuating what I was explicitly trying to avoid - I really don't want this to degenerate into a debate that cannot be proven conclusively either way.
He sounds like he enjoys his sickness, that its who he is.
This really is a good description of how things are when an excuse is in order.
I think that "so-called experts" who complete eight years of medical school, then several more years of residency can be considered trusted and authoritative sources on the treatment of mental illness. How do you believe that you could know better than they?
Bipolar disorder cannot be cured. Your beliefs are incorrect and go against the entire medical community and all verified knowledge of how bipolar disorder works. Bipolar disorder must be treated with the proper medications due to functional problems with the brain, both on a physical and chemical level.
It is possible that you do not have bipolar disorder, or, if you do, you are probably just going through an abnormally long period of euthymia, which is also known as 'normal functioning'. I fooled myself into thinking that I was not bipolar or that I had been misdiagnosed when I went off of my medications for four years and appeared to function just fine. After four years I lapsed into depression and then mania again. It is not uncommon for people with bipolar disorder to have extremely long periods of euthymia in which they appear to be perfectly healthy and absent of all observable symptoms.
You really should read some books about bipolar disorder and educate yourself before disseminating such blatantly false and misleading, dangerous information. There is no nice way to say this, but it is clear that you do not know what you are talking about and that you are severely misinformed on this topic. If I recommended you some good books about bipolar disorder would you try to read through them so you can become educated on the topic rather than remaining ignorant (Ignorant in the sense of not being educated or knowledgeable, not as an insult) of it?
If you truly have bipolar disorder and have been manic or hypomanic then you would know firsthand that you are not in control of your actions of thoughts during a manic episode.
^^ I am really trying to avoid this kind of argument. I thank you for your input, but please note that I am far from ignorant when it comes to this issue - I'm at the end of my ninth year of tertiary study and have read a lot of literature regarding psychology, psychiatry (and its medications) and different modes of therapy, and from the vast array of viewpoints on the topic that I have encountered, blanket statements such as what is written above are not proven through empirical evidence.
If you knew more about me, you'd also realise how funny it is to tell me that my ""beliefs" are incorrect".
And to be honest, I did many things that
felt out of my control while I was ill, but the important thing to note here is that the verb "to be" is written in the simple past: "was". There is no denying this for me - it has been my subjective experience of life. I was extremely "ill" for four years and then discovered the experiences that were the cause of my illness, and slowly recovered through meditation, developing close relationships, exploring my fears and pain (through conscious choice), and implementing changes in my life that combated these issues. I'm not saying that this is how it is for everyone, but I am definitely not ill now, nor do I self-medicate or believe that I will never recover - because I have recovered.
I think it sounds like there are two issues here - him using his illness as an excuse for all his behaviour, and the belief that bipolar is biological and will always need medication. I'm actually not going to get involved here and express my views about the second part, and I don't think you should either - he is entitled to his views about his illness, especially as it is his illness, and a lot of people would agree with him. You are also entitled to your views, of course, and a lot of people would agree with you too...
This is pretty much why I think we're going to have to leave it here.
The the OP: my concern is that you may be forcing your own agenda (mental illness is not a real disorder, the use of psychedelics can "cure" mental
illness, etc.) upon your friend. You should re-examine your motives.
I think you've misread my posts - the thing that bothers me the most is that my friend smokes cannabis daily and uses mushrooms recreationally
while on medication. I do not suggest that psychedelics are a "cure" per se, but they without a doubt can open you up to repressed experiences (much like work with a good therapist can), and in doing so expose the cause of your issues. Once the problem has been unearthed, it can be dealt with in myriad ways. Meditation, creating close friendships, discussing my problems in an entirely open and honest fashion and facing my triggers head on did it for me.
encouraging others to go off their medication is not the answer, nor is suggesting. that is the decision of the person taking the meds, and their Dr...
As for the use of psychedlics for mental illness. I believe they have their place in that they can create some insight, but at the same time, not everyone will respond well nor may it cause lasting change to beliefs about the self. they can also cause a worsing of symptoms or trigger psychosis in succeptable people (of which someone with bi polar will have an increased risk of this). I also question alot of the claims made that psychedelics such as ayahuasca and mescaline are great for the healing of mental illness, which one often hears in south america. As far as I know this hasn´t really been tested empirically. And just because something has been used as a medicine for a very long time by certain Indigenous peoples does not mean its use is always (or even minimally) effective.
but this is just the skeptic scientist in me talking. I have had some good insightful experiences on psychedelics that have allowed me to break out of depressive thinking for a short time, and allow me to see what is important and what is not. I have also had said insights through cognitive behavioural therapy too.
Psytaco, I am not some crackpot hippy suggesting that someone that is diagnosed bipolar should rip open their brain with psychedelics (especially not while they're on medication). But if one is spouting psychological theory like gospel while smoking pot and consuming psychedelics recreationally, isn't that a little contradictory? I first approached the issue in a manner that addressed the dangers and was met with hostility.
I'm not advocating "tripping" at all, nor am I suggesting that my friend should stop taking his medication, but if he likes to "trip" irrespective of the dangers (for fun), I suggested trying a different approach....
I can see this going nowhere - my pre-edited post was inflammatory to say the least, and I'm glad that the edit function was utilised before things got even more out of hand.
Once again, thanks for the opinions guys - I should have known that in order to get clearer opinions I would have had to have written a novel about the situation - there is too much invested emotion from all parties (myself included), and the situation is truly a quagmire to those that don't live it on a day-to-day basis.
Peace
