I'm just going to go through your OP and address it point by point.

You can drive on meds. I drive for a living and I have to get a D.O.T. physical once every two years that is proof that I'm healthy enough to safely operate a commercial vehicle. That includes the health of my brain. You don't have to live up to nearly as high a standard just to operate a car.

Keep in mind that nobody has to know about your illness. Nobody at all except you and your doctors, and they are bound by confidentiality. That's it. No exceptions. You're not like a sex offender or something where you have to go down to the police department and register your address and it's a matter of public record.



Denninmi
666 Dangerous Way
Hell, MI 12345
Known Manic-Depressive

They don't do that shit, man.

I know I'm kind of poking fun there, and I hope you take it in good humor. We need a little levity here and there- probably both of us right now.

You can tell your boss anything you want. Lie if you want to. But let me tell you, in the past I've been very open about my illness and I drive a truck for a living. I do not have a problem getting a job. I'm not saying you should be as open or open at all. It's probably in your best interests that you aren't unless someone already really knows and they are in a position where it would be good for them to know more. But you can have a high degree of success in life with the whole world knowing that you have bipolar disorder or any mental illness. Check out Kay Jamison ---> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kay_Redfield_Jamison I highly recommend her book An Unquiet Mind although I have a little different conclusion than she does. If you read the book, let me know. I'd like to talk to you about it.

After your diagnosis and stabilization period, your psychiatric visits will probably be very brief and almost infrequent. I go see my doctor for 15 minutes once every three months. Just long enough for him to be sure I'm still well and to write me another three months worth of prescriptions. The office visit costs $75 without insurance because it's only 15 minutes. It costs me $30 with insurance. I take three meds and they are all generics. It costs me $30 a month with insurance, I think about $120 without. Your medication will be covered by insurance and since your psychiatrist is an MD that might be, too. Where you might run into trouble is getting affordable talk therapy. I'll be honest, I did it for a while but I haven't been to see a psychologist in 8 years. The meds pretty much take care of my symptoms for me and the stuff I've needed to sort out psychologically has happened without the help of a therapist.

You're okay here, man, and I think you are going to be okay out there as well. Don't worry about posting a lot in this forum. In reality, it hasn't moved this quickly or seen this much action in quite some time. You're keeping the forum alive, Denninmi. It's alive!

I've learned some lessons through experience in life...some very valuable ones. I guess we all do, but there's one I want to make sure you know. Do not back down in the face of a challenge. And that's what this is and it's the way you should see it. If you stand firm and work through this your life will be greatly improved. If you back down and go back to business as usual, things will never get better and might actually get worse.

Judging by your posts on DU, you are intelligent. I think that will mean that once you get into treatment you'll have a better chance of making a full recovery. You will understand the illness and you will understand how meds and therapy can work for you. It will make you more likely to do what it takes to get better, in my opinion.

I think you'll find it enlightening and I especially want to talk to you about the ending.