appropriate therapies for Bipolar Disorder?

[MP365]

My husband was diagnosed about 10 years ago with BPDisorder.  He has done well with meds and is mostly stable with some rare ups and downs.  These times do affect his health and our relationship.  He also is diabetic so I believe some of these times may be due to low blood sugar.
My question is this:  What is the appropriate therapy or treatment for someone with this combination?  He currently visits his psychiatrist for a fifteen minute session two or three times a year.  During this time he is "fine, no problems" and he gets his med prescription and is on his way.  I feel he needs some other support. Just wondering.

[bidark]

in my opinion it seems as if, once the medical community had conducted enough research, data, etc., not only to recognize & put a name to the disease of Bipolar, it has also readily & to easily diagnose a person as having the illness. In addition to their being far to many people willing to accept & claim the disease within their first couple of visits to a psychiatrist when in fact b/c it is symptomatic to other mental health disorders, Bipolar is far from being easily diagnosed & most people are lucky if they endure only one prior misdiagnosis before its conclusion.  I speak as a person who traveled to the deepest darkest depths of Bipolar Hell & mine is a story that needs to be told. People need to hear it, take heed & learn from it & while I have a deep desire to tell my story, for which I've been told by everyone I've shared pieces, I am aware it would make fascinating reading,  What prevents my writing it is my inability to stay claim & focused long enough to do it b/c  no longer have the benefit of insurance coverage to seek the treatment I once did when despite being age 22, w/ 4 children, & determined not to remain in the pits of an environment to my childhood hell. I dragged those kids to whomever would keep them while I continued school. Then w/ God's blessing of a man who despite kids not only married & rear my kids, he also encouraged,& babysit after our long days work while I proceeded to college. When  say  had it all, especially considering my impoverished & back then half breed outcast beginnings, I did. At 22, an upward career w/ the FG, making almost 100K, every major credit. But it was a brief world wind for soon it was over, I felt it, I sought help for it w/ little or no help. The support of my family was the kind that as long as times were great & beneficial & remained on my throne. I could not do any wrong if  had killed the president b/c they were sure to justify & rationalize it. Bt then darkness came & even though after 25 yrs in the dark & complete destruction of my life the only light in my life is daylight & l light bulbs. B/c I' still in darkness only now I'm also lost  don't know what or how to help myself despite wanting to start moving forward. I'm a prisoner of my Bipolar self destructive past & no money to begin. Bipolar is a wealthy persons disease b/c if you make it back into the light, you at least have a way to begin. Even those people who have family & friends for support I consider wealthy b/c you are not alone. It's those like me who suffer most & especially at 55yrs old w/ an unmentionable past, who is trying to begin again. Those who judge say you are only to blame, But the have never stood on the outside of themselves watching but having no control of their behavior or at least as best I can describe the experience. I've always had faith & belief that God has laid a path for each of us to reach the end beyond the obstacles. Its hard to believe in that anymore when I'm so lost, & despite prayer they get no answers.  I know this is a lot to read, but for those suffering like me, oh did I forget to mention I not only suffer Bipolar 1  also have severe anxiety. For those not aware, it is a separate disease.
My msg to those who truly have this illness, pls don't accept one opinion like all medical problem prior to claiming or treating something you may not have & be damned grateful for it b/c the aforementioned is light stuff.   However, the synopsis of my story  admit was provided primarily for the purpose of by sharing my story hopefully someone will benefit from it. But I also had selfish reason, something I rarely do, but I;ve been told maybe increases the possibility of the help you cant receive w/o asking.  I am desperate for any help in the form of inspiration, guidance on starting over, a direction that will lead me to employment, counseling, Thanks for your time & appreciative consideration. email is ***@****, should anyone having read this is willing to respond in kind.

[dance311]

The first thing I would look into is his diabetes management (especially if it is Type II).  Even people without bipolar disorder (I had to write it out--"BP" kept looking like "blood pressure" to me haha) can be affected mentally/emotionally by the actual ups and downs of his/her blood glucose.  Perhaps he needs insulin if he is on an oral agent, or a change in his insulin dosage if it doesn't seem to be doing the trick (I'm not a doctor, so please take my advice with a grain of salt).  If he seems to be relatively stable with his moods 95% of the time though, I wouldn't recommend a change in medicine from the Psychiatric standpoint.  As you and your husband may know, sometimes just finding the right medication that works for him is a long and grueling process.  And why make it worse?

Everybody was recommending counselors and therapy though, and that's great--different things work for different people!  Unfortunately, based on your "fine, no problems" comment, your husband may be more like me and unwilling, or simply unable, to communicate in that way.  I know it makes me embarrassed to reveal some of the deeper set emotional problems, and even when I want to, sometimes I just can't articulate it in a way that doesn't make me sound....well....crazy ;)  

His PCP should be able to aid in the management of both, though.  It's best when you get everybody working together!

[Lizz67]

Since the "mental side" of medicine and the "physical side" are still perceived somewhat separately it might take some looking to get good advice, but I would start with his medical team.  But the one thing I noticed in your question was that you said his "rare" episodes affect your relationship and his health.  I'd encourage you to take these episodes seriously even if they're not happening often as those are two super-important areas of your life as a couple.  I have BP l and have always seen a counselor weekly as well as working with an M.D. My counselors have always acted as kind of "mood monitors" for me, since it's not easy to see a shrink very often these days. Perhaps a counselor could work with you both.

[Anonymouse88]

He could see a psychologist for therapy.  There are a bunch of different therapies out there, but really the most important thing is finding a therapist you click with.  As far as the diabetes goes, it's best if he can be maintained on something that isn't an atypical antipsychotic, since those can play with your blood sugar.  If his diabetes is well controlled, though, what really matters is that the meds are keeping him stable.

[Fiesty13]

It depends if there is an underlying cause.i see a cpn once a fortnight at home.i am getting trauma therapy once a week and see my phyc once a month.last year I did cognitive any lactic therapy for 6 months x