How to maximize sleep quality for a partner with bidirectional issues who does not take prescription medication?

Hello, It seems like you're concerned about your boyfriend's current situation and are looking for ways to help him improve his sleep and emotional state.

For bipolar disorder, it's still best to take the prescribed medication so he can stay stable and get better sleep. Right now, the other party might be concerned about dependence on the medication and the side effects affecting his work.

First, taking the medication as prescribed won't cause drug dependence. Second, the medication will have certain side effects, and some of them might affect your work. You can also talk to your doctor to see if you can use alternative medications and adjust the dosage of the medication. Taking the medication as prescribed, without missing doses or stopping it on your own, will greatly reduce the effectiveness of the treatment, and you'll also fail to live up to the efforts you made in the early stages. It'll also make the impact of bipolar disorder on emotional sleep worse.

Your boyfriend also has some issues with his family of origin, so you might want to look into counseling to help you work through these emotions and confusion. Additionally, you can stick with mindfulness meditation. You can search for related videos on Bilibili.

At the same time, you can tweak your sleep schedule and try to go to bed early and wake up early as much as possible. You can also choose an exercise that suits you and build up your exercise routine. Best wishes!

If your boyfriend has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, it may be helpful to continue taking medication. Without medication, his condition may become increasingly unstable. Given his age, he still has many opportunities to think about his future.

With the right combination of medication, psychological counseling, and adjustments to personal attitude and habits, there is still a chance that he can make a significant improvement. It is also important to consider that he is currently working and may have experienced some traumatic issues in his family of origin. People who have been severely suppressed may react inwardly at the mental level.

It's possible that he may feel that he is not good enough and even put all the blame on himself. At present, it can also be seen that his depression is relatively common, and it is also a period when it is very easy for him not to want to do anything.

It might be helpful to consider that his inner self may still need some reconciliation, even if he is reluctant to take antidepressant sleeping pills. In general, if a bipolar disorder is diagnosed, it is advisable to continue taking medication.

It would be advisable to follow the doctor's advice and avoid overeating. In addition, to help reduce dependence, it would be beneficial to cooperate with psychological counseling and training, which could assist in fostering a more moderate perspective on growth. It may also be helpful to explore potential lifestyle adjustments. Finally, when depression strikes, it could be beneficial to engage in activities such as platform confessions and meditation training. Best wishes.

Could I ask you a question, ZQ?

Dear,

Given your current situation, it seems that you are not inclined to rely too heavily on medication, but rather to mobilize your own initiative and self-regulate. It may be beneficial to consider a combination of psychological counseling and other forms of support.

As you mentioned, it may be your boyfriend's family of origin. His parents were strict and controlling in their parenting style. Growing up in such a family environment, including some of his own growth experiences, some of his personal experiences and feelings in the past, and even now, his own state is not very good. It has even led to the emergence of a two-way psychological disorder, which has also had a certain impact on his life and work. For example, the quality of sleep will be relatively poor, and there will be some emotional distress.

I'm not sure if you've had the chance to visit a psychiatric hospital for a specialized diagnosis and examination, and if the doctor there determined that it is bipolar disorder, and if the doctor also prescribed the relevant medication.

This will depend on your boyfriend's personal situation and will require a corresponding assessment and psychological diagnosis. Could I ask whether it has been determined that it is necessary to use medication in combination with psychological counseling, or whether it is just necessary to set the frequency and goals through psychological counseling, or whether it must be combined with medication and assistance?

In this case, it would be helpful to know how long this state of mind has persisted and how much it bothers you.

Could you please clarify what kind of help or treatment is needed in each specific situation?

From what I can see, he has been working very hard and is actively engaged in life, including maintaining a stable intimate relationship. I also observe a positive attitude towards life in her, as well as a strong sense of self-discipline.

I must admit, there is a part of myself that I find difficult to reconcile and integrate.

In regard to the matters you have raised, such as how to enhance the quality of your sleep without resorting to medication,

It would be beneficial to relax and treat sleep as important as eating, exercising, working, and doing anything else every day. We can also give ourselves positive mental suggestions. For example, before going to sleep every time, we can tell ourselves, "I can have a good sleep, today was a very happy day, I finished my work and study for the day, I gained a lot today, and I also saw a better me, etc.," so that we can give ourselves positive mental suggestions and positive feedback.

If you find your mind dwelling on past events, you may find yourself lying in bed and becoming conscious of them. You might tell yourself that your sleep quality is not very good, that it is difficult to fall asleep, that you must not lose sleep, or that if you don't get enough rest, you won't be able to concentrate at work tomorrow. It might be helpful to turn these worries, tension, anxiety, and fear into positive language, positive input, and positive feedback for yourself.

When this is reduced to our subconscious mode of reception, it will change. For example, in the past, I had the self-suggestion that I would have insomnia, I couldn't sleep, and my sleep quality was very poor. These are all expressions that the subconscious mind receives. Now, through positive input and positive self-talk, we can tell ourselves, "I am calm, I am relaxed, I am happy, I had a very enjoyable day, I had a good sleep, I will fall asleep soon, etc." What our subconscious mind receives is a state of about to go to sleep, and it will have a good adjustment on itself.

You might also consider combining this with some meditation, which can help us to relax our body and mind, relieve fatigue and anxiety, relax our muscles, and relax our mood and spirit.

It might also be helpful to be a little more tolerant with yourself. If you find yourself forcing yourself to fall asleep in three seconds and going straight to sleep when you lie down, it could be worth considering whether this is perhaps a little too harsh on yourself.

For instance, if we lie down and are unable to fall asleep quickly, our minds may wander, we may be thinking about things, or we may simply not know what we're thinking about. We may just keep turning over and over, and this will make the time slowly pass bit by bit. In such a situation, it might be helpful to allow ourselves to be a little bit more spontaneous. Just going with the flow could help us to fall asleep quickly, and sometimes the quality of the rest is quite good.

You might consider setting a regular, more or less fixed schedule for yourself. For example, you may wish to go to bed every day at 11 o'clock or before midnight, and get up at a certain time the next morning. You could then incorporate some relaxing activities into your bedtime routine, such as reading a book or listening to soothing music.

I have learned many things from my experiences in life.

I've been living with OCD for 20 years and taking psychiatric drugs for almost 15 years, so I've got some great insights and experiences to share about drug treatment!

The great news is that mild mental illness can be treated without medication. For moderate to severe mental illness, medication is the answer! It's the mainstay of treatment, and it's paired with psychological counseling if possible.

The first thing you can do to make a change is to alter your perception of psychotropic drugs. They are not as scary as you might think! Many misconceptions come from patients' attitudes towards medication and the spread of misinformation by the public, including psychological counselors.

The anti-obsessive-compulsive disorder drugs I take are actually used to treat bipolar disorder as well, which is great because it means I get to use one medication for two conditions! I have also been in long-term treatment at a mental health center and have interacted with many patients, so I have a fairly comprehensive understanding of the problems that may be encountered during drug treatment, which I'm excited to share with you!

The side effects of drugs are not as unbearable as the public understands. For example, when I first started taking anti-obsessive-compulsive disorder drugs, the main side effects were drowsiness and weight gain. Because I started taking the medication during my school break, even if I slept more than ten hours a day, it didn't affect me much. The symptoms brought about by the medication were greatly relieved, my mood became very happy, my appetite improved, and my sleep increased. Combined with the effect of the medication, I gained almost 15 pounds in less than a month—and I felt fantastic!

However, taking medication allowed my OCD, which had persisted for many years, to improve at an incredible rate. In less than half a year, my mental state had basically stabilized, and I was able to return to school without any problems. Compared to the cure of OCD, those side effects were really insignificant. The reason some patients give up medication is because they are overly concerned about these side effects. They are afraid of this and afraid of that after taking the medicine for just a few days. They mistake the physical symptoms that are naturally present in mental illness for side effects, or they feel that the drowsiness and lethargy are being controlled by the psychiatric drugs and they simply stop or reduce the medication. These are all wrong and unscientific. Unauthorized discontinuation of medication can easily lead to repeated episodes of illness, while dose reduction can lead to insufficient dosage to produce efficacy, making drug treatment meaningless.

My opinion is that it is best to have the right attitude and accept the reality that timely and professional medication is necessary. You should also try to coordinate your work and life as much as possible to cooperate with medication, rather than taking the minimum amount of medication in order to work and reduce side effects. This is the best way to maximize the efficacy of the medication and cure mental illness as quickly as possible! Otherwise, you are just joking with your health.

Once you've found the right medication, it's important to stick with it for the long haul. Even if you're feeling good, it's crucial to keep taking the right amount for a few more years before you can start reducing the dosage and eventually stop taking it. I made the mistake of stopping my medication too soon after my condition had been stable for a few years. This led to a relapse a few months later, which made treatment more difficult.

The good news is that we can avoid the pitfalls of so-called drug dependence and relapse by embracing responsible medication habits. This means taking the right attitude and accepting the reality that timely and professional medication is necessary. You should also try to coordinate your work and life as much as possible to cooperate with medication, rather than taking the minimum amount of medication in order to work and reduce side effects. Only a sufficient amount of medication for a sufficient course of treatment can maximize the efficacy of the medication and cure mental illness as quickly as possible. Otherwise, you are just joking with your health. Once the medication is effective, you must be prepared to take it for a long time. Even if you are stable, you must continue to take a sufficient amount of medication for several years before you can slowly reduce the dosage and eventually stop taking it under the advice of a doctor.

I've shared all my experiences with psychotropic drugs on my website, and I'd love for you to check it out!

As someone who has experienced mental illness, I can tell you that changing a patient's wrong concept of treatment is the most exciting step on the road to healing mental illness!

Hello!

I'm thrilled to be able to give you some advice!

I see what you mean. You are very concerned about your boyfriend's health and are hoping that by not taking prescription drugs you can find a good way to improve his sleep quality.

I totally get why you're looking for a better solution than antidepressants or sleeping pills. I'm right there with you! But if your boyfriend has been diagnosed with depression at a regular tertiary hospital, I really think you should follow the doctor's advice and relieve his depressive symptoms as soon as possible. That way, he can get back to a normal rhythm of life in no time!

I'd love to know where you got the idea that antidepressants can cause dependence and side effects! Did you hear it from a friend, or did you read it on the internet?

And is this news a conclusion from recent years or from previous years?

First of all, for this medication: If we have concerns about dependence or side effects, we can consult with the doctor when prescribing the medication, and the doctor will prescribe the medication reasonably based on your actual situation.

And it's great that you looked for information online! It shows how seriously you take your boyfriend's situation. But we must not lose sight of the fact that medicine is constantly improving.

In the early years, there may have been a dependency on these drugs, and there are related rumors on the Internet. But don't worry! Thanks to the amazing developments in technology and the pharmaceutical industry, the dependency or side effects of antidepressants related to depression have likely been minimized or even eliminated. So, let's set aside past evaluations of these drugs and communicate with the doctor about the actual situation of these drugs today!

And then comes the fun part: deciding whether we want to take medication for treatment!

Another thing to consider is that if your boyfriend's symptoms of depression are relatively mild, the doctor may suggest that you seek psychological counseling as a form of treatment. This could be a great way to avoid medication! So, the most important thing now is whether your boyfriend has been diagnosed with depression.

And how serious is it? I'm sure the doctor will have some great advice!

We've got to tell the doctor our concerns, trust the doctor's professional judgment, and be responsible to the patient to come up with the best solution for you! So, you're currently taking serotonin as a health supplement, which I personally do not recommend.

We've got to tell the doctor our concerns, trust his professional judgment, and be responsible to the patient to come up with the best solution for you. So, you're currently taking serotonin as a health supplement, which I personally do not recommend.

After all, we'd love to know if the health products contain any related drug ingredients! This will help us to ensure that your boyfriend's health remains as healthy as can be.

So, the best thing you can do is go to the hospital right away to get a diagnosis and follow the doctor's advice.

And you may have seen a lot of information saying that antidepressants can cause drowsiness and lethargy. The great news is that this depends on the severity of each person's symptoms, and the state they will show is also different. Everyone's constitution is also different, which means that we can't just see some feedback from Internet users and be sure that this is the case for us.

We're going to run through all of this with the doctor, and we're really excited to see if we can come up with a treatment plan that works for your boyfriend. We'll take into account everything you've told us, and we're confident we'll be able to come up with a solution that suits you both.

For some diseases, we understand that early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment are a process that we need to go through. So we have already detected it early, so we need to diagnose it at this moment. After the diagnosis, we will further discuss it based on the conclusion. I think this will be a more suitable solution for you, and I'm excited to see how it works out!

I wish you all the best!

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Hello!

It's clear you have strong feelings for your boyfriend and are deeply invested in his well-being.

If you or your loved one is struggling with bipolar depression, it's important to seek professional help. A doctor's diagnosis is crucial in determining the best course of action. If it's a mild case, medication may not be necessary, but psychotherapy or psychological counseling can be highly beneficial. Following a doctor's advice to take medication or undergo psychotherapy is essential. Relying on self-regulation to fight bipolar depression is not the most effective approach.

The great thing about medication is that it helps you stay emotionally and mentally stable. And when you're stable, you're in a great position to benefit from psychological treatment. So, as long as you've been diagnosed and your doctor has prescribed medication, it's important to take it. And if your case is more serious, it's even more crucial to take the medication and get psychological treatment.

So, my first suggestion is to encourage your boyfriend to take his medication as prescribed. If it has some pretty strong side effects, you can chat with the doctor who's treating him to see if there's a way to adjust the medication or cut back on the dosage.

At the same time, I highly recommend that you persuade him to seek psychological counseling. He can go to a psychiatric clinic to find a psychologist or a professional institution to find a psychological counselor.

As his girlfriend, you can be a great source of companionship and support for him. While you and he may be in different places, you can still be there for him in other ways. You can give him lots of psychological and spiritual support, and on the basis of taking care of yourself, you can comfort and encourage him more. For example, you can suggest that he exercise more, understand the characteristics of his emotions, learn some ways to adjust his emotions, and accept some of his negative emotions.

His bipolar affective disorder may be related to the way he was raised and the environment he grew up in. The great news is that in an intimate relationship, if he can receive good support, it will be very helpful for him to heal childhood trauma and psychological disorders and improve his mental health! The only thing you need to do to help him is take care of yourself first, do not become overly involved, and do not be affected by his emotions.

I really hope Hongyu's reply helps you! Thanks so much for your question!