“I just want to encourage anyone out there who struggles, you are not alone. Get therapy. Go seek help. Find the things that work for you,” shares host Christi Lukasiak. In this episode of Christi’s Couch, Christi talks about her personal mental health journey which began with a misdiagnosis and changed dramatically when she was properly diagnosed and given the correct medication.

When Christi first sought help for her depression, she was treated with very minimal doses of generic antidepressants that did not help her. After finding a new doctor, she was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, and began an intensive therapy program. When that did not help, she finally found a doctor who recognized her symptoms for what they were and ultimately diagnosed her with Bipolar Disorder. Since Bipolar is mostly a hereditary chemical imbalance, it requires specific medications to help correct the imbalance, and therapy alone would not have been enough. After her diagnosis, Christi struggled with the stigmas surrounding Bipolar disorder, including having to take medication. She knew in her heart that people would scrutinize her behavior on Dance Moms even worse if they knew. Rather than succumbing to the stigmans, Christi decided to share her story with others in hopes of offering support and encouraging others to seek the help they may need.

Tune into this week’s episode of Christi’s Couch to hear more about Christi’s personal mental health journey. Learn more about the importance of finding the right therapist, destigmatizing medication, and exploring different treatment methods such as hypnotherapy, EFT tapping, and meditation.

Quotes

“Bipolar disorder is very hereditary. It is a chemical imbalance that is hereditary, so it literally is not my fault. I take responsibility for what I can do for it, but the fact that I have it wasn't because I did something wrong. Once you release yourself from that guilt and assignment to yourself, it's very, very freeing.” (25:32-26:01 | Christi)

“Honestly, I think my most helpful work has been my own mental reframe. Instead of looking at it as a death sentence, look at it as an opportunity because you have struggled through things and you've persevered.” (26:53-27:11 | Christi)

“I just want to encourage anyone out there who struggles, you are not alone. Get therapy, go seek help, and find the things that work for you.” (28:31-28:42 | Christi)

“If you don't like your therapist, find another one. Because that makes all the difference in the world. You have to have somebody you're comfortable with.” (28:42-29:01 | Christi)

Links

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If you've benefited from this episode be sure to tag me @christilukasiak on Instagram and share this episode with your community to spread the word! Also, be sure to leave a review on iTunes. And if you want a question answered on the couch, call 1-800-988-8155 and leave a message!

XO, Christi