Bipolar disorder

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

Someone very close to me has just been hospitalized for this. I've been concerned for quite some time about their well-being.

Is this something that any of you have had experience dealing with-as far as a friend or loved one?

Have you found that it's treatable? I've been worried sick about this person for a while and am wondering what the future could hold

[no_hypocrisy]

1. I had a client who was bipolarr.

He was on meds but then felt much better and stopped taking them and got much worse. He eventually committed suicide by standing in front of an oncoming train. He couldn't control his moods and/or impulses. It was tragic.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

3. sorry to hear

suicide has been a very big concern of mine with this person. they've been worried that they can never live a normal life and its eating away at them

[TufNeck]

2. I

have a lot of bipolar clients. As with many other things, there are more undiagnosed than diagnosed. They seem to get through life with a few more obstacles than most people but with medication and therapy it can be controlled. When they are unsafe with themselves or others, however, then may end up in the hospital. Was your friend suicidal or homicidal?

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

5. they were misdiagnosed

for tyears and have been on the wrong type of treatment-now that they have been diagnosed with something even more severe, i'm afraid it may destroy them, as far as will goes

[sam sarrha]

10. the medication helps, it takes a while to "adjust" it. they sometimes go

off the medication because it is sometimes uncomfortable and they feel really high when they quit. and suicide by train is not uncommon among schizophrenic and bipolar suffers. the medical institution is pretty messed up and hard to work with too.

I have suffered from depression all my life, Meditation gives me a "Center" to work from..I could never get any help from the medical industry.. Life is always better when i Meditate regularly.. and it is hard to restart when you dont do it for a while.

only time will tell for your friend there are too many variables to predict anything, I have a very good friend in love with a bipolar woman.. he had to leave the state and hide out. he said she was fine when she took the meds, but a nightmare when she didnt, and it was just a matter of time before she didnt.

i hope it works out

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

12. sounds like i'll have to wait and see

and actually the generic "they" i've been using is a "she" and i'm in the same situation your friend was. I guess it's safe with the anonymity of the internet to get into it here. But, basically, it's the girl I love who is going through this and it's killing me.

[madison2000]

4. Its not uncommon, and it varies in severity

Used to be called manic-depressive. Treatable with therapy and meds, but its a big help if the people closest to this person learn all they can about it.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

7. doing my best

i'm very close to this person and have been agaonized as i watched them fall apart over the last month

[WindRavenX]

6. in my experience...

...the degree of being bi-polar varies a lot- I know many people in my family who were extremely calm one moment, and then maniac depressant the next second. That's an extreme version. I also have a few friend and my boyfriend who have much more subtle and less extreme forms- they can be aggitated easily and be depressed easily, but much less extreme.
It depends on the person, I guess isthe message to take home.

[lady lib]

8. A relative of mine was diagnosed a few years back.

It's been a roller coaster ride trying to get the right medications for her. She's doing well at the moment with a combination of medications, counselling, a light box (helps with depression from the darkness in winter), proper diet, and exercise. So it's controllable, but it might take some time to figure out what works best for your loved one. Best wishes!

[Solomon]

9. One of my best friends is bi-polar though she won't admit it.

I have been through a few episodes with her and let me tell you, it's crazy.

Her problem, other than the fact that she won't admit it, is that she hates to take her medication. When she doesn't, whew, watch out!

After more than twenty years, I've finally got to the point where I kind of stay away from her. Before, I was so concerned about her that I stayed pretty close and made myself available to her beck and call. The past five months or so, I've gotten away from her. I'm still there for her when she calls, but I make it a point not to contact her. My life has become much simpler.

[barb162]

24. boy do I know that routine. I finally had to really distance myself

from my friend. She thought I "owed" her my time, money, etc helping her out when she was in her manic side which she usually was in. I was really glad when she moved out of state. Then I just dealt with her by phone and sometimes even that would exhaust me.

My friend gained weight when she was on it and that was always a reason she wanted off the stuff. It wasn't till the last 5 or ten yrs. of her life she finally came to terms with the condition and realized she HAD to take the meds or she would just keep ending up in mental hospitals or jail. SHe was highly educated and she just kept thinking she could beat it. I alwasy felt she was taking like 3/4 of the meds to stay high/manic

[jandrok]

11. One of my wife's neices has been diagnosed as bipolar

It's been tough on the whole family, but especially on her husband and kids.

She's heavily medicated, but none of us are really sure that she's getting the right dosages or even the correct meds for her conditions. Sometimes it seems like the effect of the meds is more harmful than the disease itself. She's a completely different person than she was even a few years ago.

Her husband has hung tough throughout. Her Mom (my wife's oldest sister) tries to stick it out, but finds herself wearing out and needing to get time away from the situation.

We're all still learning about the disease and how to deal with it. I don't think that will change. Our experiences thus far are that this is something that requires commitment and constant monitoring by the frinds and family of the affected person.

[barb162]

25. this sounds fishy. There is an easily measured therapeutic level

and the story then leads me to think there may be more than one condition going on here or she is not taking the meds correctly.

[jandrok]

31. Incorrect diagnosis could be the case.....

Or maybe the meds are having adverse effects with some of the OTHER meds that she's taking for some other medical conditions. She takes quite a few pills, I know that much. I'm not as close to the situation as my wife is, and even then we only see these folks a few times a year when we visit. She gets a lot of her family information from her Mom who is much more involved on a day-to-day basis.

[Floogeldy]

13. What about their behavior caused you to be concerned?

Just curious what tipped you off, because I have a friend I am worried about, too.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

14. i'll tell you in private

don't want to get too specific here

[Floogeldy]

15. Thanks***

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

16. A good friend was diagnosed as bipolar a number of years ago

after being hospitalized for some very bizarre behavior. But he got help and medication and now holds a very responsible job, has a normal life, and hasn't had any problems in about 10 years. The important thing is getting a proper diagnosis, good follow-up and well-regulated medication.

[barb162]

26. and a cooperative patient. You said it well. The therapist can be

great but if the patients don't take the meds....

[sendero]

17. I am..

... mildly bipolar. I take lithium to control my hypomania (low-level mania) and it works well with no side effects.

But, my BP is probably a 3 on a 10 scale. People with a 6-10 live a very tough life. My mother-in-law has a very bad case and often spends months in the hospital recovering.

The behaviors of bipolar people are all over the map - but the most striking behavior occur during manic phases. People do some really crazy stuff when they are at the top.

One more tidbit. People who have BP respond very poorly to SSRI antodepressants, which lots of not-too-informed doctors will give them. This is not an uncommon problem, people with BP actually get worse on these drugs, and some times it takes a while before the good doctor figures it out. :(

[mattclearing]

18. I had a friend hospitalized for this.

She just couldn't function. It was really sad.

We've since fallen out of touch, but I'm of the impression that she improved, but it's not the kind of thing you get over completely.

[Cornjob]

19. My ex-wife suffers from severe bipolar affective disorder.

It is a very serious condition for which symptoms can be treated.

Unfortunately, the effectiveness of medications decreases with time.

Periodically, the sufferer has to undergo hospitalization during the time that different meds are prescribed.

In the case of my ex, she become someone that I no longer knew.

The symptoms are destructive to the sufferer and to their family.

The best hope for anyone with bipolar disorder is prompt and effective medical treatment and plenty of follow-up!

[fleabert]

20. My mother is Bi Polar...I lived with it my whole life.

it is a very difficult illness that almost always has to be controlled by medication and psychiatric help. the meds are varied and the cocktail for each person is unique. It is imperative that your friend stay on the meds and get her blood levels check regularly. My mom manages hers as best she can, with a manic episode about once a year. She has not been hospitalized since the mid-eighties, but that is because her husband (and lots of others in the family) is willing to care for her at home during the episodes.

I didn't know any different growing up, and didn't know my mom was different from other moms until I was in the fourth grade. She did the best she could with me, and is very lucky to have such a patient, loving husband now. The same was not true when I was little. there is no way she would be as high-functioning now if my step-father weren't so supportive and understanding. He takes a lot of shit when she is sick, but he understands deeply that it's not her, it's the illness speaking. I strongly suggest getting some support for yourself as well, counseling or therapy would be very helpful in dealing with this for both of you. Realize too that you are each on your own journey, and you can't do it for her, she has to be the one who stays on top of her meds every day, and you have to remember to take care of yourself too, not just be concerned about her mental health. This illness has driven wedges between many friends and families, it takes dedication on everyone's part to keep it together.

There are few things worse than watching a loved one go thru a manic episode, especially if they have psychosis on top of that. email me if you need to, I would be happy to help if I can.

My mom is a success story if there ever was one, it can be managed, but it takes time and lots of love. (and a thick skin)

[JimmyJazz]

21. Actually, I was diagnosed as being bi-polar in

my early twenties and after counseling and other treatment, I have dealt with it well for years now. Admittedly, I was not hospitalized for it and there are varying degrees - but, I've had some pretty tough things happen to me since that time that I was able to handle in a more rational way than I had in the past.

I don't usually tell so much about myself, but I am putting this out there because quite frankly, I firmly believe that most people can benefit from some type of counseling. I hope this helps.

[high_carb_hot_dog]

22. mostly

there's just pills for it. therapy is also a good way to deal with it.

[barb162]

23. my college girlfriend was bipolar and there are two kids down

my block who are bipolar.

What I noticed about my girlfriend was every so often she would get off the meds, thinking she could be okay. NOT! She wound up in jail a few times, she got shock treatments several times, etc. The other thing is when they are on the meds it's sometimes hard to stay at the therapeutic level.. If they gain or lose weight, the pill level goes off in regard to the body weight. There are so many other things, like I noticed a tendency where they like to stay on the manic side but it is that side that also makes them want to be off the pills. They can be very hard to be with, the arguing, they know it all when they are manic, they think they can do anything or will things to happen, etc. This friend of yours probably also had some strange coping mechanisms from being an undiagnosed bipolar.

[MadHound]

27. My father was bi-polar,

Back in the days when they called it manic-depression. Started up when I was ten, and he didn't get treatment until after I had graduated highschool. Made my adolescence most entertaining:eyes:

A few things I can pass on. First off it is treatable. Twenty five years ago it was done with lithium, I have no clue what the treatment is now. In addition to meds, psychological counseling is needed. I few precautions you need to take. First, secure this person's money, house, credit cards, etc. so that other than some modicum of spending money cannot be accessed by this person without another person's signature. It is a common trait amongst bi-polars to spend like there is no tommorrow when they are in an "up" phase, and can easily run through thousands of dollars in a few days. My father damn near spent my family into bankruptcy, and from other people that I've talked with, this seems to be a fairly common occurence.

Secondly, take away the weapons. When a bi-polar comes down and crashes, suicide is just a short thought away. While anybody who is truly determined can kill themselves with most anything, it is less likely to happen if all the easy methods of self destruction are out of sight and out of reach.

Third, insist that your friend take their meds, even when they don't want to. This is one of the biggest problems with bi-polars. The regain an equilibrium and either think that they don't need the meds anymore, or they simply don't like what the meds are doing. Make sure they keep taking them. If they don't like the side effects, take them back to the doctor so that adjustments can be made.

Fourth, get yourself a support group, friends, family, etc that you can talk to, and also give yourself some time away from the situation. Living with a bi-polar is like living with a volcano. You never know when it is going to blow, and that kind of stress will kill you if you don't have an outlet, support, and some time off.

That being said, once things have stabilized you will find that dealing with this person is not much different than dealing with anyone else. Don't ostrasize this person, don't treat them differently. A full and normal life can and will be achieved.

I hope this helps, and I feel for you and your friend both. Initially dealing with this illness is very tough, but in the end it was worth it. Though my relationship with my dad was rocky to the point of homicidal, after he was treated and stabilized, we actually got to know and love each other again, something that I never thought would happen when I was staring down the barrel of his twelve guage shotgun.

[barb162]

29. I read this with great interest especially the money spending. My

girlfriend went bankrupt at least 3 different times and she was always calling me for money, which I would almost always send to her. Sometimes she would spend it on food, sometimes on lottery tickets. Sometimes she'd pay me back, sometimes she didn't. She went through a lot of money of her relatives too.

My friend also had a masters in psychology so she thought she knew everything. "Making" her take her meds was kinda hard, actually, impossible, in her case because in many instances she did know more than the MDs. It was toward the last ten years of her life she finally straightened herself out as she didn't want to wind up in a hospital again and she finally got it in her head she wouldn't be okay without the meds

[no name no slogan]

28. There's a very good DU group on mental illness...

but IIRC you have to be a member to view it.

[barb162]

30. and yes, IT IS TREATABLE!!!!

[elehhhhna]

32. A good workup and heavy monitoring of meds and she shoudl be

better soon.

I have a friend who when into an in-patient day program at Baylor for all this, finally, and who is now the bright, funny, energetic person she used to be. It ain't easy but it can be managed.