How do I deal with a family member recently diagonsed with bipolar 2?

Question

A few days ago I found out that my sister who is 23 has officially been diagonsed with bipolar 2 dissorder. She's joked for a couple years about it but nothing really came from it. She finally had a break down last week and went to the ER for physical symptoms. From there she was admitted to a psych ward. We get to talk to her for a little while each day but I'm having trouble dealing with this. I'm 18 years old, and someone who worries constently so this really isn't helping. I have no idea how I can start dealing with this and what I can do to try and help. I should add that my sister is in California and we are on the other side of the country in Pennsylvania. Any advice you can give me I will be greatful for. Thanks.

Answer 1

It is tough to have a close family member suffering from an illness and it can be uniquely difficult in the case of mental illness. My father has had bipolar disorder for much of his life and for a very long time he was not diagnosed. So, your sister is lucky to be on the road to managing her illness and you should be thankful for that, at least. Although it will probably take quite a while before she finds a treatment system that works for her (medication, counselling, etc.), you should know that you can still have a close and happy relationship with her. You should also know that you do not need to worry for her. You should be concerned for her well-being, of course, but if you feel overly worried or overwhelmed, you should perhaps see a doctor. Personally, I thought for years that it was normal to worry constantly, but it isn't. If anxiety is regularly interfering with your life, you should seek some medical guidance of your own.

Answer 2

OK, first off, don't panic. Although Bipolar Disorder is a serious mental illness, it is manageable and there is no reason why your sister should not lead a perfectly normal life once she is on medications (I do, and I'm also Bipolar 2).

I suggest that the first thing you need to do is to educate yourself about the condition. The best book I have found is the Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide (I've put an Amazon link below).

The best thing you can do to help is to treat her normally. Getting diagnosed at her age is a great start - I was not diagnosed until I was 41, and had spent 25 years in chaos as a result. She needs to find ways to come to terms with this, and that may mean therapy, or contacting a local support group or joining one of the online forums (you may want to join yourself to find out more about bipolar). I've put a couple of links below.

Best wishes

Answer 3

All you need to do is listen to her when she needs someone to talk too. This disorder can cause extreme lonliness at times because of the depression part of it. And there are a lot of good books that people who have this disorder have written. Try to read one- they are better than the educational books. Just because your sister has been diagnosed with the disorder doesn't mean you will be diagnosed with it. It does run in generations though. It won't do any good to worry about it. Just accept her for who she is and that is the best gift and help you can give anyone. She will recover. It will just take some time. And YouTake Care!

Answer 4

It's your house, pray all you want. Just don't make the one that doesn't pray feel like an outcast for not participating. You should probably have that person stand next to you, and tell them that even though you know they don't believe, it feels good holding their hand anyway, since you can never have enough opportunities to show how much you love someone. Tell them that they don't have to pray, or even close their eyes or even say a word during the prayer, you just enjoy their company in that old family tradition. You can tell them this personally, so as to not put them in the spotlight. That way, they can tell you how they feel about the whole thing and you can make adjustments from there. Once everyone understands and accepts eachother for who they are and how they feel, I see no reason you can't still have them as a part of the tradition. Use it as a means to show your family solidarity, and let them know that you still consider them part of the group, disbelief and all. I assure you, done properly (with love and understanding, as well as a willingness to listen) you can use this as a means to foster a togetherness that will make even the atheist want to be a part of.

Answer 5

Do research on the disorder to educate yourself and if possible check on joining a support group for families that have to deal with the same issue.
I'm so sorry that it took a breakdown to diagnose her and that she had made light of it before, that is so sad.
Be supportive and don't worry, they can give her meds and counseling and help her deal with the disorder. The best thing is that at least now she is diagnosed and can get help. Talk to your parents and discuss it straight up because that will help you with your worrying.
Bless you and your family :)

Answer 6

I am 17 and have been diagnost with bi-polar,add,adhd,ocd,and depression, bi-polar is just changing of moods for no apparent reason, which came to get a little harmful with me, i could change into suicidal one second i was just happy and not know the cause of it, you can treat bi-polar with medication, which i dont recommend because when you stop them you get horrible after side effects, surely she will be out soon, so no need to worry, you could write and tell her how much you love her and explain to ehr that you will come and visit and talk about the things you guys used to like to do and memorys, really it wasnt up until i talked to my ex boyfriend on the phone in a hospital that made me realize i have to cooperate with everything to get out and get better.Just dont treat her as if she was disabled and couldnt do anything her self, treat her as you used too.

Answer 7

hey brunett_dork,
I have bipolar 2 and life is real good. I was diagnosed in my early twenties, it is a common age when this disorder shows up.

I'm 44 now and have been on many different meds over the years. Sometimes a med works good for a while then it stops being as effective so the doc can change what you take.

It can be hard to say we are bipolar, we want to think we just have rough days so we aren't labeled or something. It can be hard to always take your meds but it's super important!

We know so much more now than we used to about mood swings severe enough to be called bipolar. For example, the old model used to be manic (sleepless, euphoric, etc..,) on one end and very very depressed (possible risk to self and others) on the other end. We now can say more accurately that bipolar is emotional displacement because some bipolars feel irritable even when they are manic. This new way of describing the mood swings says we don't all swing the same.

For those of us with psychiatric problems there are three basic groups with regard to meds. Some may only need a med because an event has occured causing a breakdown in how we cope. Once things are stable, the need for the med is over. So every once in a while people in this group need a med for a while. The second group always needs the meds and they work good for them. It's not fun or cheap to have to take a med but it's real good to take care of ourselves. The third group needs meds but they stop working after a while and the prescription has to be changed just to keep it working. I'm in group two usually.

Stress is the number one problem for my bipolar, I have structured things so my stress is as low as possible, even though I live how I want to.

The docs decide what meds, based on how we swing. A mood stabilizer med to limit the heavy ups and downs can make us sleepy, can make us gain weight, can make us feel afraid we may lose our creative edge we feel when we're on the high end of our moods. Be patient with sis as she learns about herself more during this time. The second common med is an anti-depressant to help us stay on the positive end of the mood spectrum. There are more meds than ever before so life is good for bipolars these days! So be patient with sis.

Second, listen to her. If she feels her doc doesn't listen to her needs or isn't willing to change her meds around if somthing isn't working she should consider finding a doc who will. Support this feeling if she has it, because the right doc is important. After I got out of the ward the doc there was the only doc I knew so I kept seeing him. This was a mistake. Lots of times, a doc used to dealing patients in the psych ward isn't a great outpatient doc. I think it's because they come to rely on nurses and staff for feedback on the patient, not the patient; so, they aren't real good at listening to us once we're out. Also, the ward docs tend to overmedicate us in the hospital. It doesn't seem that way until we're out and have to do life on the meds and we're too groggy or something... The difference now that I have meds that work is like night and day. If I forget to take them one day, my wife remids me when my mood shifts too hard. I no longer stay awake for days when I'm manic, now sometimes I have trouble sleeping but rest anyway even if I cannot sleep. I don't get so depressed because the anti-depressant works good. Just love her! It will get much much better and she is going to suffer less and be helped more. Good luck, sorry for the long post. After twenty-three years of marriage, five kids, and years of exprience, sometimes a post could actually be more of a book....

Answer 8

See this webpage for natural help under bipolar with some great stories about it. One guy in a mental institution was given jewelry making for therapy. Now he makes a fortune teaching on the internet a way he learned to do it.

http://www.phifoundation.org/heal.html

Answer 9

You might try seeking some supportive counseling. It definitely helps to talk. Your sister has an illness which can be regulated with proper medication.

Answer 10

Your sister is very lucky to be diagnosed at such a early age. You don't need to worry, she will be just fine.