Is it bipolar disorder?

Question

I'm a front end supervisor at my work and there's this new lady who works there. I think she may be bipolar. When she asks anyone a question and they answer, she'll keep asking the same thing over and over. For example, she asked me if it was ok if she takes her break at a certain time from now on. I told her it was okay and she asked me the same thing again. I told her yes, and she kept saying "Yes, it's okay?" again and again than she said "Yes I can?, I can, C-A-N, Can?" Then she started to have a break down and said she's having difficulty concentrating and asked again "I can?, Yes?, C-A-N?" she even wrote "can" on her hand with a pen. Then she went upstairs than come running back downstairs pulling at her hair obviously frustrated and said "Yes I can? Say yes. I can, yes?" Well she finally actually went on her break. Then said that she just took her meds cause she forgot to earlier, she finally calmed down for the rest of the night and was quiet. Is this bipolar disorder?

and this is just one example, the same thing happens whenever she asks a question, like if the customer wants paper or plastic, i end up repeating myself twenty times.

Well the assistant mgr told me that she said she is bipolar. I just think it may be ocd.

Sue, she does have a mental disorder, she even said so. She said that when she forgets to take her medication things like this happen cause of her disorder.

I'm a very patient person, but some of the other supervisors aren't. And I feel bad for her cause she can't help it. She does it too customers too, and they don't understand. Some of them have even laughed at her.

and yesterday, i overheard some of the other supervisors talking about her and laughing. It's just not right,

Answer 1

Doesn't sound like bi-polar disorder (which I have). It sounds like maybe obsessive compulsive disorder or something. Anyway you go at it, she has something wrong. The best thing to do is overlook it and try to be patient with her. It is difficult for you to deal with but imagine how difficult it is for her. She probably can't control herself.

Answer 2

It might be dementia.

People with dementia often carry out the same activity, make the same gesture or ask the same question repeatedly. Medical professionals sometimes call this ‘perseveration.

This can be because they don’t remember having done it previously, but it can also be for other reasons, such as boredom. If the behaviour is becoming very repetitive, try to distract the person with an activity. If you can’t contain your irritation, make an excuse to leave the room for a while.

As well as memory loss, this can be due to the person’s feelings of insecurity or anxiety about their ability to cope. Try to be tactful and patient, and encourage them to find the answer for themselves – for example, if they keep asking the time suggest that they look at the clock themselves. People with dementia may become anxious about future events such as a visitor arriving, which can lead to repeated questioning. It may help if you don’t mention the event until just before it takes place.

Answer 3

you should not diagnose anybody when it comes to severe disorders such as bipolar. I have a family member who has Bipolar disorder and I also did an intense research paper on this illness.

Recognizing Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder, sometimes called manic depression, can be hard to detect because the symptoms can be similar to other mood disorders. Some people have the condition for 10 years or more before a healthcare provider diagnoses it.

The reason for this might have to do with the symptoms. When people are feeling manic or hypomanic, they are full of energy. They usually feel good. They feel "high on life" and don’t always seek help.

On the other hand, people are more likely to seek help when they fall into depression. When people feel depressed, they are likely to describe only depression symptoms to their healthcare provider. They may not mention the times when they are feeling “high on life,” since depression is what they are feeling at the time. Therefore, it’s common for a person to be incorrectly diagnosed with major depression instead of bipolar disorder.

In fact, nearly half of all patients who have bipolar disorder, sometimes called manic depression, will first be diagnosed with major depression. That’s why it’s important for people to say how they’ve been feeling weeks and even months before today to their healthcare provider in order to make it easier for the right diagnosis.

Many of the signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder can also be associated with other illnesses, such as anxiety disorders and schizophrenia. This can make it even harder for a healthcare provider to make a correct diagnosis.

Answer 4

OCD or Tourette's or forms of Autism can cause this. It's not typical Bipolar behavior. If you want to know, why not ask her if she's comfortable sharing as you would like to understand?!

Answer 5

I don't know what sort of disorder she has. Bipolar usually involves periods of mania and other periods of depression. It may be schizophrenia.

It could also be OCD - obsessive compulsive disorder..

Answer 6

There are a lot of things that can cause mental confusion and they are not necessarily related to mental health. Things like diabetes, stroke, insomnia, and anemia could all be culprits.

Answer 7

No its not Bi Poloar sounds more liek Obsessive compulsive