i know someone who was recently diagnosed with bipolar illness...?

Question

does anyone have any helpful tips that could benefit the person with the illness and also help family and friends to cope?

Answer 1

Bipolar is not a sickness per say but rather a condition that is caused because the brain simply does not create certain chemicals that it needs or creates them in too small amounts. There is no reasons or clues yet by scientists yet as to why this happens or exactly which of those chemicals are missing and in which amounts. Therefore, each bipolar person is going to have a little bit different situation. Therefore, it is crucial that they see a psychiatrist regularly to diagnose the ups and downs of their feelings and regulate their medications accordingly. Some bipolar people, like my husband, may take several years to get their medications balanced. Other people, like my daughter, can get balanced almost immediately and stay that way as long as they stay on their medications. That is because everyone's body reacts differently to bipolar and the chemicals they are using to replace the ones their brains are not creating. Bipolar is not a mental disorder where the person can go crazy but it can cause deep depression and severe anxiety. The reason for this is because the chemicals that always seem to be the ones that are missing in the bipolar people are the good endorphins. Without those, you cannot get happy so you will never be happy. All your happiness is just a surface reaction to things. The most uplifted point in a bipolar's feelings is still a low. They cannot help that. If they do not get good psychiatric help from a psychiatrist that has dealt with bipolar patients and know what the symptoms are, they will never get better. They also must determine inside themselves to 'want' to get on top of the situation and therefore determine to stay on their chemical medications and stay in counseling. A good way to help them understand this is to use diabetees as an example. When a person has Type 1 diabetees their body is not creating inculin. If they do not take inculin to replace what it dose not create, they will get very sick and die. Bipolar have a similar situation because their brain isn't functioning properly. No one is at fault. They don't even know if it is a birth defect at this point. All they know is that it happens and they can only tell that by certain pattern symptoms that are specific to bipolar people. As much preservatives and junk that they put into foods these days, it could even be caused by that. No one knows yet so there isn't any cure for it except to get their brain's chemicals balanced as best as possible. A normal doctor cannot do that properly. They may perscribe anti depressants but for bipolar, they usually do not work. For some reason, bipolar people do run in the same family but it has only been diagnosed as that in the last few decades. My husband's aunt and cousin we are certain had bipolar and we think that his dad had it too but no one diagnosed him. He just acted so much like my husband in his down moods.

I have learned from years of living with my husband and daughter, who is also now married, that you must have patience when dealing with bipolar people. Until their medications really have them adjusted, they simply cannot find a way out of their depression. They cannot see positive things. In fact, all negative things can actually become positive things to them. For example, they will deliberately overdraw checkbooks because they want something and their thinking can be that they will just figure it out later. My daugher got in trouble with creditors and banks lots of times for that. Other times they will just go on a spending spree and rank up several charge cards without batting an eye. It is the worst thing they can do but they don't feel like it is because their negative emotions are all they know. They have never really felt any positive ones. My husband's and my daughter's psychiatrists both told them that they are not to make any decisions and not to spend or buy without someone else's decision making input until their chemicals were balanced and that they were out of their depressions. Bipolar is treatable. The problem is in convincing the bipolar person to stick with the treatment and stay with the counceling. Eventually, the counceling will get less and less and after awhile, like with my husband and daughter now, you will no longer need counceling and only need to go to the psychiatrist every 3 to 6 months for chemical updates and checks to make sure you have the proper doses and nothing needs to be adjusted. Usually that is just a 15 minute appointment and is free by that time, or totally covered by your insurance. They call the appointment a Med Check.

Bipolar people have been known to get so depressed before they get treatment or if they stop their treatments, that they can actually attempt suiside. A friend's sister attempted suidide that 3 times because she wouldn't stay on her medications, so whom ever is close to this person you know, they need someone to help them remember that their medication is their ticket out of their situation and help them remember to keep taking it and keep their counseling appointments. Lots of people are awkward about going to a psychiatrist's office. They shouldn't be if they are. Psychiatrists are brain doctors, that is all, and this conditions definitely needs a brain doctor to help get it under control.

Answer 2

OH no no longer necceserily, Im additionally bi polar and my brothers or sisters at the instant are not, as you recognize bipolar is a melancholy and melancholy could nicely be heriditery, regardless of the undeniable fact that it is somewhat unlikely that it would be handed on. noticeably the Bipolar section. each physique suffers some kind of melancholy in thier lives, and maximum dont ever want drugs, yet those that do precisely oftentimes take their meds and stay a classic happish lifestyles, so despite in case you probably did or your infants did exchange into bipolar its no longer the top of the worldwide, I even have an incredible lifestyles,

Answer 3

I have a friend with this disorder. The best thing you can do is support them if they are having a "bad day". But also make sure they seek medical help. Make sure this person gets on medication and takes it as prescribed. When they are manic they often feel like they don't need to take their meds.

Take care.

Answer 4

I have too much experience with Bipolar disorder for my own liking, but rather then just copy and pasting a bunch of information I urge you to check out this website. It has the answers you are looking for .
http://www.geodon.com/b_CopingTips.asp

Answer 5

They need to contact a psychiatrist and get on a treatment plan of counseling and possibly medication depending on their severity. I am lucky enough to be able to manage without medication.