Bi- Polar

[Ashley]

Can anybody share with me anything they may know about this ?

 

[nootka]

What I know could fill a book. What I don't know could likely fill thousands.

Have you read my blog on my myspace page, the one about my brother and mom?

They both have/had it.

I believe my uncle had it as well, and likely their parents both.

Just being around them, worrying over them and watching them is terribly painful and frightening.

I do know it occurs in many intensities, it seems. Some have it fairly mildly, others are extreme. I think my brother is pretty extreme. He can't get by without medication, and even now, for some reason, he's not doing well after his last "break" where he went off his medication. he is a ward of the state, and it seems to me he struggles hourly with this disorder.

His clinical diagnosis is Bi-Polar with Schizophrenia.

I think the important thing is to get with good professionals who can help manage medications and help keep an eye on the patient's mood and state of mind, and adjust accordingly.

good luck in your search, there is a lot of information out there, but the more I learn, the more that I feel that every case is different, and no two could ever be alike.

Liz

 

[Sharon J]

My mother is bi-polar and manic deppresive. I agree that no 2 cases are the same. My mother can not function without her meds. Yes it is very hard to watch her struggle. Good luck with your search

 

[lyn_j]

In my life as a psychiatric nurse both inpatient and in home care I have had 20 plus years of experience with this disease that has many faces. It can range from mild mood swings highs and lows to very complicated with the addition of the schizophrenia sub illness. Most people are in need of meds from simple lithium which is a salt that everyone has in their brains but some not enough, to risperidol which also addresses the psychotic side of the disease. We have a friend that is bipolar who also has addictive disease with alcoholism and marijuana use.YOU CANNOT MIX ETOH AND ANY OF THESE MEDS! Unfortunately he knows that and stops the meds when he choses to drink and then spirals out of control. The milder forms of the disease are very manageable with the medications the key is that it takes 30-60 days for the meds to become part of your system without side effect and that can be a tough time. also, in order to maintain your normal daily functioning you need to remain on the meds...no deviation, not forgetting because if you dont then the lows are very bad and your manic episodes very dramatic. On highs, people can feel invincible, have flight of ideas, very poor judgement etc. Irritability and marked sadness, anhedonia, or lack of caring about yourself with eating bathing or generally getting out of bed..... all are symptoms that need to be reported.

Most importantly is to get good medical help including a therapist and psychiatrist.

Hope this helps some.

Lyn

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

I have known several who are Bi-Polar and a couple of them not willing to take meds it effects there lives, there friendships, there ability to take responsibility for there actions, ability to realize there are others out there not just revolving around them, being empathetic for others, abilty to be out and about in the world like others and of course there interaction with there family

 

[nootka]

It certainly is hard to be a loved one of someone that has this disorder, and so I can't imagine how difficult it would be to have it.

I do know several people that manage it fairly well, though the hardest thing is to realize they do indeed need help, and then again you add any kind of drugs into the mix (recreational, I mean), and things get out of hand fast. My brother uses at least marijuana and alcohol from time to time, and it usually ends up w/him having to go to OHSU to get straightened out/back on his regular meds. Every time it happens, it takes longer. He's still not back to normal from his last "break" in May, where he tried to commit suicide. He had been off his meds (by his own choice, just stockpiling them, not taking them) for about three or four months at that point.

It's heart-wrenching, but again, it can be fairly mild, though having help will help the sufferer realize when they need intervention of any kind.

Liz