You can live well with bipolar disorder! Are you on a roller-coaster ride with a loved one?
For caregivers, family and friends, bipolar disorder or manic depression is exasperating, utterly infuriating and exhausting!
You can make life better for yourself!
How?1. Inform yourself about the condition. Bipolar and the Art of Roller-coaster Riding contains all the medical facts plus how to get good treatment, and the startling array of symptoms. 2. Work with your loved one on our 6-week course designed for caregivers and those with bipolar disorder. Get the treating doctor involved and put together a Living Well plan to not only manage the illness but also get back to a mainstream life, and live the life you intend!
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Speaking from experience |
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Madeleine Kelly, the author of Bipolar and the Art of Roller-coaster Riding, knows about bipolar as a former medical student, as a sufferer and as a supporter. |
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She has put together these tips for people living with someone with bipolar disorder / manic depression. |
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12 Tips for Caregivers |
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| 1. Look after yourself. The best way to do this is to deliberately separate yourself from the bipolar behaviour. Don't buy in to arguments or criticism. | 2. Acknowledge that you can't control what anyone else does, including taking medication, keeping appointments, sleeping, drinking etc. It's out of your hands, so stop sweating. (We know this is easier to say than do!) | |
| 3. Keep safe (yourself and any dependents). This means physical and emotional safety. Move out to a friend's house for a night if you have to. | 4. You might get support from a mental health service, but be aware this support is likely to focus on mental health issues, and provide little distraction or relief. See the next tip! | |
| 5. When your friend or loved one is ill, make sure you have your own commitments away from the home, for example go visit a friend, play tennis, go to the movies, go for a long walk. | 6. If you think 'this person shouldn't be behaving like this' it's reality-check time. Remind yourself they are ill, and if they are properly treated these behaviours will just disappear. | |
| 7. While your loved one is very ill, focus on his or her safety rather than issues like getting enough sleep. Get them medical help when they need it. Use the police if you have to. | 8. Don't try to do everything at once. When your loved one is well again you can work together on learning the "Art of Roller-coaster Riding." This simple 6-step program is included in Madeleine's book. | |
| 9. Learn to recognise how bipolar disorder shows its symptoms. In Bipolar and the Art of Roller-coaster Riding we demonstrate that the wide variety of symptoms are actually variations not only in mood, but also in activity and thinking. | 10. Encourage your loved one to work with you, or his or her doctor, to identify the typical triggers and symptoms that are unique for them. Learn the "Art of Roller-coaster Riding" together to create a system of early warnings and safety nets for future episodes. | |
| 11. Take a case summary with you when you visit a new doctor with your friend. Espe cially in a crisis, the doctor will be able to get a better history and therefore provide better care. Your friend can ask his or her doctor, or you can write up the case summary with your friend. | 12. Don't become a 'Professional Carer.' Keep your focus on your own life. It can be damaging for both you and your loved one if you get totally involved in their bipolar disorder (i.e. co-dependency). |
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Bipolar resource bookIn Bipolar and the Art of Roller-coaster Riding you will learn about the medical side of bipolar disorder and find out about treatments. In the book, you will find up to date medical information including causes, triggers, diagnosis and types of treatment. As well there are chapters dedicated to managing life with bipolar as it touches employment, education, money, relationships and spirituality. Importantly, there is a chapter devoted to living well (the Art of Roller-coaster Riding), in which a sufferer and a trusted friend such as you can work together to figure out warning signs, devise ways to prevent extremes of illness, and put "safety nets" in place in case things go wrong. |
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Self-relianceWe strongly emphasise self-reliance and self-determination—this is crucial to your loved one being able to manage their condition in the long term. In turn, carers need to make extra effort to concentrate on their own lives (See Tip 12 again). |
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Other resources from Two Trees MediaGive them control over how they tackle bipolar with a gift voucher for our online, interactive course on bipolar disorder. Do you have small children? For just $9.95 you can start a conversation about bipolar not only with the kids, but with your loved one too. See The Rainbow Angels. | ||
Are they better yet?How will you know the treatment is working? The answer is simple. When your loved one is properly medically treated, the real person will emerge, with no effort on anyone's part. You might realise that behaviour you thought was just bad behaviour was really bipolar symptoms all the time. Be prepared for surprises! The emergence of a person from bipolar disorder will typically take years rather than months so you must be patient. Subtle changes may occur in your relationship as your loved one grows to be less dependent on you. Be able to let this happen, and your relationship will grow in many undreamed-of ways. |
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