Comments on: A Normal Life with Bipolar Disorder

By: Sophia Sierra

Sophia Sierra — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:28:42 +0000

Hi Michele thank you so much for your story. It gives me hope. And makes me feel that I can have a normal life too. My therapist said that we don’t ask to be bipolar its like any other disease. And I have barely came to accept that I am bipolar and to live with it and just take my medications and keep going to therapy. Well thank you so much you give me hope. God bless you always.

By: betsy

betsy — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 22:24:43 +0000

hello;

my daughter just told me is was diagnosed with bp. I have been reading up on bp to see how i can best help. but some of the symptoms of bp she does not have how can i be positive she was not mis dignosed who should i talk to. I am just a parent seeking help.

By: Christen

Christen — Mon, 17 May 2010 17:16:30 +0000

Hi,
I was diagnosed with BP 7 years ago and I guess I am still in denial. My family doesnt know but they have suspected it. I take my meds when I can but with insurance issues I dont always have them which makes it more difficult to deal with. I feel more stable with taking meds. Reading your blog is interesting and now I will continue to keep reading it because for right now thats about the only thing that helps. I wish I could tell you more but for right now I will say that I am trying to keep up with the meds. I still have some left, trying to make it last til July but probably wont happen. Some days I am just so irritable or depressed. Sometimes I dont want to get out of bed, but I have to if I want to keep living on my own, I hate living with other people besides my cousin. I only have my own income which is hard with excessive shopping too. This bipolar disease really sucks and I just wonder why I have it and I think that some members of my family have it too but no one has spoke up.

By: Michele

Michele — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:50:31 +0000

Dear Francis,
I am not a marriage counselor or any other type of mental health professional, so I can’t tell you what to do. I can only offer my experience, strength and hope that something I say may help you. The first thing I would say is, “Never underestimate the power of love.” As far as successful bipolar marriages, I can’t speak about any but my own. I am married to a man who also has bipolar disorder, and we have the happiest marriage I know of. As far as you being the supporter in this case, I would recommend reading everything you can get your hands on on the subject of bipolar disorder. David Oliver even has a whole course you can take on being a supporter to a loved one with bipolar disorder. You can find that at: http://www.bipolarcentralcatalog.com. I don’t know how long the two of you have been together, but if it’s for any length of time, I’m sure you have experienced some of your fiancee’s problems with her disorder. BP doesn’t have a cure yet, so this is going to be a lifetime illness for her. However, with treatment (medication and therapy), she should be able to maintain stability for long periods of time. You said that sometimes her talks hurt you – that indicates a need for better communication. You need to be able to tell her how you feel. Good communication is a foundation for any marriage, much less a marriage to someone with bipolar disorder. So, yes, it is possible to have a long, healthy, happy life with someone with bipolar disorder – just look at me! Which isn’t to say that you’re not going to experience problems, because you will, just like in any marriage. If you have any hesitations or “red lights” after reading this, I would re-consider your decision, or at least put it off until you’re sure. The more you understand about bipolar disorder, the better off your marriage will be. Good luck, and God bless. I hope I helped a little bit.
Blessings,
Michele

By: Francis

Francis — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:10:19 +0000

Dear.
Next month i going to get married wit a BP girl.I know she has the diecese…she is under medication now…my only worrie is that very few people have sucessful married life wit a BP partner…i know she is nice…but some time her talks hurts me…that frighten me that i will loss her after few weeks of marriage life..can you advice wat i have to do….how i should approch her……i want a healthy and long life wit her…is it possible?

By: Michele

Michele — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:25:39 +0000

Conrad, I’m sorry to hear about your son. Unfortunately, since I’m not a mental health provider or any other kind of expert, I couldn’t begin to tell you what to do. I hope you understand that, and that I’m not skirting the issue. I would very much like to help you, but I can only speak from my own experience. When someone with bipolar disorder is in denial, refuses to take their medication, and won’t go for help (which is what it sounds like your son needs), there isn’t anything you can do to force them, aside from involuntary hospitalization. The doctors can’t release any info to you because of the HIPAA Law (a patient privacy law) unless your son fills out a Medical Release, which it sounds like he wouldn’t be willing to do. When someone who has bipolar disorder is untreated (without the necessary medication), then it is far more likely that they will just go from episode to episode and, as you say about your son, become dysfunctional. The bottom line, I’m sorry to say, is that you can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped. The best thing you can do for yourself is to protect your money, not enable him (do things for him that he can do for himself) or bail him out of his problems due to bipolar, and to set boundaries (with consequences for breaking them) of what behaviors are acceptable and what behaviors are not acceptable. If you stick to the consequences, he will eventually learn to respect the boundaries. The main thing is that it sounds like he needs help, possibly more help than you can give him. Your only recourse may be involuntary commitment when he goes into a bipolar episode. I hope I have been of some help.

By: CONRAD

CONRAD — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 01:57:28 +0000

HI MICHELE,MY SON WAS DIAGNOSED WITH BP DESEASE BUT HE DOES NOT ACEPT HE HAS A MENTAL ILLNESS.IN YOUR OPINION AS PARENTS WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP ACEPT IT. WE ARE COMPLETLY LOST,FRUSTRATED(EVEN WITH THE DOCTORS HE HAS VISITED)BECAUSE HE DOES NOT WANT THE DOCTORS TO RELEASE ANY INFO TO US.WE WANT TO HELP HIM BUT DON’T KNOW HOW.PLEASE,IN YOUR OPINION WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP HIM?WE HAVE A FAMILY BUSINESS AND I TAKE HIM SOMETIMES WITH ME TO WORK BUT HE IS COMPLETELLY DISFUNCIONAL,NOT EVEN HE CAN DO A SIMPLE TASK.THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR ADVICE

By: Melissa

Melissa — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:23:39 +0000

Congrats on your new bundle of joy Michelle. You did it girl and I too am very proud of you. You did a wonderful job with all you had to deal with throughout your pregnancy. I like the name Daniel too that is my grandfather and my husbands name also.

By: Michele

Michele — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:14:48 +0000

Michelle –

I forgot to tell you how proud I am of you! I really am.

Michele

By: Michele

Michele — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:14:17 +0000

Michelle — CONGRATULATIONS!!! You are such a shining example of someone who has their bipolar disorder under control. I know it was a struggle to make it through a drug-free pregnancy plus diabetes, but you did it! Enjoy that new bundle of blessings, now.

Blessings,
Michele

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 03:59:51 +0000

I’ve found that stability really is the best way for me to deal with things. My schedule may be busy, but it’s always the same every week. I know exactly what I will be doing any given evening when my husband is at work, I plan out the weekly menus so I don’t overspend at the store and then have nothing to fix and end up splurging on a night out. And we have bedtime planned out too. Whatever I can do to help keep my stress levels low and avoid triggering an episode. I used to go spend tons of money during episodes, it made me feel in control even though I very much wasn’t.

And because of the stability I was able to achieve with a strict routine, I was able to meet my goal of a drug-free pregnancy! Our newest son Daniel was born on Tuesday, perfectly healthy and a perfect size, just under 7 lbs. Not trying to brag, but I’m very proud of myself for staying off my bipolar meds and dealing with the diabets the whole time too. A good support system has been essential through all this, and he is worth all the effort it took. My new goal: make it through nursing without needing meds.