What Can You Do to Manage Bipolar Disorder?
You may be a good friend or a family member who is well aware that your loved one has a mental illness, specifically manic depressive disorder. And you are well aware that in the manic phase, the person may be in a hyperactive, elated sate. And the complete opposite happens when he is in the depressive state.
In the hyperactive state, the person can make big, major decisions without even thinking about it. Lke travelling to a distant place, buying expensive things or doing soemthing dangerous. Now, th prinicple is, you should help him by prventing him from potentially doing things that can inflict harm to himself or to others.
Now here a a few advisory on how you can better be able act to protect someone with a bipolar disorder or a manic depressive disorder.
1. Do Not demand that your friend or family member “snap out of it”.
They cannot snap out of it anymore than, say a person with cancer, liver disease,or high blood pressure without treatment.
2. Do not try to fix your friend or family members problems on your own, you will frustrate yourself. Instead encourage him or her to get professional help.
3. Always keep in mind, that a mood disorder affects a person’s attitudes and beliefs. If the person in question says things like, “nothing good will ever happen to me”, “no one loves or cares about me”, “I have learned all there is to know of all the secrets in this world”, it’s easy to jump to the conclusion that it is their illness speaking for them. With treatment your friend or family member will realize that what they had been thinking is not a reflection of reality.
4. Make sure that your friend or family member do not have access to weapons and or large quantities of medications, or anything else that could be dangerous.
5. Educate yourself about your friend or family members illness, the symptoms and treatments. Read all you can about it, from reliable sources.
6. You should have realistic expectations of and for your loved ones. He or she can recover fully,though it will not happen over night. Be patient and have a hopeful attitude.
7. Keep in mind this is a real illness, also that this is a treatable condition. This is a real physical illness that affects the brain. It is as real as is Diabetes or asthma. This is not a character flaw or personal weakness. It is not caused by anything you or anyone else did. It is a genetic disorder.Though it may not show up till many years later.
