Bipolar!

[hensleyll]

Anyone Have Any Suggestions On How To Convince A Loved One To Get Help.When They Refuse to accept that they Have It!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jordandog]

How do you know, without a doubt, this 'person' actually is bipolar? Have they been diagnosed by a qualified psychiatrist? That is the only type of doctor who would be able to give that as a diagnosis. Or is this coming from things you have heard from other people or info found via the internet?

I say that because today it seems there are 2 very prominent 'things' almost every person you talk to has. I cannot even begin to count the number of patients I have had tell ME they know they are either 'bipolar' or have 'fibromyalgia', the 2 illnesses of the day so to speak. They just know they have it because they act like someone else who DOES have it and/or they have self-diagnosed by reading things on the internet they have absolutely NO comprehension of, but yet they are sure they have 'it'. There are days I wonder why I wasted so many years and so much money going to school when it seems everyone out there thinks they are a doctor and are more than qualified to tell an actual medical person what they need as far as meds and how they should be treated. It has gotten to the point, and I am not exaggerating here, that if you are moody/depressed the only possible reason is you are bipolar. If you are tired and have aches and pains? Well then it just has to be fibromyalgia. Sorry, but I don't buy it, never will. Pills do NOT 'fix' everything wrong in life.

If this person has been seen by a qualified doctor and has been told they are in fact bipolar/manic depressive, then they DO need medications in order to improve their quality of life. If that is the case, all YOU can do is hope they accept treatment. Badgering, yelling, and getting frustrated does neither of you any good.

[Abrupt]

Good post jordandog. 

I tend to think that almost all the 'problems/diseases/etc' people 'have/think they have' would suddenly vanish if they were put upon a deserted island and left to fend for themselves.

[dreamyxo]

If they are in denial they have a problem there isn't anything you can do about it.  Short of knocking them out and dragging them to a doctor you're just wasting your breath, time and being a nag.  Sometimes the best way to deal with people is just to let it go.  As much as it might hurt and upset you, you can't live their life for them.  They're going to do what they are going to do. 

[hensleyll]

Yes She has been diagnosed was taking meds for a while her ignorant boyfriend at time teased her about taking fake a** happy pills so she wouldnt take it anymore since; her and he split they have two young children ,he cheated got other girl pregnant married her and is fighting for his kids ,my daughter is depressed and these dr`s around here dont seem to want to give her anything but sleeping pills and percocet! I Used To get mad and argue with her now i dont i just let her vent and tell her im sorry i cant do what she wants or fix whats wrong,she is up one minute and extremely down or physco next I have searched bipolar and tried to explain to everyone around here its best not to fight with her! Just at my whitts end! Feel Helpless cant help my own kid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   

[acurtsinger2]

besides medication she may to see a therapists or join a group...it does help

[hensleyll]

i tried to talk to her but she refuses to seek any kind of help believes she is ok!

[jwallbank]

Bipolar is a funny disease! I have a niece with it and yes she has been diagnosted. She has a tendancy to go through bouts where she does not even want to go out of the House. It is a hard condition for anyone to deal with!! She has had Multiple boyfriends and just about all, have broken up with her because of her condition. It is a shame because she is a beautiful 29 year old. She took meds for it for awhile but, they had aftereffects that took her off of them. This is a funny disease that is hard to medicate especially since most of the medications have problems of their own.

[hensleyll]

sounds like my daughter ,but she is 27, and has same problems,however she has severe back problems and the med for that makes it worse!

[bbmama1988]

i myself am bi polar. i will say it is a very big deal to live with. it is a everyday struggle. i am new here. just started. my very first search is to try to find a way to talk about it.
when we are at the stage she is at, the best thing to do is ride it out. i know it is tough. i am no doctor. but i know from my own experience in life, the more people call me crazy or treat me like i dont know what im talking about or what i says matter, i fight everyone tooth and nail. that is me. that is my problem. one of them anyway. is being told what to do. i cant handle it. being judged. there are certain things that set me off. your daughter is just starting out with this. the best thing she would possibly, in my opinion only, is a therapist. some one who can listen to her vent. she needs to learn what works best for her. managing it depends on the person and how complex the disorder is for them. again, in my opinion. therapy and seeing that im not dealing with this all by myself. support. knowing that others deal with the same things i do. i am just begining to figure out my disorder for face value. you learn as you go along. she will too. she has to know that she is accepted. crazy. bi polar. mad. happy. out of control. whatever. the hardest thing to live with when you have bi polar is the fact that no matter what you do, there are things about the way your mind works that you have no control over. you cant make the crazy thoughts stop. once one little bi polar moment starts it builds and snowballs. out of control. i wish i never had it. but that again, is something i have yet figured out how to manage. im a work in progress.
i am sorry i talked so much. this is a very big topic for me.

[lucky382001]

How do you know, without a doubt, this 'person' actually is bipolar? Have they been diagnosed by a qualified psychiatrist? That is the only type of doctor who would be able to give that as a diagnosis. Or is this coming from things you have heard from other people or info found via the internet?

I say that because today it seems there are 2 very prominent 'things' almost every person you talk to has. I cannot even begin to count the number of patients I have had tell ME they know they are either 'bipolar' or have 'fibromyalgia', the 2 illnesses of the day so to speak. They just know they have it because they act like someone else who DOES have it and/or they have self-diagnosed by reading things on the internet they have absolutely NO comprehension of, but yet they are sure they have 'it'. There are days I wonder why I wasted so many years and so much money going to school when it seems everyone out there thinks they are a doctor and are more than qualified to tell an actual medical person what they need as far as meds and how they should be treated. It has gotten to the point, and I am not exaggerating here, that if you are moody/depressed the only possible reason is you are bipolar. If you are tired and have aches and pains? Well then it just has to be fibromyalgia. Sorry, but I don't buy it, never will. Pills do NOT 'fix' everything wrong in life.

If this person has been seen by a qualified doctor and has been told they are in fact bipolar/manic depressive, then they DO need medications in order to improve their quality of life. If that is the case, all YOU can do is hope they accept treatment. Badgering, yelling, and getting frustrated does neither of you any good.

I have to agree. They need to be diagnosed first. And I also agree that pills don't fix everything in life. If they don't accept the doctors diagnosis I don't know that there is much that can be done about it as long as they aren't endangering others.

[bbmama1988]

I see what you mean. As several mentioned... bi polar is very challenging. It will take her time to eventually accept it. We feel like such aliens when reminded we have it. Be supportive. Don't enable the bi polar but remind her thru actions that you are there for her.
I know from experience that when the bi polar is at it's worst, we don't remember a lot.
Have you thought about presenting home videos to show her that she can be very different at times. My husband says it's just like a switch gets flipped. When that switch is flipped, our memory goes with it. It's almost like a blackout. Very vivid. Like a movie.
I have to get my friends and husband to help put the pieces together to figure how things. "Where did this new shirt come from?" And that's with the whole house sometimes. Encourage her to journal. It's very theraputic and when she rereads her entries, she begin to realize that at times, she doesn't know who wrote that but it's her handwriting... been there... done that...
I really hope that something I have said will prove useful for you. I know it's frustrating but remember that the bi polar makes her the opposite of her true self.
Therapy is on ever-going process for a person with this disorder. Support and love and understanding is what helps the most. Getting yourself therapy is another good way to help.
My husband and I have started to include him in on my therapy as well. He wants to learn more about it and try to understand more about it. He wants to be here to help when possible and that's what therapy can do for you. There are also support groups for family's with a member who is bi polar. You can relate more to those parents. I am on the same end as your daughter so I am hoping to help by explaining how it works. They can give you more advice about how to handle all kinds of situations. Once you start, she will feel left out. That is horrible on a person with bi polar. She will eventually follow your lead. Your acceptance will eventually help lead to her acceptance.
I hope you will keep us updated on things. I wish you all the best. I hope that your daughter will begin to improve. Best of luck and wishes.

[hensleyll]

i have tried to talk to her she just doesnt want to accept it and really blasts me for sticking my nose in her business ,i have however tried to explain to everyone around her fighting with her only makes her outbursts worse i let her vent i refuse to fight with her,but i do thank everyone for there input and please talk away i am trying to learn it myself,at some point my parents are going to pass away and she will have to move in with me,so i would like to be somewhat prepared.

[radlittlelady]

I tell my boyfriend that vitamin supplements help when he works out but in reality they are said to help ease his bipolar symptoms. He is not medically perscribed as bipolar, as he will not seek help, but I pray for him and help him when he has the attacks

[hensleyll]

yes well she was on meds for a while and the man she was with at time used to tease her about a fake *bleep* happy pill so now she wont take anything