Bipolar!

[loriecampbell]

You can't make someone get help. My ex husband was/is bipolar. I took him to a psychiatrist and even put him in a hospital for an extended stay. He'd be okay as long as he was on meds but most of the time he wouldn't take them. Needless to say that ended our marriage after only 9 months.

[sigmapi1501]

Mental illness is all in your head.

[diala84]

First you need to assess if the person is actually having a problem or if you just think they have a problem.

Do they have difficulty functioning at work or home? yes/no
Are they unable to take care of themselves? yes/no
Do they cause harm (emotionally or physically) to themselves or others? yes/no
Are you the only one concerned about them? yes/no

If you answered yes to all the questions then nothing needs to be done. They are doing fine and you should relax about it.   
If you answered no to any of the questions then you might want to approach family, friends or the individual about trying to get them to see a doctor and assess what can be done to help her out. A disorder requires not only certain symptoms but also needs to impair the persons life in some way. 

[bbmama1988]

 

Mental illness is all in your head.

First and foremost. while posting something new in a place where you are not in any way affected causes a big problem. are you tryin to make someone hostile.
do research before you actually think you know all about something. i have dealt with mental illness for 23 years now. i'm no expert, but i can assure you i know more than you think you know.
third... it is a PROVEN fact that mental illnesses are caused by a chemical imbalance in your brain. let me explain where you can understand...
There are fluids that control how your brain works. things that aren't controlled by anything other than the brain. SO! therefore if those chemicals are wrong, the brain works incorrectly. THEREFORE, a person's body and mind can be affected by such chemicals.
I ask that you keep your mouth closed unless you can contribute to the conversation. Read the rules. I'm sure they have a dummy version.
Being since I have bi polar I think I handled this situation like an adult. By brain didn't tell me that at first. Hence the warning; I won't give any more. I will get kicked off the forum on this subject. You need to remember that your words Affect people. with an A. it has a different meaning than Effect. with an E. look it up.
 

[jford87]

The best thing you can do is just to convince them to see someone. If they are upset a lot tell them they need help for that. Don't try to diagnose someone if you don't have the training.

[nathanfrench]

Just work with them more on it. Don't be so forcing

[jdgaris]

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

The funny thing about many forms of mental illness, but especially a manic-depressive illness is that people can very easily believe they are ok. Many times when they take the medication & the symptoms level off or no longer manifest they stop taking it because they believe they are "cured." When their symptoms begin to manifest again they often deny them & explain them as normal emotions, believing that if anyone else was going through what they were going through they would also react the same way.

Some people, over time, learn to manage their symptoms & keep their emotions on an even keel without medication. Others become somewhat delusional & deny there is a problem, blaming it on others or becoming defensive. It is often like an addiction and one must reach a "rock bottom" or face an intervention before they admit the truth.

Sadly there are some who get so out of hand they wind up living on the streets, addicted to drugs or alcohol, in jail, or being involuntarily committed until they receive proper treatment.

If she is adverse to taking prescription drugs maybe the suggestion of behavior modification therapy as a treatment will get her to be more receptive. She may not realize that the drugs her ex made fun of her for taking are not the only option.

[acurtsinger2]

regular family doctors should not be diagnosing mental problems and they should not be allowed to prescribe mood enhancing or altering medication.  BI-POLAR IS OVER DIAGNOSED AND A FIT ALL BROUGHT ABOUT BY PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES TO RAKE IN THE BIG BUX.  THEY'VE GONE SO FAR NOW TO PRESCRIBE MENTAL HEALTH MEDICINES FOR STOP SMOKING AIDS.....VERY DANGEROUS

[acurtsinger2]

I AHVE AN ASSOCIATE DEGREE IN HUAN SERVICES, WITH MY MAJOR IN PSYCHOLOGY, AND I'M WORKING TOWARDS MY BACHELORS....OVER DIAGNOSING BI-POLAR IS A HUGE PROBLEM IN THIS COUNTRY.

[sigmapi1501]

Mental illness is all in your head.

First and foremost. while posting something new in a place where you are not in any way affected causes a big problem. are you tryin to make someone hostile.
do research before you actually think you know all about something. i have dealt with mental illness for 23 years now. i'm no expert, but i can assure you i know more than you think you know.
third... it is a PROVEN fact that mental illnesses are caused by a chemical imbalance in your brain. let me explain where you can understand...
There are fluids that control how your brain works. things that aren't controlled by anything other than the brain. SO! therefore if those chemicals are wrong, the brain works incorrectly. THEREFORE, a person's body and mind can be affected by such chemicals.
I ask that you keep your mouth closed unless you can contribute to the conversation. Read the rules. I'm sure they have a dummy version.
Being since I have bi polar I think I handled this situation like an adult. By brain didn't tell me that at first. Hence the warning; I won't give any more. I will get kicked off the forum on this subject. You need to remember that your words Affect people. with an A. it has a different meaning than Effect. with an E. look it up.
 

Re read my comment. ONLY READ WHAT IS WRITTEN, not what you THINK I intended to say. After you read it again I will assure you that you will find it humorous and empathetic.

[jdgaris]

First you need to assess if the person is actually having a problem or if you just think they have a problem.

Do they have difficulty functioning at work or home? yes/no
Are they unable to take care of themselves? yes/no
Do they cause harm (emotionally or physically) to themselves or others? yes/no
Are you the only one concerned about them? yes/no

If you answered yes to all the questions then nothing needs to be done. They are doing fine and you should relax about it.   
If you answered no to any of the questions then you might want to approach family, friends or the individual about trying to get them to see a doctor and assess what can be done to help her out. A disorder requires not only certain symptoms but also needs to impair the persons life in some way. 

Serial killers become serial killers because no one sees the "symptoms" of their illness. My grandmother had cancer for years before the symptoms became evident. Sometimes no one will be concerned if no one else is.

The point: there are many "high functioning" individuals in society with illnesses that are not being treated. If a person is diagnosed with an illness it rarely corrects itself without being treated and the symptoms may begin to manifest again at any point in time. Better safe than sorry. She would be much better off monitoring her condition than just ignoring it.

If a person gets AIDS & lives a normal life for 15 years after they can still die of AIDS. The same is true of mental illness.

[tzs]

With my experience, usully the police get involved, sort of a "rock bottom" kind of thing. That is the way my brother got diagnosed. My mother was the one who called for help, because he had tried to kill himself earlier that day (unbenounced to me, of course) When he found out my mom called the cops, it was like a 360 change of personality!! He immediately lost it, snapped! He tried to stab my older brother first when he stepped in. Luckily, my older brother removed the knife from his hands, but unfortunately, not before he got stabbed.(like on the side of his stomach) My Dad was protecting me and my Mom. My brother went straigt thru my Dad (who was also military police, and a big guy) and chased my Mom outside the house, who, by this time swept me up in her arms with a blanket and my teddy, and took me to our neighbors house. My mother was crying hysterically, and reassuring me that everything was ok with my brother, but of course, I knew that wasn't the case. At the neighbors, my mom placed me on their couch by the front window I was able to sit up on their couch and look out,  and saw this crazy surreal scene, sort of like it was in the movies or something. Or a bad dream I was having. My brother had some kind of "super strenght".  4 cops and 2 paramedics where trying to hold my brother down, and he refused to leave without a fight,and these where military cops~Those are some big dudes! My brother tossed them around like a child would toss around stuffed animals. One after another, they got tossed off from him, and they kept going back for more. They finally pinned him down, 2 cops with their knees on his back and 1 paramedic administering a sedative shot. My brother's face was pinned to the ground, (you could see the dust he was blowing off the ground from being so winded and wound up) and he screamed like a caged animal untill the drug began to take effect. When they started to move him to the ambulance,the neighbor's son (who just so happened to be my brother's best friend at the time) pulled me away from the window, and said " Dont worry, Your brother is going through tough times, he'll be okay". About a week later, he got sent off to Arizona to a special facility that specializes in bipolar and drug addiction.

One of the most frightening, but fascinating situations I ever experienced, I will never forget it.

[hensleyll]

I Wouldnt say anything to discourage someone in any way ,I Love My Daughter And I know it is a disease she cat help!

[hensleyll]

omg! I Hope My Daughter Never Gets That Bad But Her And Her Sister Has Been Locked Up For Fighting!

[sdecaro558]

You cannot control the actions of others - only your own.