Living With Someone With Bipolar Disorder

I have been helping families impacted by the challenges of bipolar disorder for over fifteen years. There has been a recent social trend of vaguely using the term to identify behaviors in a person with mood swings.  You may have noticed or probably even mentioned that someone that was difficult to deal with was “bipolar”.  Because of this, the reality of the severe effects of the disorder are often minimized as something people just simply need to get over.

Bipolar Disorder is so much more than mood swings and when you love someone that has bipolar disorder it is no laughing matter. It is difficult to handle some of the symptoms of bipolar disorder such as:

Racing Thoughts – They bounce from one subject to the next and are difficult to follow.

Rapid Speech – When talking to them you feel like you’re in a one-way conversation.

Easily Distracted – They can’t focus very long and get frustrated about it.

Severe Anger & Rage – Uncontrollable anger and rage over what may seem unimportant.

Crying spells – Deep, sad, crying spells that are sometimes used to control their environment.

Severe Depression – They experience real depression (not just sadness) which often has no social triggers.

Exaggerated Optimism & Self-Confidence – They make exaggerated claims of how great they are.

Inflated Perspective About Abilities – They compare themselves to others and inflate their abilities.

Impulsive & Reckless behavior – They make quick decisions which often lead to poor decisions.

Fixations – They become overly focused on something and pursue it relentlessly.

Delusions – They may hold untrue beliefs that are very real to them.

Hallucinations – They may see and/or hearing things that aren’t there

There are many other symptoms of bipolar disorder that are not listed, but these are some of the most common. Because most of their behavior is regulated by the balancing of chemicals in their brain, it is often challenging to see substantial resolve without professional help.

In helping the person with bipolar disorder, the main objective of the family member or friend is to persuade them to get professional help.  When people diagnosed with bipolar disorder are receiving psychiatric treatment and have strong support systems they may have better outcomes.

It is also important that the family member or friend seek professional help as well because of the systemic effects of bipolar disorder.  When you are living with someone with bipolar disorder, you will often feel the intense emotional highs and lows that the person goes through.  You may also experience emotionally intense feelings of anxiety because of their behavior.  Feelings like they may hurt themselves or someone else; not knowing what they are thinking; being threatening by their language; feeling like things are your fault; feeling guilt and learned helplessness because of your inability to help them are a few examples. I always say that when you’re living with someone with bipolar disorder, “the whole family can feel sick.”

Seeking a professional counselor for yourself can help you process your emotions and keep you grounded in reality, so you don’t become lost in the delusions, emotions and controlling behaviors they present.  You have to build a support system for yourself and be as involved in their treatment as possible. You will sometimes feel like you want to fix them, but in most cases it will feel like you’re trying to reason with someone unreasonable which may frustrate you.

I know that sometimes we wish we didn’t have to go through some of the things we go through and may even wish we could just stop caring about people we love to secure some sanity for ourselves, but the reality of love is that it never fails. You just have to figure out how to manage that love so that you can give the most benefit to the person you love, while ensuring that you take good care of yourself. Living with someone with bipolar disorder is a long journey and your objective is to make the ride as smooth as possible. Be encouraged, everybody is going through something and with help you can realize the life you want for yourself and for them.

 For more information on “Living With Someone With Bipolar Disorder” contact us at info@leroyscott.com.