Bipolar Disorder Points to Note by Fawcett, Golden and Rosenfield

A combustible series of events that occur over a short period of time can lead to an ultimate upheaval in life for those affected (with bipolar).

Focusing only on the chemistry aspect of the illness is pointless so is focusing on the psychosocial issues. A balance between the 2 aspects of treatment is necessary for those affected to find some normalcy in life.

Bipolar disorder is tremendously destructive to relationships. For those most relationships, the spouse/friend/sibling etc haveto endure with someone whom at times (most/some) they can't get a positive response and who they can't help. People like to believe that they can contribute to the person affected getting better. "Count your blessings," they say. But while the intention is to cheer and show support, such reassurances don't work for a person with bipolar disorder, most of the time. Other people cannot alter the course of the illness, and the well meaning observer (parent/spouse/friend) ends up being frustrated and rejected. They blame themselves sometimes for not being able to turn the illness around. The stigma from society in this case leads to an internal sense of shame and stigma that affects the person with bipolar.

When a person with bipolar becomes intense, the very elevation of his/her mood can frequently create problems with interpersonal relationships. Intensity can fuel powerful manifestations of ebullience, overconfidence and volatility. These episodes may fluctuate dramatically and be interspersed with periods of irritabiltiy and rage. Those with bipolar at times become transported into a world of unlimited ideas and possibilities. The sky's the limit.

While soaring in mania or hypomania, other people are put off by such grandiosity. The person with bipolar seems too talkative, uninhibited, pompous, manipulative, or intrusive; the ideas may sound outlandish; or exhibit behavior that is irresponsible or inappropriate behavior. Such characteristics are manifested during periods of mania or hypomania (less extreme) and the inexhaustible supply of energy and self-confidence can erode and even torpedo relationships.

When the bipolar condition kicks in in relationships, generally the person with bipolar gets the blame immediately and usually receives no support from those concerned. Any relationship can quickly deteriorate under this circumstances including the strongest ones only that they get extinguished gradually over time.

Any traumatic episode can trigger symptoms in people with bipolar disorder, which likely appear overreactive to others. While some individuals are better equipped to handle shocks than others are, the average person is not thrown completely off balance by a simple twist of fate. But in a person who has bipolar disorder, trauma produces incontrollable emotional upheaval, unwittingly leading to poor judgement and intrusiveness.

Trauma can create the most insurmountable form of stress-pressure so intense that it not only inflames, but also permanently damages, an existing relationship. The person affected by bipolar finds him/herself in a state of overwhelming despair. "Impenetrable walls seem to spring up before their eyes, separating -them- from -the others-"