Are there any easy, sums-it-up kind of ways to help your family understand bipolar disorder?
I've been on an array of different meds over a period of a few years. Finally I think we've found the right combo of 4 different ones that help me (most of the time). I don't feel that my family has really been trying to understand me/this at all. I really don't understand that. If something was affecting any one of them, I'd do my best to find out all that I could &help in any way I could. We've always been a close knit family, so it hurts that they aren't making any efforts really to understand this at all. So, I need a short-as-possible way to explain bipolar disorder to them so they can just kind of get it, at least on a basic level.
Thanks a lot, Frances Lucia
It is a complicated disease and being a mental illness, many people are resistant to hearing about it. You could say that you have a chemical imbalance in your brain, but science isn't at a point where it can be corrected, it can only be managed. People sometimes have difficulty realizing that some of your extremes of behavior (if they have happened, say in mania) are influenced by the fact that you are suffering from an untreated condition. The most important thing for you to do is to seek all available avenues of help, meds, therapy, etc. Even to people who have no mental illness the approval of family can be hard to get: I wouldn't say do not try to get them to understand--I would see if they are open to reading some lit or going to a support group but do remember your mental health is your primary goal. I guess my conclusion is there is no easy way, sorry, but I wish you the best of luck, take care.
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I don't have an answer, but I am feeling the same way. I told my husband tonight that I don't know why he stays, I don't think I could live with me. I can't actually. I hope everything works out, sweetie. Blessed Be.
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