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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think that MH issues don't give you a licence to be rude

14 replies

Narnia72 · 07/05/2018 22:33

My sil has had MH issues all of her adult life. I've known her for 15. She has bi polar effective disorder.

We have struggled massively with her behaviour over the years, she has had many times in her life when she's unfortunately had to be sectioned for her own safety and that of others. However, she responds really well to lithium, and has maintained a good level of mental wellness for the past couple of years on it. The trouble is that she has horrible side effects, she puts weight on and she also becomes incontinent. I get that these are not nice, but she is able to lead a normal-ish life on lithium (without being sectioned).

She has recently decided to come off it, due to said side effects. It is not clear whether this is with her doctor's support. However, she is becoming increasingly awful to all her nearest and dearest, and I snapped this week when she sent me a vile series of texts being absolutely awful about my OH (her brother). I called her out on it and said I wasn't prepared to ever receive anything like that again, and would block her if she did. She responded by a massive character assassination of me. It wasn't rambly or nonesensical, it was clear and unequivocal. She went through all my perceived weaknesses and character flaws and decimated my personality at great length.

As a result I have blocked her and this has been the straw that has broken the proverbial camel's back. Both DH and I have supported her massively over the years, often at great emotional and financial cost to ourselves. I've just had enough. She talks so contemptuously to and about her mum, her husband and her brothers. None of them ever call her on it, as they want a quiet life and she is very time consuming with drama after drama. The family put her horrible behaviour down to the MH issues, but I am not so sure.

I feel she knows exactly what she's saying (she is very intelligent) and says these things knowing no one will challenge her. I know that no 2 people react in the same way to the same diagnosis, but I have a friend with the same diagnosis and she never does this.

So aibu to think that MH issues don't mean spouting venom to your family, and that she should reign it in. I understand and am sympathetic to the erratic behaviour, the mood swings, the manic episodes, the black times. But targeted abuse? And if I am wrong, and it is a part of her disorder, am I evil to want no more part of it? This is the tip of the iceberg, we have done so much to help over the years and had it thrown back at us.

I just can't bear what she said about my DH, when he has done nothing but support her, and in that moment when she was sending the texts about him I just felt I'd absolutely had enough.

OP posts:
AlmostAJillSandwich · 07/05/2018 22:39

It's not an excuse no, but to expect her to stay on medication that decimates her physical quality of life is unreasonable.

Incontinence is far worse than just "not nice" that will cause he a lot of distress, physical discomfort, embarrassment etc. I have MH issues, and if a medication gave methose side effects yeah, damn right id stop taking it!

LEMtheoriginal · 07/05/2018 22:42

Maybe you have just done her a massive favour by calling her out on her behaviour. If people just accept due to her illness she may not be aware of how it is affecting others. And you are right it doesn't give folk a green light to treat others like shit and expect them to take it

Narnia72 · 07/05/2018 22:47

I am not trying to insist on any medication, that's none of my business and yes you're totally right, incontinence is debilitating. I guess my question is should the meanness be rolled in as part of her MH issues, or is it her personality?

OP posts:
NailsNeedDoing · 07/05/2018 22:47

Sometimes, MH issues do mean people doing and saying horrible things. It very much is part of the condition but that doesn't mean you have to accept it. I think you are right to block her, but not indefinitely.

TestingTestingWonTooFree · 07/05/2018 22:50

You are not responsible for her. I think it’s reasonable to distance yourself from her.

junebirthdaygirl · 07/05/2018 23:10

Unfortunately ranting episodes are a part of mental illness and nowadays with emails its very dangerous. Saying that people cannot get away with saying what ever they think. You will find when she stabilises again she will remember none of it and will be shocked. My dh has bipolar and our contract is as long as he cooperates with medication l'm in but deciding to go off stuff without doctors advise is a total no no. But he didn't have that side effect of lithium and l would not have expected him to take it if he did as l wouldn't take it myself and suffer that.
Epilim does the same job l think and maybe she wouldn't react so badly.
My response is to show her some mercy here because of the dreadful side effects and encourage her to seek a different mood stabiliser. This calls for unconditional love as she probably doesn't deserve it but living with bipolar is desperate. You will find she doesn't mean the stuff about your dh . She is not in her sound mind.

Narnia72 · 07/05/2018 23:25

I am finding hard to separate her personality and illness. When she's well she is still not easy to be around, as she prides herself on being able to see and judge everyone's character defects and analyse them in front of us. She's often way off the mark but won't be told. For example she's convinced my DH has MH issues and needs professional help, neither of us agree, but she tells us we're in denial, especially me. This is because I walked away when she refused drop it despite our small children being in earshot.

So I find her mean when she's well, and when she's not well this is just magnified.

I do feel huge sympathy for her, but she's like a dementor, she sucks all your time and energy and wants more all the time.

Thanks for the reassurance that, illness or not, it's not ok to let someone behave like this without reprisals. And that it's ok to take a massive step back.

OP posts:
junebirthdaygirl · 08/05/2018 00:20

Well if its her real personality she does deserve to pay the consequences for meaning. My dh is the kidness person when well. Everyone sees that so being unwell brings out a side of him not normally present.

SnipperSnapper · 08/05/2018 00:31

I have also been on the receiving end of all sorts of behaviour from someone who suffers from MH issues (refuses point blank to take or try medication) - I have no words of advice only sympathies, it’s tough.

Pandoraphile · 08/05/2018 00:45

I have bipolar disorder and I can honestly say that I experience periods of intense anger sometimes. It's a nasty, vicious anger that I KNOW is caused by my MH issues. However, this anger is reactive. I don't take it upon myself to send reams of horrible texts. But if you're standing in front of me doing something which annoys me then I'm quite likely to take on an aggressive tone.

Ultimately - you'll never know whether this is her or the MH issues. I do know that coming off medication without proper medical advice and supervision is the worst thing that you could do. If I skip taking my meds it has an instant impact - and 9/10 times I won't even notice myself! It takes those around me to point it out.

Well done for being supportive to her Thanks

ThisIsTheFirstStep · 08/05/2018 03:25

I don’t think it’s an excuse exactly but it is a reason.

You can either accept it as part of her condition or you can say you don’t want anything to do with her.

As with anyone else, it’s your choice whether to put up with it.

I have a lot of sympathy for people who are suffering but sometimes you need to protect yourself too.

FlyingElbows · 08/05/2018 06:12

It really doesn't matter if it's because if her mh issues or if it's just her personality. It's upsetting you and affecting your life and you don't want it or have to accept it. We live in a society which expects people to accept all sorts of abusive behaviour simply because someone is family, but you don't have to. You can't change how she behaves but you absolutely can make the choices for your life which remove you from an abusive situation. I'm 11 years "clean" of my emotionally abusive mother and her never ending mh issues and I don't apologise for having prioritised my own mh and that of my family. Mh issues are not a get out of jail free card to be as appallingly cruel as you fancy.

Narnia72 · 08/05/2018 11:57

Thanks all for responding, especially those who have experience of bipolar, I really appreciate your honesty and candour.

Most of her family find her incredibly difficult to deal with and have backed off or gone NC. Basically it's her husband (who I don't think will be around for long), her mum and my DH and me left. She has accused her other brother of some awful things and so he's very low contact.

I have honestly just had enough. I have personally supported her through some incredibly tough times and I do have sympathy for her MH illness. However, I have so much going on in my life and I can't cope with more drama from her. I also don't want her round my children when she's like this.

Thanks for letting me get it all down, it has helped to get it straight in my head, and your perspectives have really helped.

OP posts:
LEMtheoriginal · 08/05/2018 17:06

I have MH issues as does my mother and DD. My Dr stresses that I have to look after my own mental health and sometimes have to step back because actually sometimes it's what's needed.

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