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Mental health

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Original poster

What's it like to be bi polar?

13 replies

Spidermama · 15/05/2009 20:11

A colleague I'm working with very closely at the moment is bi polar. At the moment she's not coping with work very well. To be fair she has too much to do and too little support or recognition for what she does so it's a really tough working environment.

I want to be there for her and help her. I'm not sure if or how the fact that she is bi polar will be affecting her behaviour.

Can you help me understand the condition so I can make more informed judgements?

OP posts:

Original poster

Spidermama · 15/05/2009 21:40

Anyone?

OP posts:

Stinkermink · 15/05/2009 21:44

Try here www.bipolaraware.co.uk/ Only come across this from a work perspective myself, and had to deal with a couple of employees in the past who have suffered. I think it used to be called Manic Depression, could be wrong, but I think that's how most people understand the condition.

It's a very tough form of depression and work/homelife/life in general or other pressures can make it stressful and difficult to cope.

Is she open about it?

notnowbernard · 15/05/2009 21:45

Has she been open and forthcoming about her diagnosis?

onepieceofcremeegg · 15/05/2009 21:46

Yes it did used to be called "manic depression".

It is far more than a very tough form of depression.

Basically most people with this condition will have extremes of mood - episodes of severe depression and episodes of elated mood.

I find the rethink website explains this very well.

here

Stinkermink · 15/05/2009 21:55

That's what I thought onepieceofcremeegg, but I have no expertise in this area. All I knew about Bi Polar illness was that it was Manic Depression and that sufferers felt ecstatic highs and monumental lows.

To the OP It's fab that you want to understand and help. But what to you actually want to achieve from it? The knowledge and ability to defend her and perhaps take some of her workload or maybe understand yourself why she struggles.

It's probably tough to watch it go on, but really not sure how you will be able to help her?

Ripeberry · 15/05/2009 22:05

My mum is bi-polar and she has been taking medication all her life just to keep her level. But it just meant that she just slept all the time and self-medicated with alcohol.
But the manic moods were the worst as she would get very hyper and nasty with it.
We used to prefer it when she was low, but then she would say she wanted to die and would do daft things and the ambulance would be called.
Got fed up of the pitying looks from the ambulance crews to be honest and fed up of worrying about my mum.
She now has Dementia and is just a shell.
Sorry, not very helpfull, just be glad you don't have to live with a bi-polar person.

colette · 15/05/2009 22:09

sorry ripeberry hugely difficult if it is your mum

SallyJayGorce · 15/05/2009 22:11

I have a friend who is bi-polar. Let's say he's high maintenance. But worth it. Good luck and I like your approach.

dustyteddy · 15/05/2009 22:16

Like ripeberry, my mum is also bipolar. It is well controlled with drugs, but she still has huge compulsion to spend money, which causes rows with my dad. I have known her have 2 manic episodes which ended up with her in hospital. She has a fairly stress free life, as it is the only way she copes. I dread her getting dementia

SallyJayGorce · 15/05/2009 22:24

My mum had dementia too. Not bi-polar. But many sympathies to you. A horrible horrible ruthless robbery of identity. x

ayup · 15/05/2009 23:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Ripeberry · 16/05/2009 15:41

Thanks for all your kind words. I posted last night just before going to bed and was a bit 'harsh'.
My dad is on holiday and my brother is looking after my mum so i'm a bit on edge as my brother has not looked after her before and he is already asking me to help, which i can't as i've got young children and its not a good place for them.
Ayup, apologies again for my harshness, but the one thing that's made me bitter i suppose is that when i was growing up i was not allowed to 'upset' my mum so i never had a teenage rebelion and was always worried that my mum would harm herself and it would be my fault.
I've grown up to be quite a shy person, but i'm gradually 'toughening' myself up and realising that it's not MY problem.

SpaceSaver · 18/05/2009 21:40

Check out MDF - UK support charity for bipolar disorder/manic depression (yes, they are the same thing, with manic depression being the 'outmoded' term for the illness, and bipolar disorder being the modern one).

I failed to make life with my ex, who possibly has bipolar disorder (his psychiatrist is undecided) work, so am not really the person to ask!

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