Supporting people with bipolar disorder
Hellooo!!! hope everyones doing okay, I actually came here to ask for some advice on how best to approach and support someone with Bipolar Disorder, my boyfriend hasn’t been clinically diagnosed just yet but he’s planning on getting diagnosed to undergo treatment soon. I’ve been trying to do as much research as I can so that I’ll be able to give him as much support as he needs without being too overwhelming. Does anyone have any tips on the support side of things as well as whether theres anything that I should refrain from saying/doing?
@xeroplex
It sounds like you are an amazing girlfriend already! And your support for his journey is awesome! Check out this link with great resources here:
https://www.7cups.com/forum/BipolarSchizophreniaPsychosisSupport_63/BipolarManagement_241/
@halcyonCloud2036 😕 That's just where this thread was posted!
Charlie
@RarelyCharlie
Just checking to make sure you are on your toes lol :)
Aw thank you so much!! that really means a lot :’) I’ve been super anxious that I wont be giving him the support he deserves so hearing that makes me feel much more better and confident about my role so thank you. Also yup just as @RarelyCharlie mentioned, that was where I posted it!
@xeroplex
I agree that you are one beautiful girlfriend for that special someone in your life. I think that he would want to be treated just like everyone else in most cases. Should anything that needs special attention on his part come into focus for you two, there are plenty of books on the market / or articles on the computer on how to overcome problems.
Wishing you both the best!
You’re too kind, thank you so much :’) I have my bad days too so hearing that makes me feel especially better about the current degree of support that I’ve been giving him. I’ll be sure to keep everything you said in mind and yup! i’ve actually started reading a book on it to try understand the disorder better and will continue to look more into it, thank you so much for all your advice!!
@xeroplex I know someone with bipolar disorder, but I'm not directly responsible for supporting them. One big support issue seems to be understanding the triggers or early warning signs of an episode of either depression or (hypo)mania so you can get help before the situation becomes risky. The details are different for each person, so I think this is very much about understanding your boyfriend as an individual.
Another big support issue can be if the medication has unpleasant side effects and there's a risk he might stop taking it without telling anyone. You will be in a good position to be aware of this. Related to this, many people with bipolar disorder enjoy their (hypo)manic episodes and the boost to creativity they can bring, and this is sometimes an incentive for them not to take their medication.
Charlie
Ahhh okay thank you so much!! i’ll be sure to keep everything in mind especially once/if he starts taking meds. My boyfriend’s episodes always seem to come out of the blue during super random periods of time and I asked him whether there are any triggers or early warning signs so we could be more aware of them but he couldn’t seem to distinguish what they actually were, but i’ll be sure to try and be more attentive towards them as much as I can. With that being said tho thank you so much for your advice it really helped clear my mind :)
