Anyone have a family member who has Bi-Polar Disorder? Serious.

[campbellsoup]

My dad has been fighting depression for nearly 20 years, but he recently got diagnosed with Bi-Polar Type II aka Manic Depression.
I'm fairly familiar with what the disease is, but I really don't know how to deal with it as his 23 year son.

I don't live with him and have a family of my own to worry about, but he's still my father and I love him.

All summer he was in a manic state and was just so frustrating to be around. Talking non-stop, spending money without thinking, just on top of the world.

We recently just went on a golf outing up in MN for a few days, and he literally went from being that high to deeply depressed. He's been to the point where he's admitted he thinks about taking his own life, though he says he never will.

I just don't know what or how to really deal with him.

 

[campbellsoup]

Anyone?

 

[joeykadesh]

Wow, sorry to hear that man..I had a girlfriend who had minor bipolar...She would get a little depressed but concealed it really well...She would go from happy to angry very subtle, she would do it by starting fights...I think the best thing is to try to get him on some medication if he isn't already on any...Also make sure you report to someone (psychologist, police, somebody) that he is thinking of taking his own life...I wish u and him the best, I hope things get better..

 

[Kimchi Papi]

My mother is bi-polar. I dealt with it all my life. We didn't know about this when I was a child & it made or an unbelievably hard/tough childhood. My best advice is to be paitent and make sure he is taking his meds regularly. My mother would take her meds & be fine for long periods of time & think everything was fine. She would then stop taking the meds & start having the tremendous/wild mood swings which typical of bi-polar.

Is he an alcoholic or drug dependent? That can make it even worse. If he's seeing a professional, you may want to talk to him/her to get more info & perhaps joins groups in your area. If he's not seeing a Dr of some sort, he needs to. Hope this helps.

 

[uncalled4boy]

My Uncle Was Bi-Polar And Diagnosed With Depression Bout 4-5years Back
One Of The Worse Experiences In My Life To See A Loved One Go Through That

He Ended Up Leaving Home One Day, And Was Found Dead A Few Weeks After.

He Was Such A Great Uncle And High In Spirits Til He Became Ill

 

[Shanegerous]

Sometimes I feel like I am bipolar.

 

[proper english]

damn OP, sounds tough..
how does one get said condition(s)?.. are people born with it or do they acquire it?

 

[slick4]

My mother was and it was hard. She tried the medications but, couldn't handle them at all. This unfortunately led to her self medicating with opiates. Me my dad and brother kind of turned a blind eye to it because she was finally happy and told us she finally felt happy. Last January she started having bad pain in her abdomen which was odd since she took so many pain pills and here it turned out to be stage four pancreatic cancer. To late to do anything about it. The Dr.s told us the pain medicine covered earlier symptoms but, they said it probably wouldnt have made a difference anyway blah, blah blah. She passed away in may and while she still had it together she told us if anyone else we know has it to not let them self medicate. So I guess the point I'm getting at is be there for him and make sure he takes his meds. I'm sure they're terrible but with all the right things in place they can help.

 

[Kimchi Papi]

The messed up thing is that I also have family that has alzheimers. So if I get both, I'll forgot +$$ & be crazy angry over it... In all seriousness though, if he's not seeing a professional, your father needs to ASAP. Good luck...

 

[Kimchi Papi]

Dag Slick4, I'm sorry to hear about your Moms.

 

[kingsuperbiv]

Found out moms have bipolar and schizophrenia. I think she been knew this since we were kids but she never told nobody. all this time when she did all thsi crazy stuff to me and my siblings i was just thinking she was a evil devilish person who i wished she would just go away. I ignored here alot and never talked to her after I moved out. Kind of disowned her.

But know when the doctor told us I felt bad.

She also was a alcoholic so that kind of covered it up for years. She said she never hear voices when she .

Kind of hard for me to still deal with her because deep down i still felt like it was her and not her disorders even though it was her disorders

 

[mrbrown]

Smoke him out?

Sucks.... I would just not know what to do

 

[campbellsoup]

Originally Posted by psk2310

My mother is bi-polar. I dealt with it all my life. We didn't know about this when I was a child & it made or an unbelievably hard/tough childhood. My best advice is to be paitent and make sure he is taking his meds regularly. My mother would take her meds & be fine for long periods of time & think everything was fine. She would then stop taking the meds & start having the tremendous/wild mood swings which typical of bi-polar.

Is he an alcoholic or drug dependent? That can make it even worse. If he's seeing a professional, you may want to talk to him/her to get more info & perhaps joins groups in your area. If he's not seeing a Dr of some sort, he needs to. Hope this helps.

Nah, he isn't an alcoholic or a drug addict.

He actually works for the CDC and has a Master's in Public Health. Very smart guy.

Me and all my sisters are all out of the house, and him and my mom just divorced after 25 years so he's kind of entering a new chapter in his life. He wanted the divorce, but that's another story.

Hes already on meds, and he was feeling "so good" the first half of the year he convinced himself they were working, but I knew all along he was manic. He just didnt want to admit it.

Now he's in a deep depression and I hate to see it. I feel so bad for him, but at the same time I get so frustrated and irritated by it.

Sorry to all of those who have lost family members due to these mental illnesses.

And to answer someone's question, yes I guess you could say you are born with it, but Bi-Polar usually doesn't have an onset until age 18-23 **@.

 

[Kimchi Papi]

I'm glad he's not drinking or getting high. A large number of people with bi-polar disorder are addicts or alcoholics. Sometimes you might have to try different meds with this. It's a crap shoot sometime trying to find the right thing to work for your father. As for you & your sisters, you should talk to his health professional to see what might be best for you guys to help with his situation. If he's not seeing anyone, I would strongly recommend it. As corny as it sounds, seek out some groups in your area & visit a couple to get an idea how other people are coping with thier family members. It sounds like you really care about him which is great. Do your sisters feel the same way you do? If so, that's a really good support network. Good luck man...

 

[airmaxpenny1]

My bro has had it his whole life.  In and out of different schools, friends etc.  It was def. hard to deal with growing up in many ways.

Most important thing you can do is just try to be their for your father when you can.  Realize you have your own family and your own life and your fathers mental health issues is not your sole responsibility but when you can, do the best to be there for him.  It's a roller-coaster man, they'll feel good for two years straight and you'll think they have conquered it and then they'll fall into a hole for another 5 years.  My brothers gotten pretty good at managing it even when its at his worst.  If one can find the right combination of meds, they can live a nice, successful, fulfilling life even with Bi-Polar.  It just brings a lot of stress at times but the longer you deal with someone who has Bi-Polar, the better you get at dealing with it.

If you have any questions on it or are interested in some good literature OP, just PM me

 

[campbellsoup]

Originally Posted by airmaxpenny1

My bro has had it his whole life.  In and out of different schools, friends etc.  It was def. hard to deal with growing up in many ways.

Most important thing you can do is just try to be their for your father when you can.  Realize you have your own family and your own life and your fathers mental health issues is not your sole responsibility but when you can, do the best to be there for him.  It's a roller-coaster man, they'll feel good for two years straight and you'll think they have conquered it and then they'll fall into a hole for another 5 years.  My brothers gotten pretty good at managing it even when its at his worst.  If one can find the right combination of meds, they can live a nice, successful, fulfilling life even with Bi-Polar.  It just brings a lot of stress at times but the longer you deal with someone who has Bi-Polar, the better you get at dealing with it.

If you have any questions on it or are interested in some good literature OP, just PM me

Thanks for the  kind words and replies...same to you PSK.

He is seeing a therapist and psychiatrist, but we still have to find the right medications which can be tedious.

For now I'm just trying to be supportive for him, yet still live my life. It can be tough, but I have no choice.