He won't go to a doctor about it, and is
convinced that his mother wouldn't pay for
treatment (he's 19, so technically, she
doesn't need to pay).
Right now, it's 3am and he is in such a
low that he's physically ill, so i'm
staying up to keep him company (via
internet and phone). I'm always the one
who stays with him when he gets like this,
because everyone else (his friends and
family) have given up hopes of helping
him. When he was younger (15 or 16ish)
he was extremely suicidal, and attempted
suicide quite a few times, but he says
that those urges are past him.
I just need some help, please. First
off, how can I convince him to get
treatment? Second off, arm me with
knowledge. I want to be able to help
him, and I know the girlfriend shouldn't
try to play psychiatrist, but I just want
to know what to say or what to do to make
him feel better.
It's affecting his life. He could barely
hold a seasonal job because some days, he
is just too depressed to show up. He
says that if he did show up, he'd be
afraid of losing his temper and going
balistic on the job. He attended a
university for one semester last year
before dropping out, because he couldn't
motivate himself to attend classes, and
now he's enrolled in a community college
and can barely even motivate himself to
attend classes there (he's nearly
failing).
He's convinced it's just sad (seasonal
affective disorder), and while it is true
that the winter makes it worse, he
definately shows bipolar signs all year.
Please give me some advice. We've been
dating for almost a year, and have been
friends for almost five, and I have a
feeling i'll be spending the rest of my
life with him, and his depression.
First of all what a very sad statement in
your last sentence. You must not think a
lot of yourself or that you feel you
deserve better then him and his
depression. Read all of the treads on
this page. I started one entitled
thinking about dating someone who is
bipolar, read here first.
You can't make your boyfriend do anything
he doesn't want to and I do feel sorry for
him that his family isn't there to support
him. It's nice he has you to count on,
although I am going to assume like most
bipolars he pushes you away too.
I advise you to seek out help for yourself
and educate yourself about the illness.
To say that you are willing to spend the
rest of your life with him and his illness
makes me feel more sad for you. You
don't have the illness, he does. Don't
follow him into his darkness. Get help
for yourself, before you can get help for
him
|
Balch
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 03 Dec 2006 Posts: 30 Location: Sunnyvale
Bipolar Disorder Posted: 12-12-06 04:17am
Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder
characterized by alternating states of
depression and mania that follow each
other in a repeating cycle.
People with bipolar disorder may cycle
through these states quickly or may
experience long periods of depression or
mania. Often one mood state predominates,
while the other occurs only infrequently
or briefly. The cause of bipolar disorder
is unknown.
Product checklist for bipolar disorder
vitamin-mineral-amino acid formula
(currently proprietary)
fish oil
medical options for bipolar disorder
prescription drug treatment of bipolar
disorder includes lithium carbonate
(eskalith®, lithobid®), valproic acid
(depakote®, depakene®), carbamazepine
(tegretol®), and lamotrigine
(lamictal®). Antianxiety drugs,
antidepressants, and antipsychotics are
also common components of treatment.
Psychological counseling and sleep
management is sometimes recommended.
Severe cases requiring hospitalization due
to rapid or pronounced mood swings might
also require electroconvulsive therapy
(electrical impulses applied to the
brain).
Lifestyle changes that may be helpful
exercise influences the production and use
of neurotransmitters and hormones in the
body, and its antidepressant effect is
well known.1 a preliminary study of the
effects of vigorous exercise on the body
chemistry of patients with bipolar
disorder found that exercise increased a
specific chemical associated with better
mood.2 however, exercise may adversely
influence the effectiveness of some
medications used for bipolar disorder.
Many people with bipolar disorder take
lithium, and because lithium is lost in
sweat, exercise that involves significant
sweating may change blood levels of
lithium. Such a change has been reported
in one person;3 therefore, people taking
lithium who intend to start a vigorous
exercise program should be monitored by
their doctor.
Vitamins that may be helpful
people diagnosed with depression may have
lower blood levels of omega-3 fatty
acids.4 5 a double-blind trial found that
bipolar patients taking 9.6 grams of
omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil per day
in addition to their conventional
medications had significant improvements
compared with those taking placebo.6
Last edited by Balch on 12-13-06 22:50pm; edited 1 time in total
|
Jamie_
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 28 Nov 2006 Posts: 3 Location: New Mexico
While It Can Be Tough to Deal With....... Posted: 12-12-06 12:54pm
It's not impossible. I agree you should
educate yourself yourself about this
disorder and make sure you go into
anything eyes wide open. In a deep
depression, there's not much you can say
or do to make him feel better. That's
what medications and therapy are for. Nor
can you make him get help. For treatment
to be succesful, the person recieveing the
treatment has to want to help themselves.
Meds and therapy can only do so much.
There seems to be a lot of bitterness
towards bipolar within this forum, so i'm
going to give you a story of hope and what
can happen should he be convinced to get
treatment. I recently went through a
mixed episode in which I thought I was god
. Shortly thereafter, I wanted a divorce
from my husband for absolutely no reason
at all . After a hospitalization I was
diagnosed with bipolar 2 . It's been a
bit of a long road, but I have 4 kids, a
good marriage, and a fairly normal life.
The fact that i'm bipolar does not define
me as a person. To me it's a label.
During my most recent episode, I was
convinced I wanted to throw it all away,
but after recieving treatment, I realized
how much I have and the fact that my
husband stuck with me through it all has
served to make our marriage stronger than
it was before. I suggest you read a
brilliant madness by patty duke and
agents in my brain by bill hannon.
