BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness Mental Health Bi-polar?

My sister has been hospitalized since the the end of August. The doctors say that she is bi-polar and she was in a severe manic stage. Problem is that I don't know much about the condition, and I find myself very confused on how to handle it. Basically I have just removed myself from the situation. I have not seen her since she has been in.

I feel bad but what makes me feel even worse is that I am not sure what is the Bi-polar and what is her. There have been many issues in the past before which makes me wonder about her behaviours at this point.

It seems to me like she is in a sense trying to get a "free ride" from this whole situation. She is walking all over my parents, expecting them to pay all her bills, taking off from the hospital to the point where they "orange band" her so she can't leave. My mother is definately enabling her to the point where she is the only one allowed to take her out of the hospital. But my sister is mean, and often vulgar to her, and my mom just says "it's because she's sick".

I guess my question is to what point does someone with bi-polar regain their responsibilities for their actions. I know not everything can be blamed on it. My sister also studied this in college, so it makes it even harder for me to understand what is her and what isn't.

TIA and I do apologize if I come across the wrong way. I am just trying to understand what is going on with her.

Bi-Polar is such a strange disorder, because it is exactly how it sounds - 2 disorders in one. The person goes through 2 extreme changes of personality.

Here is an article that might help
Is it Depression or BiPolar

There are also different "levels" of BiPolar disorder. I suffer from what is called BiPolar 4 or "other" Bipolar disease. My manic phases do not appear like typical manic phases. I do not get extremely happy and excited during my manic phases nor do I go out and do lots of wild things. I get extremely iritable and angry. I will overeat, not sleep and overspend. Other people will engage in reckless sex, drugs, drinking, driving fast extreme sports, etc.

Then my depressive stage hits and I hit rock bottom - I cannot get out of bed and have been suicidal in the past. Now I know what this phase is and so can work through it without those dangerous tendencies - but it is still hard to leave the house and I am prone to panic attacks.

but if your sister truly is in the middle of a manic phase, then she will do everything she can to leave the hospital. She is seeking out reckless and dangerous behavior, because this is the only type of behavior that can give her the type of adrenaline high her body chemistry is seeking right now - at least until her doctors can figure out what medication she should be on.

There are many different medications used for mood stabilization of BiPolar. I am currently on one called Abilify. It is new for me and is working quite well. But some people do not do well at all on it - it makes them even more edgy. That is the problem with psychoactive drugs - doctors cannot predict what will or won't work for a person, it is simply trial and error.

While your sister might be able to fake some symptoms, it is doubtful she could fool an entire mental hospital. Your parents do need to educate themselves on where to draw the line between illness and when to hold her accountable, though. Part of getting better with mental illness is being able to be independant. If they baby her al the time - she will never have that.

The best thing you can do for you, your sister, and your family is to become informed.

Here is an entire website dedicated to information on the disease of Bipolar disorder:
BiPolar.com

You will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Thank you for the information. I have been left out of the loop for most of this, so it really helps clarify some questions. I hope that the medications she is on will help bring her down a bit and back to her normal self.