Yesterday I got news from my brother that his son, my 23 year old nephew, was diagnosed as bipolar. About a year and a half ago he had experienced a terrible depression. His system is very sensitive and it was very hard to find the right medication for him, probably partly because at that time it was not known that he was bipolar, so they were treating him for depression.
A friend of my nephew's called my brother on Saturday night to tell him that my nephew was behaving strangely, in a way that seemed dangerous to his friend. My brother flew to see his son that night. My nephew was completely unaware that there was anything odd about his behavior and didn't get it when my brother said he thought my nephew was having a manic episode. To get my nephew to the emergency room at the hospital he had to call 911 and have an ambulance come to get them because my nephew was acting very combative and belligerent and denying that anything was wrong. Between Saturday and Monday they were referred by the hospital to a local psychiatrist who is the one who made the diagnosis and started my nephew off on a very low dose of Abilify.
I know all about Abilify, what it treats, and its side effects, as I take it myself for a different sort of mental illness that causes me to have psychotic fears. What I don't know much about is Bipolar illness. I found this group (Bipolar Writers' Association) when I was looking for another one (Understanding Mental Illness) and joined it immediately, hoping that I could get some information and support here, as I would like to be able to help both my brother and my nephew in any way I can, in any way they will permit me to.
It would help me greatly to get some recommendations for good books to read on Bipolar illness. In particular, I would appreciate it if someone could recommend a book that is geared towards young adults who are bipolar. Some of the books I have browsed through on amazon.com seem like they would scare my nephew more than they would help him. I would like to find a book that explains things in simple terms, if such a book exists, so that when my nephew is ready and willing, he could get a good explanation of what he has been diagnosed with and what to expect.
I would also like to find a book written specifically for family members that I could read that might have suggestions on how to be supportive. And I'd like to find a book for parents of young adults/children who are bipolar to recommend to my brother. He is very stressed and doing what he can to help his son right now, but he from what he has told me, he has little understanding of this illness. I would at least like to be able to recommend a book or two that would give him the information he needs to help his son.
Any other suggestions you have for how, as aunt to a nephew I love deeply, I can be of support to him would be very welcome.
I thank you ahead of time for your help.
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Comments: 19
I am proud of his growth.
Every person is different, so every "disorder" runs its course differently.
Leslie, the story you have told about your student is uplifting. I hope my nephew will have such a positive recovery experience.
Bob, thank you for your good wishes, thoughts and prayers. They mean a lot to me.
Audrey, thank you for your sympathy and your prayers. It means a lot to me.
That said, there are many good books out there. The one I've found most helpful thus far is "The Bipolar Child" by Demitri & Janice Papolos.
What has helped my daughter and me has been finding the correct medications for each of us and also prayer.
One of the biggest problems with Bipolar Disorder is that many ppl enjoy the Manic episodes for the energy levels they provide and the creativity that accompanies them. Since many ppl with Bipolar Disorder have depression most of the time, the high of mania is so welcome that they don't want to take medications to balance out. Sadly, usually following a manic high is a "crash" or deep depression that is frequently resistant to medications and far worse than the depressions that do not immediately follow mania. This is why it's so important for someone with Bipolar Disorder to be on medication to keep the balance. Medications don't always work for each person. It's a very personal thing on what medication and how much and in what combination. Also important is that the person doesn't "self medicate" which frequently happens with mental illnesses.
God Bless you and your family.
I have heard before what you have said about people with the disorder not wanting to continue with the medication to balance things out if they have a manic episode, that is one of the reasons I am hoping my nephew will be willing to make the effort to learn more about the disorder. His first episode was a serious depression and as he is very sensitive to medication, he kept having bad reactions to whatever they gave him, but also at the time, the doctors only saw the depression. It wasn't until this past hypomanic episode that the doctors saw the other part of the disorder.
I will look for the book you have recommended, The Bipolar Child and I will also recommend it to my brother. I feel the more all of us know about the disorder and how to help someone with it, the better we will be able to support my nephew and the better time of it he will have.
I'm sorry to hear that your own family has been resistent to learning about the disorder in order to help you and your 16 year old. There is still so much stigma and so many myths attached to mental illness that people run the minute it is mentioned or they minimize and dismiss its significance. I hope that you and your daughter will find the right medications and that prayer continues to help.
Again, I so appreciate your response. It has been tremendously helpful and I feel I have a friend who truly understands and cares what this is all about. Thank you, Beth.
His psychiatrist says he has clinical depression which brings on the bipolar; his old counselor disagrees and says he has multipule DX one being OCD along with Bipolar.
I do agree with Lucy; as our church envolvement helped my grandson; because his support was huge; however when he graduated from childrens church to the youth group he lost the support.
He presently is living with his biological father and is having problems with behaviors that could effect him for the rest of his life. He doesn't care if he graduates the eight grade and says he hates school. Most of his problems are social.
He is in our prayers continuely.