Question:
I have many questions about BiPolar Depression. Very specific questions.
My sister has been diagnosed with BiPolar Depression with Anxiety. She was
totally fine until 2 years ago when she had a serious episode when she was
admitted to the hospital because she was unable to function. She was
depressed, crying, not making any sense. Serious paranoia, etc. The family
had no idea what was happening, we just thought she had totally lost it.
She was put on medication immediately. It took her about 4 weeks to recover
somewhat and about 8 months later the doctor weaned her off the medication.
She again just two weeks ago had her second episode. The family knows
nothing about the disorder, in fact, everyone including herself and her
husband just assumed she had a nervous breakdown two years ago and once she
was back to her old self everyone forgot about it, until now. Now we're all
confused and wondering what this is all about. Can anyone shed some insight
on this or give me and my family an idea of what to expect or how this can
be handled or how can we care for her?
Answer:
Bipolar Disorder is also known as manic depression. Basically, it
means that you are at either one of two extreme ends of the emotional
spectrum, with no middle ground. Either you are higher than a kite,
acting like you are on speed with the rapid speech, rapid thoughts,
lack of common sense and good judgement; or you are extremely
depressed, unable to function, sometimes suicidal...it varies from
person to person, but that's the basic nuts and bolts of it. I know
someone will post the DSM definition (what the psych profession uses
as a definition). What it means to be diagnosed is that you now have
a mental illness that must be controlled for the rest of his/her life.
It can be managed, much like diabetes, with medication. But that does
not mean that he/she will not be able to live a full life. Depends on your definition of episode. I am just now coming back from
a major depressive "episode", one that I haven'd had this bad in a few
years. I have my moments where I get manic, but to a point. But yes,
unfortunately, you will have more than one for the rest of your life,
either at one extreme or the other. At this time, there is no known cure for bipolar disorder. For a
quality of life, yes, medication is the treatment forever. THere are
many here who have found a combination of herbs and medication to work
wonders for them. Some even use flax seed oil along with their
medication "tail" and it works great for them. I am doing fine
with my medication and I take it faithfully, no additional supplements
necessary. Each one of us respond differently to different
medications and supplements. What works for me may not work for you. YES! You can still hold your job. Many do. Many don't. It depends
on the severity of the disorder. I work a 40 hour week at work (most
often than not it's more than that for me). I am grateful that my
boss understands (he's had a couple bouts with depression himself) and
is flexible enough to where I can take off if I need to for
appointments or if I'm truly having a difficult time. Honestly, I
think that if you respond well enough to the medication that you are
able to work, I don't see a problem, nor a need for a long sick leave. It depends from person to person. For me, it was two major stressors
in my life, and it is possible for me to have a major down turn again
since I had a really major crisis pop up in my family this past week.
Sometimes, if the bipolar disorder is severe enough, it doesn't take
much for an "episode" to happen. It truly depends on the person. For me, it's obvious when I'm going manic. I start doing a lot of
research on the internet about all sorts of off the wall stuff.
Usually if my internet usage goes way up, I'm about to go manic. When
I'm depressed, I lay on the sofa a lot. Honestly, the only thing
anyone can do for me is just to listen, and to make sure I don't have
my debit card or no money in my account when I'm manic and just help
out around the house when I'm depressed.
