Bi-polar Disorder
#1
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Bi-polar Disorder
New label - old condition. Formerly Manic-Depression and before that who knows what label was used. Dealing with it in a family member is difficult. Going through that now.
those of us in reasonable mental health do not know how lucky we are !
those of us in reasonable mental health do not know how lucky we are !
#2
Re: Bi-polar Disorder
That's sad Scott. I hope your family member gets the treatment they need.
#3
Re: Bi-polar Disorder
So very true Scot47. Is the person accepting treatment? That can be rather hard.
#4
Re: Bi-polar Disorder
#5
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Re: Bi-polar Disorder
I am not convinced that treatment in the form of incarceration, or medication, works.
I tend to agree with those in the Anti-psychiatry Tendency Like that mad Scots anti-psychiatrist, now deceased. whose name I have forgotten.
I tend to agree with those in the Anti-psychiatry Tendency Like that mad Scots anti-psychiatrist, now deceased. whose name I have forgotten.
Last edited by scot47; Jun 4th 2020 at 1:22 pm.
#6
Re: Bi-polar Disorder
Best wishes for your family member Scot. I'm alarmed to hear about incarceration - I thought they'd left that behind in the mid-20th century. Are you sure this is what's happening, or are they being assessed as an inpatient for a short while? This is more common and usually takes the form of lots of testing via interviews and discussions, to try to work out exactly what kind of Bi-Polar it is - yes, there are even different kinds. I think it's important to see that this is just as serious as a physical injury. Medication has come a long way and these days is not intended to keep them docile/doped up and unable to function: it's there to take the edges off the ultra-highs and ultra-lows by imitating the chemicals in the brain that are not working as they should, so that what they experience is more like those a neuro-typical person would experience.
#7
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Re: Bi-polar Disorder
Patients are still "sectioned" under the Mental Health Acts. The authorities do not use the term "incarceration" but that label fits the reality. I speak as one who has been confined in London, Cardiff and Edinburgh. Not made it to Belfast yet. My involuntary spells in the looney bin were related to alcohol abuse and since I stopped that (30 years ago) I have been better, but not cured.
. The mad Scots psychiatrist was R D Laing. Now late. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-p...stic%20process.
https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs...al-health-act/
. The mad Scots psychiatrist was R D Laing. Now late. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-p...stic%20process.
https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs...al-health-act/
Last edited by scot47; Jun 4th 2020 at 1:33 pm.
#8
Re: Bi-polar Disorder
Patients are still "sectioned" under the Mental Health Acts. The authorities do not use the term "incarceration" but that label fits the reality. I speak as one who has been confined in London, Cardiff and Edinburgh. Not made it to Belfast yet. My involuntary spells in the looney bin were related to alcohol abuse and since I stopped that (30 years ago) I have been better, but not cured.
. The mad Scots psychiatrist was R D Laing. Now late. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-p...stic%20process.
https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs...al-health-act/
. The mad Scots psychiatrist was R D Laing. Now late. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-p...stic%20process.
https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs...al-health-act/
#9
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Re: Bi-polar Disorder
Employers who learned about my history would not hire me. I simply concealed my history of insanity. Staying sober, I did not have any recurrence of the "psychotic episodes" that troubled me.
#10
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Re: Bi-polar Disorder
Have I breached a taboo by talking about my own experiences that took me to the "Psych Ward" ? It is a subject that makes some people uncomfortable. For many years I doid not speak about it much - even with close friends and family.
#11
Re: Bi-polar Disorder
I don't think a psych ward is any different to a cardio or orthopedic ward - a part of our body plays up, we get it treated. But you're right, it does make some people uncomfortable, I think that's more because they don't want to say the 'wrong' thing so they say nothing.
I'm glad you're doing so much better now
#14
Re: Bi-polar Disorder
One is doing very well on medication and has no problem with maintaining their job and family/friends relationships. The other initially did well on prescribed medication but decided that, as he felt so much better, he could stop his medication. That didn't work out so well and seems to have set up a cycle of 'do well on medication - stop medication - doesn't do well at all - recommences medication - does well -' etc etc.
As much as the people with untreated/uncontrolled bipolar disorder suffer, so do their families. I hope things get better for her and all your family.
#15
Re: Bi-polar Disorder
Very true; family and friends are collateral damage in mental health. All you can really do is support her in the tough times and hope things get better: That support is probably the most under-rated treatment, even though the patient may not acknowledge it. I had a friend who got sick nearly every year of her adult life and required hospitalisation in probably 2/3 - 3/4 of those instances. So sick she used to say she was the Bull Goose Loony of the Vancouver psych ward, then when she was in her early 50's they tried a drug she hadn't had before (and she'd had most of them) and became so close to normal it was near miraculous. It was a one-off, but I thought I'd mention it just because sometimes good things do happen. Keep us posted anytime you feel the urge.