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scot47 May 14th 2020 8:42 pm

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 !

spouse of scouse May 14th 2020 9:25 pm

Re: Bi-polar Disorder
 

Originally Posted by scot47 (Post 12853142)
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 !

That's sad Scott. I hope your family member gets the treatment they need.

BEVS May 14th 2020 10:17 pm

Re: Bi-polar Disorder
 

Originally Posted by scot47 (Post 12853142)
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 !

So very true Scot47. Is the person accepting treatment? That can be rather hard.

Lion in Winter May 16th 2020 4:37 am

Re: Bi-polar Disorder
 

Originally Posted by scot47 (Post 12853142)
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 !

Sorry to hear that. Hope s/he persists with treatment. They've got a lot better at figuring it out.


scot47 Jun 4th 2020 12:27 pm

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.

Red_Wine_Fairy Jun 4th 2020 1:17 pm

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.

scot47 Jun 4th 2020 1:23 pm

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/

Mallory Jun 4th 2020 11:48 pm

Re: Bi-polar Disorder
 

Originally Posted by scot47 (Post 12861946)
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/

Did you work in KSA after your treatment? How did that affect your life?


scot47 Jun 5th 2020 4:43 am

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.

scot47 Jun 8th 2020 4:01 am

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.

spouse of scouse Jun 8th 2020 10:12 am

Re: Bi-polar Disorder
 

Originally Posted by scot47 (Post 12863513)
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.

No taboo breach for me Scot, I just don't look in on this forum very frequently.

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 :thumbup:


scot47 Jun 8th 2020 4:11 pm

Re: Bi-polar Disorder
 
Still kicking ! Tnx.

scot47 Jun 29th 2020 8:49 pm

Re: Bi-polar Disorder
 
Family member is still suffering from Bipolar Disorder. A tragedy for her and for us.

spouse of scouse Jun 30th 2020 11:18 am

Re: Bi-polar Disorder
 

Originally Posted by scot47 (Post 12873800)
Family member is still suffering from Bipolar Disorder. A tragedy for her and for us.

I'm sorry to hear that Scot. I hope your family member lives in a country where suitable treatment and assistance is available. I know that everyone's experience of the condition is different, but I know two people with bipolar 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.

caretaker Jun 30th 2020 12:05 pm

Re: Bi-polar Disorder
 

Originally Posted by scot47 (Post 12873800)
Family member is still suffering from Bipolar Disorder. A tragedy for her and for us.

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.


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