Are you planning to take care of someone who is bipolar? If yes, then this article is for you.
Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that causes extreme mood shifts from high (mania and hypomania) to low (depression). It also affects their behavior, concentration, and energy levels. There is no cure. But with the help of treatment and support many people can live a normal life. Visit the best Mental Health Clinic in Brooklyn at Doral Health & Wellness or log on to www.doralhw.org.
Learn the 5 common ways that help you support your loved one with bipolar disorder.
5 Ways to Help a loved one with bipolar disorder
- Increase your knowledge about bipolar disorder:
It is important that you have good knowledge about bipolar disorder because this is the only way that you understand the condition, symptoms, and the ways that you can help them in their treatment.
Here are some quick bipolar disorder basics:
- Bipolar disorder is a mental disease that causes extreme shifts in mood, behavior, concentration, and energy levels. It causes episodes that shift from extreme happiness and energy (mania) to extremely low (depression).
- It has three main types of bipolar disorder – bipolar 1, bipolar 2, and cyclothymic disorder. Each type has a different pattern of symptoms.
- Its common symptoms include high energy, irritability, loss of appetite, rapid thoughts, trouble sleeping, sadness, trouble concentrating, loss of interest and pleasure, feelings of hopelessness, etc.
- Its treatment involves mediation and psychotherapy or a combination of both.
- According to the National Institute of Mental Health, around 2.8% of adults in the US suffer from bipolar disorder.
To increase your knowledge, you can go through some books, websites, or articles that are published in reliable sources. We are also there for you if you need our help, contact us on 1-347-384-5690 to get all the important details you want to know about bipolar disorder.
- Listen to your loved one:
Open your ears and listen to what they want to say to you. There are so many things or challenges they are dealing with, which they want to share. While it is not necessary that you have the answers to all the questions, just openly listening to them and expressing your support is what they need.
While listening, remember to keep a calm attitude toward them. Even when you cannot understand their experiences fully, you should avoid things like blaming or getting angry. Try not to get frustrated due to an individual’s behaviors especially when they have a bipolar episode. They may behave in a way that is unexpected such as aggressive, irritable, moody, hostile, reckless, or even hurtful.
Keep in mind, these actions are the symptoms of the condition and not a reflection on you. As you support them, keep an attitude that can shape their feelings about their ability to cope with the condition and manage their symptoms.
- Support them during treatment:
Patients need to take bipolar treatment throughout their life. But people find it difficult to stick with their treatment in the long run, which is also proven by a study.
However, many people stop taking the medications due to many reasons such as wanting to avoid side effects or believing that they are fine and don’t need any medication, which is not true. Stopping the medications can imbalance their mood and increase the risk of relapsing which can cause a minor mood episode to a severe one.
You can help them change their attitude towards medication, by asking them gently and reminding them how important and useful it is. You can also help by reminding them about the medication dosages and schedule, along with their therapy appointments. All this can help them avoid certain setbacks that they may encounter.
Additionally, you can also encourage them to adopt positive habits and self-management strategies such as eating healthily, exercising regularly, avoiding stress, etc. All these things can improve their quality of life along with treatment.
- Keep yourself ready for an emergency:
When you take care of a loved one who suffers from bipolar disorder, you need to be ready with an emergency plan during severe bipolar episodes. This plan should include what to do if a person may have suicidal or self-harm thoughts during a depressive episode or person needs help during a manic episode.
Besides severe episodes, you should also have everyday plans to help the person through the time when they experience extreme episodes. These plans can work as coping mechanisms to help the person when they shift their mood and help them to complete their chores, and other daily activities when they are on low energy.
- Don’t neglect yourself:
It is very easy to forget to take care of yourself while taking care of someone with bipolar disorder. So, make sure you set healthy boundaries to keep yourself healthy.
Here are some ways that help you set those healthy boundaries:
- Understand your needs and set time to pursue your goals and interests.
- Set limits to unacceptable behaviors: Clearly state what troubles you; while focusing on how it makes you feel instead of blaming your loved one.
- Set consequences for overstepping your boundaries and use them to enforce your boundaries. Don’t think of your boundaries as a form of punishment for your loved ones.
- Protect your well-being: Keep in mind you have every right to protect your emotional and physical well-being. So, you can be a supportive person to your loved ones, but don’t let them rule your life.
And make sure you eat on time, get enough sleep, and exercise regularly to keep yourself healthy.
These are the most common ways that allow you to support your loved one with bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is a chronic disease which means treatment of this disease is life-long. Supporting them during treatment is the best way to keep them safe and healthy. But keep in mind, you also need to take care of yourself too because you also have a life to live.
Need help to learn more ways to support your loved one with bipolar disorder? Call us on 718-DORAL-55, 1-347-384-5690 to get a consultation. If you need help learning coping methods, register your information and make direct contact with our doctors and psychiatrists to learn those methods, log on to www.doralhw.org. Doral Health and Wellness has the best Doctors and Psychiatrists who specialize in Behavioral health, make accurate diagnoses, and craft tailored treatment programs. Visit us at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11212.