Helping a Loved One with Bipolar Disorder


Dealing with the ups and downs of bipolar disorder can be difficult—and not just for the person with the illness. The moods and behaviors of a person with bipolar disorder affect everyone around—especially family members and close friends. During a manic episode, they must cope with reckless antics, outrageous demands, explosive outbursts, and irresponsible decisions. And once the whirlwind of mania has passed, it often falls on them to deal with the consequences. During episodes of depression, they may have to pick up the slack for a loved one who doesn’t have the energy to meet responsibilities at home or work.

People with bipolar disorder do better when they have support from family members and friends. Those whose loved ones are involved and supportive tend to recover more quickly, experience fewer manic and depressive episodes, and have milder symptoms.
If someone close to you has bipolar disorder, your love and support can make a difference in treatment and recovery. You can help by learning about the illness, offering hope and encouragement, keeping track of symptoms, and being a partner in treatment. But caring for a person with bipolar disorder will take a toll if you neglect your own needs, so it’s important to find a balance between supporting your loved one and taking care of yourself.

In addition to traditional medical treatment by qualified medical professionals (which has no substitutes), we also tried some other “natural” ways of managing ups and downs of Bipolar Disorder Symptoms. Book Conquer Stress, Depression & Anxiety was really helpful in maintaining “normal” mood levels.

Probably the best solution to stop anxiety, panic attacks and phobias is Linden Method. We strongly recommend you to try it. It’s a comprehensive and natural method to deal with many symptoms that accompany Bipolar Disorder.

The good news is that most people with bipolar disorder can stabilize their moods with proper treatment, medication, and support—so if your friend or family member has bipolar disorder, take hope. Furthermore, you can play a significant
role in his or her recovery.

Here are some ways you can help a person with bipolar disorder:

  • Learn about bipolar disorder. Educate yourself about bipolar disorder. Learn everything you can about the symptoms and treatment options. The more you know about bipolar disorder, the better equipped you’ll be to help your loved one and keep things in perspective.
  • Encourage the person to get help. The sooner bipolar disorder is treated, the better the prognosis, so urge your friend or family member to seek professional help right away. Don’t wait to see if the person will get better without treatment.
  • Be understanding. Let your friend or family member know that you’re there if he or she needs a sympathetic ear, encouragement, or assistance with treatment. Remind the person that you care and that you’ll do
    whatever you can to help.
  • Be patient. Getting better takes time, even when a person is committed to treatment. Don’t expect a quick recovery or a permanent cure. Be patient with the pace of recovery and prepare for setbacks and challenges.
    Managing bipolar disorder is a lifelong process.

I wish you and loved ones health, happiness and success in overcoming Bipolar Symptoms. Please scroll down to next posts to read more….

Natalie K.

 

http://encognitive.com/node/925
Successful Treatment of Bipolar Disorder With a Nutritional Supplement: Ten Cases

Recent research on various nutrients has suggested that some mental illness might be ameliorated by supplementation. Much work has focused on essential fatty acids (1), although various minerals are also being studied (especially zinc). We are evaluating a broad-based nutritional supplement that contains primarily trace minerals, plus vitamins and amino acids.

Recent work has suggested that crops grown with western farming methods contain fewer of these essential nutrients than they did in years past (2) . Although we have been examining the effects of the supplement on a variety of psychiatric symptoms in both children and adults, it appears to be particularly promising for Bipolar Disorder in adults.

We will present an open case series of 10 male patients aged 20-46 years who thus far have taken the supplement for 1.5 – 6 months. Four were diagnosed with Bipolar I, four with Bipolar II, one with Bipolar Mixed, and one with Bipolar-NOS. In most cases, the supplement has entirely replaced psychoactive medications and the patients have remained well. Side effects (e.g., nausea) have been rare, minor, and transitory. In all cases, the patients have been evaluated periodically with the Hamilton-Depression Scale, the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, and the Young Mania Rating Scale.

The change in mean scores for each scale from study entry to the time of the last visit are as follows: Ham-D (20.4 to 8.2), BPRS (37.3 to 9.9), YMRS (16.8 to 6.1), and OQ (75.2 to 48.2).
A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of the supplement for Bipolar I has been funded and began in July 2000.
Authors: Bonnie J. Kaplan1, PhD; J. Steve A. Simpson1, PhD, MD; Richard C. Ferre2, MD; Chris P. Gorman1, MD; David McMullen1, MD; – 1Calgary, Alberta, Canada; 2Salt Lake City, Utah
AbstractPresented at the Canadian Psychiatric Association annual meeting October 4, 2000, Victoria, British Columbia.
References:
1. Stoll AL, Severus E, Freeman MP, Rueter S, Zboyan HA, Diamond E, Cress KK, Marangell LB: Omega 3 fatty acids in bipolar disorder: A preliminary double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Archives of General Psychiatry 1999; 56:407-412.
2. Mayer AB: Historical changes in the mineral content of fruits and vegetables. British Food Journal 1997; 99:207-211

http://www.truehealth.org/break02.html

Duration : 0:7:49

Continue reading »

Duration : 0:10:1

Continue reading »

The history of bipolar disease, or bipolar disorder, began in the 2nd century AD, but was not thoroughly studied until contemporary psychotherapy developed in the 1850s. Find out how medication began being used for treatment of Bipolar Disorder in the 1950s with information from a licensed mental health counselor in this free video on bipolar disorder.

Expert: David Thomas
Contact: www.WTGTampa.com
Bio: Dr. David Thomas has been certified as a licensed mental health counselor in the state of Florida since 1986 and the National Board of Certified Counselors since 1987.
Filmmaker: Christopher Rokosz

Duration : 0:2:7

Continue reading »

Episode 4: An interview with Megan. Megan is a 25-year old graduate student with Bipolar Disorder. 9-minutes. More info at: bipolarhelp.org

Duration : 0:9:15

Continue reading »

Bipolar disease, or disorder, is commonly linked to genetic factors, though relatives are not often diagnosed, they may have displayed common bipolar symptoms. Get more information on bipolar disorder causes from a licensed mental health counselor in this free video on Bipolar Disorder.

Expert: David Thomas
Contact: www.WTGTampa.com
Bio: Dr. David Thomas has been certified as a licensed mental health counselor in the state of Florida since 1986 and the National Board of Certified Counselors since 1987.
Filmmaker: Christopher Rokosz

Duration : 0:1:41

Continue reading »

Hey Guys, In this video, Dr. Joe Bresee, with CDC’s Influenza Division, describes the symptoms of swne flu and wrning signs to look for that indicte the n…

Duration : 0:1:50

Continue reading »

Information bout utism symptoms and total toxic lod.

Duration : 0:2:35

Continue reading »

This vide describes the Medical Symptoms of Sexually Transmitted Disease or STD. Tmil VidoMedical Symptoms and Complete Explanation about STDWatch All Par…

Duration : 0:2:37

Continue reading »

Treatments for bipolar disorder symptoms generally include medication and cognitive behavior psychotherapy. Therapy for bipolar disorder should focus on resolving the root issue of the problem. Discuss bipolar disorder treatments with a psychiatrist or therapist using advice from a licensed mental health counselor in this free video on Bipolar Disorder.

Expert: David Thomas
Contact: www.WTGTampa.com
Bio: Dr. David Thomas has been certified as a licensed mental health counselor in the state of Florida since 1986 and the National Board of Certified Counselors since 1987.
Filmmaker: Christopher Rokosz

Duration : 0:2:26

Continue reading »

© 2010 Bipolar Symptoms Suffusion WordPress theme by Sayontan Sinha