BiPolar

[ALIAS101]

Disease

There I said it.

Anyone here have a family member, friend, etc. effected? I am Dealing with an “event” / onset, completely out of left field, in a highly (academically) stressed nephew/high school student I am close to. He has social issues, but I did not perceive them too terrible.

Long-term experience with Sewquil –spelling- ?
Re-occurrences?
Have you known this thing just going dormant after one event?
Sleep deprivation?

etc.

[dumpy]

A friend from high school married a woman with bipolar. She was into extensive self medication via crack cocaine, would get clean for a while and then get back into it. I'm guessing the swings in substance abuse coincided with her disease. Last I heard she was clean "for good", but who knows when you've got a disease that bad. I heard that at the height of it, she ended up selling her engagement ring and later her body to support her drug habit. On the handful of times I met her, she seemed like a great, sweet girl, but again things come and go with bi-polar.

That's the only one I got and it's probably an extreme example, but have always heard it's a bastard of a disease and difficult to manage because half the time you feel ok. key is to stay on your (doctor prescribed) meds.

+Vibes+

[iceman]

A good buddy of mine is seriously bi-polar. On his meds, you'd never know it. Off them, watch the fuck out. The problem is, as dumpy mentioned, half the time off the meds he feels fucking GREAT. Feels fucking awesome. Thinks taking the meds was a huge mistake. A couple few weeks later he'll be in lockdown on suicide watch.

But you say it's a one-time event. Maybe it is. maybe it's not bi-polar at all. Sleep deprivation I doubt, but it could be any number of things. Get him to talk to someone, duh.

[GeezerSteve]

I've dealt with a 2 bipolar clients and 2 bipolar friends. All 4 seem to function fine when they are taking meds in the correct dosage and correct intervals. AFAIK, 2 of them are good about the meds. The other 2 have histories of going off their meds because, it seems, they like the manic spikes. Weird.

As ice says, your nephew needs to be diagnosed. Good luck to him. If he indeed is bipolar, he's fortunate to live when and where he does. Modern psychotropic drugs are nothing short of a miracle for many people.

[ALIAS101]

He is def. getting help, in 72 hour settling phase at a professional facility was the term I heard. Appreciate the comments. extremely dfficult thing to go through, this kid had an aweful lot going for him. until last night.

My brother, we're just devestated.

[OldLarry]

Have known a few family friends and friends from school with this. Definitely very scary stuff- tends to be dormant until late teens/early 20s in lots of people. Have been told that the fact that this tends to coincide with drinking/drug experimentation has raised question of whether said experimentation draws it out or if they are sub consciously self medicating, etc. Tends to happen with very bright people in my experience also- maybe that is just the cases I have seen.

In any case it is not something to fuck around with, but can be managed and needs to be consistently long term. Best of luck- sounds like you and your bro are doing the right things...

[userA]

i have a violent bi polar mom and it is not devastating if managed correctly.
b

[spook]

all i know is if i show up at your place with a smile on my face shoot and ask questions later

[bad dancer]

Wow......This hits pretty close to home.

The last 7 months for our family have been pretty much a living hell.

This is my very "Coles Notes" story.

My son was pretty withdrawn his last couple months before graduation last year. About 7 months ago. Acting pretty selfish, very moody, somewhat depressed, sometimes awesome to be around but not very often. Prior to that, up to grade 11, he was very active, raced bikes, played rugby and in general a pretty good teenager. His last year of school was a disaster. Always sleeping in, missing class, bla bla bla. Oh he's just a teenager, we would say. Started smoking pot in grade 10.
He behavior starts getting "really weird" last month before graduation. It's clear that he is not going to graduate and it is all I can do just to stay in control and not kick him out of the house.

He starts staying out all night, and coming home and making music all day. He is a pretty talented and creative dude with dub-step electronic music. He would just stare into the computer for hours reading random things and getting very annoyed with anyone who came into contact with him. He had not been sleeping for about 7 days. He would close his eyes for about 20 seconds and then proceed to tell us that he just had a "nap" and felt great.
Went out on buying spree and spent ALL his money on shit like dream catchers and Buddha paraphernalia. Hanging out in the downtown Eastside with homeless people "teaching" them his new religion which he just made up.

He has disappearing for long stretches and was basically living in the forest behind our house for a couple of days making cedar tea and "healing" potions. Digging shelters in the ground and "sleeping" in them.

We were starting to totally freak out. I had to call a friend to come over to sit with him so he wouldn't leave the house while I was on the phone with doctors, friends, and professionals to guide us what to do.

Long story short, we were counseled to call the police and request that they come and be admitted into emergency for psych evaluation. They show up 6 strong and a paddy wagon and take him to the hospital. He escapes out of the cop car when they arrive, running 1 block in handcuffs, wearing a swami outfit and sari wrapped around his head and bare footed. He is tackled and brought back to the hospital where they proceed to shackle him to a bed, drug the shit out of him and put him under 24 hour guard.

He hasn't slept in 7 days. He sleeps for 2 days straight in restraints.

Transferred to the psych ward the next day. Diagnosed with bipolar and spends almost 1 month in recovery with another escape and police chase during that time. Nothing like getting call on your cell telling you your son escaped from the mental hospital and the police are looking for him. By this time, he had his own language, religion and was calling himself God. One thing about psych wards are that they are everything you have every perceived them to be. Just like on TV but even worse at times. Lots of medication, lots of people that claim they "shouldn't be here", lots of screaming, and plenty of questions and no answers. It really is the best place for them and yet the worst place for them.


One thing about a manic episode is that they think that what they are doing is "totally" normal. Like jumping out of a 2nd floor window to get to the car.

We learned that his manic episode was brought on by Cannabis. He had been smoking a lot of it and also took some shrooms. Totally snapped !!!! We have been informed that the cannabis "triggered" the bipolar gene that he posses. It's possible that it would have come out regardless of the pot but it definitely brought it out sooner.

He was released after about 3 1/2 weeks only to be brought back in under similar circumstances 1 week later. This time it was a month in recovery.

He has been on a few different drugs and seemed to be doing well this fall. Getting a job, sleeping regularly, taking his meds. They do screw you up a bit and he was aware of this and has always wanted to come off them. He made the decision 3 weeks ago to go off them and he seems to be doing OK for now but I am confident that this road will not end for a long time. He i s young and does not want to believe he has any problems. He lost his friends in the process and is somewhat angry I guess. I would be too.

We have had a couple of scares since his 2nd release. There are definitely indicators that we now know before he hits a manic state. For him, it's how he starts to dress. Starts buying weird things, and gets very organized in his room. We will now call him out on it to keep him in check.

Best thing you can do is be available, and don't get frustrated. It's a long process.


As for us, we are not out of the woods yet but hings are better within the family.

PM me if you have any questions. This is first hand for me and I have a fair bit of insight. Not an expert by any means. Always reading and still trying to learn about what this is all about. I have been to counselors, doctors, the works. Every mind is different and so individual case.

[GeezerSteve]

A guy I knew had a manic episode during which he spent his entire >$200K bank account balance in an afternoon. And that was 15 years ago when $200K was a chunk of change. He, with the help of a couple of fine attorneys, got nearly all of the expenditures voided on the theory that he lacked capacity during his manic spell. Last I heard he's doing okay on meds, although he does have a rather flat affect compared to his pre-med days.

[Mott the Hoople]

+++++ Vibes to the kid+++++

[iceman]

bad dancer, that sounds more like a psychotic episode than a manic one, vibes to you, that's rough either way.

[Kenny Satch]

A good buddy of mine is seriously bi-polar. On his meds, you'd never know it. Off them, watch the fuck out.

BiPolar is generally a lifelong struggle. Some people learn to cope, some manage with meds, and others don't. The meds often make people feel "sedated" but not in a good way like your favorite depressants make you feel. That combined with the fact that the disease is, by nature, intermittent, and people have a hard time staying on the meds.

I agree with whats being said because my cousin was impossible without meds. sometimes he would over medicate into this euphoric state then fall into a depression that would last days. coupled with the fact he was addicted to gambling didn't help.
at his best he was awesome person and very kind. I'll never forget when he took me to see Enter the Dragon. at his worse it was sad to see him so different.

my heart goes out to anyone that is BiPloar and the families that are effected by it.

[bad dancer]

bad dancer, that sounds more like a psychotic episode than a manic one, vibes to you, that's rough either way.

Keep in mind this is a very abbreviated version. Manic episodes are psychotic on some level yes. His grandiose thoughts of being God, spending sprees, sleep deprivation, planning trips, all account to a manic state. Yes there is psychosis for sure on some level. I am only going by what the professionals tell us. They are not always right. We have also found that out.
We have a friend who's dad was and still is a very successful businessman. He supposedly spent 20k on a prostitute that was supposed to give him magical powers.

Serious stuff for some families.

[OldLarry]

Wow......This hits pretty close to home.

The last 7 months for our family have been pretty much a living hell.

This is my very "Coles Notes" story.

My son was pretty withdrawn his last couple months before graduation last year. About 7 months ago. Acting pretty selfish, very moody, somewhat depressed, sometimes awesome to be around but not very often. Prior to that, up to grade 11, he was very active, raced bikes, played rugby and in general a pretty good teenager. His last year of school was a disaster. Always sleeping in, missing class, bla bla bla. Oh he's just a teenager, we would say. Started smoking pot in grade 10.
He behavior starts getting "really weird" last month before graduation. It's clear that he is not going to graduate and it is all I can do just to stay in control and not kick him out of the house.

He starts staying out all night, and coming home and making music all day. He is a pretty talented and creative dude with dub-step electronic music. He would just stare into the computer for hours reading random things and getting very annoyed with anyone who came into contact with him. He had not been sleeping for about 7 days. He would close his eyes for about 20 seconds and then proceed to tell us that he just had a "nap" and felt great.
Went out on buying spree and spent ALL his money on shit like dream catchers and Buddha paraphernalia. Hanging out in the downtown Eastside with homeless people "teaching" them his new religion which he just made up.

He has disappearing for long stretches and was basically living in the forest behind our house for a couple of days making cedar tea and "healing" potions. Digging shelters in the ground and "sleeping" in them.

We were starting to totally freak out. I had to call a friend to come over to sit with him so he wouldn't leave the house while I was on the phone with doctors, friends, and professionals to guide us what to do.

Long story short, we were counseled to call the police and request that they come and be admitted into emergency for psych evaluation. They show up 6 strong and a paddy wagon and take him to the hospital. He escapes out of the cop car when they arrive, running 1 block in handcuffs, wearing a swami outfit and sari wrapped around his head and bare footed. He is tackled and brought back to the hospital where they proceed to shackle him to a bed, drug the shit out of him and put him under 24 hour guard.

He hasn't slept in 7 days. He sleeps for 2 days straight in restraints.

Transferred to the psych ward the next day. Diagnosed with bipolar and spends almost 1 month in recovery with another escape and police chase during that time. Nothing like getting call on your cell telling you your son escaped from the mental hospital and the police are looking for him. By this time, he had his own language, religion and was calling himself God. One thing about psych wards are that they are everything you have every perceived them to be. Just like on TV but even worse at times. Lots of medication, lots of people that claim they "shouldn't be here", lots of screaming, and plenty of questions and no answers. It really is the best place for them and yet the worst place for them.


One thing about a manic episode is that they think that what they are doing is "totally" normal. Like jumping out of a 2nd floor window to get to the car.

We learned that his manic episode was brought on by Cannabis. He had been smoking a lot of it and also took some shrooms. Totally snapped !!!! We have been informed that the cannabis "triggered" the bipolar gene that he posses. It's possible that it would have come out regardless of the pot but it definitely brought it out sooner.

He was released after about 3 1/2 weeks only to be brought back in under similar circumstances 1 week later. This time it was a month in recovery.

He has been on a few different drugs and seemed to be doing well this fall. Getting a job, sleeping regularly, taking his meds. They do screw you up a bit and he was aware of this and has always wanted to come off them. He made the decision 3 weeks ago to go off them and he seems to be doing OK for now but I am confident that this road will not end for a long time. He i s young and does not want to believe he has any problems. He lost his friends in the process and is somewhat angry I guess. I would be too.

We have had a couple of scares since his 2nd release. There are definitely indicators that we now know before he hits a manic state. For him, it's how he starts to dress. Starts buying weird things, and gets very organized in his room. We will now call him out on it to keep him in check.

Best thing you can do is be available, and don't get frustrated. It's a long process.


As for us, we are not out of the woods yet but hings are better within the family.

PM me if you have any questions. This is first hand for me and I have a fair bit of insight. Not an expert by any means. Always reading and still trying to learn about what this is all about. I have been to counselors, doctors, the works. Every mind is different and so individual case.

That's crappy, man. Sorry to hear it, but it sounds like you are soon all the right things-

[systemoverblow'd]

Jesus bad dancer. That's some gnarly shit. Hope he pulls through this OK!

[smitchell333]

Bad stuff.

Had a high school/college friend with Bipolar.

Started out that he was just the life of the party. Then it all snowballed into all night partying, loose women, drugging, showing up at my place at 5am with crazy ideas with no merit, etc, etc.

He inherited 100K at 21 years old while I was living in Taos for the ski season. He burned through it all in 3 weeks, wrecked the 4runner he'd bought, sold the furniture and stereo equipment in another 3 weeks. Was in school for 6 years, burned through the money his parents gave him to pay for school and expenses, and then took out the max student loans for the last 4 years (while his parents still gave him $s to pay for everything )- never graduated.

He then started to borrow money from everyone he knew. I'd just lend him $20 here or $50 there, probably hundreds over the years, but others he'd take for $1000 or more at a time. One woman he dated after college he convinced to borrow her entire 401K - like $40K - on the promise that he had big dollars coming soon. She ultimately called the cops.

He then started kiting bad checks. Did that for 6 months until he was arrested. Got probation.

One day he called me for a ride because he had a flat. Tires shredded b/c he had driven a brand new Audi off of the dealers lot across the tire spikes.

Ended up in Jail for 2 years or so.

He calls occasionally, but I just can't handle the drama anymore.

[Chugach001]

4 (four) friends killed themselves. All bipolar and unrelated. I seem to attract them during manic states, our intensity matches.

It's super serious shit and needs active and supervised treatment. Two went off meds, one was never on meds, the other was mis-diagnosed and on the wrong meds. If it was a physical ailment it would get proper attention but it;s an under-treated life threatening illness. And there is social embarrassment for the afflicted.

I'm on a bit of a crusade about this and don't think you can be diligent enough about it.

[rather ripped]

Lithium, Lamictal, no pot and no drinking. Get a really good doctor. If alcoholic, go to AA. Don't fuck around

[Chugach001]

4 (four) friends killed themselves. All bipolar and unrelated. I seem to attract them during manic states, our intensity matches.

It's super serious shit and needs active and supervised treatment. Two went off meds, one was never on meds, the other was mis-diagnosed and on the wrong meds. If it was a physical ailment it would get proper attention but it;s an under-treated life threatening illness. And there is social embarrassment for the afflicted.

I'm on a bit of a crusade about this and don't think you can be diligent enough about it.

[SkiBall]

Lithium, Lamictal, no pot and no drinking. Get a really good doctor. If alcoholic, go to AA. Don't fuck around

This. Depacote is another common med, maybe Abilify as well. My crazy manic BP ex was off the freaking hook when drinking. It was a nightmare, but the sex was beyond great. Hope she is still alive..somewhere far away from me.

[CantDog]

Disease

There I said it.

Anyone here have a family member, friend, etc. effected? I am Dealing with an “event” / onset, completely out of left field, in a highly (academically) stressed nephew/high school student I am close to. He has social issues, but I did not perceive them too terrible.

Long-term experience with Sewquil –spelling- ?
Re-occurrences?
Have you known this thing just going dormant after one event?
Sleep deprivation?

etc.

Tough to say what it is without more info, but bipolar disorder is one of the harder psychiatric diagnoses to make. If you look at the illness at any one time it can look like a primary mood disturbance, like depression, a psychotic illness, or substance related.

With that in mind it's like any other chronic illness, everyone's experience is different. Some only have one manic or hypo manic episode in their whole life, others cycle constantly through depression,mania,psychosis.

The best thing you as a family member can do is learn your state laws about mental illness, and contact an organization like NAMI(national alliance of mentally ill) for support groups. You can learn a lot from families in your area who have gone through a similar situation.

For medications the mainstays of treatment are atypical antipsychotics, like seroquel, and mood stabilizers--lithium, depakote, etc. None of these medications are inherently better or worse for your family member, but their physician has to work with them to find one that works, with tolerable(if any) side effects.

[ALIAS101]

It’s my son, not my brothers. Just really scared of this thing. Appreciate all the responses. He is a very good kid. NO drinking, NO drugs. Religious but it it’s big in this area we go to church every Sunday. We as a family are not zealots and it’s really a social thing, although he has taken it the most serious of us. He is alone a lot, few if any friends. In a tough academic track in a tough school but making the grades. Good athlete #1 in his school at his sport. Traditional family, I’m married 20+ years to his mother. He has sleep issues for a while now, and I found that alarming, but I wrote it off to demanding academics and changing times.

He’d had a tough time this weekend with what little friends he has, having unusual conversations with them and his mother. I found that out “later” though I’m not sure I would have done anything but fuss at him “you just don’t do x” had I known. He just sorta snapped 5:30 PM or so tuesday afternoon. Full on Mania. Had his younger brother in car for 2.5 hours and as much as we know was not violent but really verbally traumatizing him. Making him act out stuff to “help” him. Younger son very confused not knowing what to do. Brings younger brother home 8:00 PM after wife pleads with him, yelling, throwing himself on floor, wife and son 8:15 Pm “go for a drive” to talk this out, really to get him away from younger brother. She’s trying to get him to hospital. I work late get to home 9:30 PM surprised they are not there when I get home. Younger brother does not say much other than they went off in the car. They sometimes go to library or FEDEX store “later” so I’m not alarmed, though I call at 9:45 and she says they are at the store. 10:40 PM she tries to force him to let her drive back home, He grabs pulls her hair hard, yanks the steering wheel trying to crash the car, she gets out, he tackles her in the street, takes keys and cell phone, tries to get her back in the car so “they can work it out.” Neighbor calls cops off he goes to hospital. Violent during intake.

Now a full day, I visited last night 8:00 PM and he is still maniac and not the son I knew say last Friday. But he is trying and desperately wants to come home from “special” hospital. We have no extended family where we live, and we are terrified of the social repercussions of this thing, for him and all of us, though he is #1 priority.

[Kenny Satch]

Alias101,
I wish you strength and patience for all difficulties that you're dealing with
VIBES to your SON
stay strong brother

[SKIORFORGETIT]

sorry to hear you are going such trying times alias101. Stay strong and I hope your son and rest of your family come out of this mess on top.

trying to make light of the situation since I am a fairly new father. Our kids our born, things seem to be going well then things just happen. BOOM! Life isn't so easy like I used to think. Anybody thinks that being a parent is easy, it's not plus all of the other shit that can happen.