Thursday, July 3, 2008
Dealing With Mental Illness
I have a friend who is diagnosed as bipolar. She is a very close friend of mine for nearly 25 years and we were roommates in college. Right now she is in the angry, pushing away phase, and it is difficult to hear her hurtful comments and not lash back. I'm hanging in there though and trying to remember that this is not her, but that the friend I love is in there somewhere and I have to hang on and keep the lines of communication open. She went through a divorce from an abusive husband who likes to cause trouble in any way he can just for the sake of doing it, and right now that it her excuse for not taking her medicine: her ex will find out and use that as an excuse for taking their daughter away from her. What she isn't understanding is that there isn't much chance of that to begin with, but there is a greater chance if he finds out she has this condition and ISN'T taking her meds! Please pray for her and her family and for me as I try to help her deal with this.
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2 comments:
sounds like you're doing the right thing...just continue to let her know you're on her side. and of course, PRAY!
My niece is bipolar and my grandmother was bipolar (though they are not genetically related), and my husband's father is bipolar. It is a very difficult illness, for one reason, b/c people can't see any kind of "disability" and thus expect "normalcy." Second reason, b/c people don't understand it.
Even with my niece, it is hard for my sister and mother to understand that you MUST continue to set rules and limitations for these children despite the illness, as opposed to using the illness as an excuse. They don't need excuses, just understanding, love and support.
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