What is the best way to handle a bipolar, crazy person?!


Question: What is the best way to handle a bipolar, crazy person!?
My mother is not diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but I'm pretty convinced that she suffers from it!. Three years ago, when I was in my senior year of high school, my sister and I would fight with her all the time!. It was absolutely intense, with her going so far as to strike us, turn off the electricity sporadically, smash our things!.!.!. and after I went to college, it got much better!.

I came back home after my first semester, and started commuting!. I've just started my third year of college, and all of a sudden, she's gone completely completely INSANE again!. She hid all of our things, took all the lightbulbs out and locked them up, and just screams and screams!. I have absolutely no clue what set her off like this!. But only about an hour earlier, when we spoke on the phone on our way home, she was perfectly fine and even said "I love you!."

My instinct is to yell right back at her, ruin her things and stuff, but I want to find a better way to deal with this!. She's in her late 40's, and a single parent!. Back when this first happened three years ago, I thought she was somehow starting menopause early!.!.!. are these symptoms of this!? Or is this just bipolar disorder, or did she just have a nervous breakdown or something!?

How could I fix this, or at least, what's the best way to handle her in that state!?!?Www@Answer-Health@Com


Answers:
In general - I believe that every person needs to feel the consequences of their own misbehavior!.

For a person with physical or psychological disorder - they sometimes are incapable of accessing medical help on their own - needing the help of others to get them to the appropriate Dr!. - and put on medication appropriate to their problem!. It may be a matter of months that this person would need assistance and encouragement to get them to the Dr!.

Once the person is set-up on medication it is still thoroughly appropriate to provide encouragement, support, and accountability
that they are following through with taking medication and attending therapy appointments!.

And, when the person goes off their medication - as most people do at one time or another - it is also to their benefit to allow them to feel the consequences of not taking their medication - for a time!. In their misery they may need guidance to return them to the Dr "with all their symptoms hanging out"!.

To continue to repeatedly "rescue" the person may help everyone involved to feel better - but it really does not help the person to BE BETTER!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

please do not call her crazy-as a person who takes meds for depression/panic attacks,it's insulting!.

you can't know how she feels when she's having a rage!.

my best advice would be to talk to her when she seems level!. voice your concerns,emphasis your love & concern!. ask her to consider therapy!.

please don't judge her!. i don't know,i don't mean to sound harsh!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

when a person becomes uncontrollable, you can phone the police, and they can escort her to the hospital where she can get help!. they will do this if the person is a danger to themselves or others!. if your mom is smashing everything, they might count that as dangerous!. it really sounds as if she needs psychiatric help and perhaps medication, but it is difficult to get an adult admitted into the hospital for a mental illness when they don't want to go!. maybe when she is flipping out, break a small inexpensive window, and tell the cops she did it, they will take her to the hospital right away, and she will start getting help!. i know it sounds like a bad thing to do, but sometimes its the only thing you can do to help her!. good luck!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

See the BIPOLAR SUPPORTER website, in ezy build, below, but I'm not so sure it is bipolar, although there is a quiz you can print; ensure she finds it, and www!.therapy247!.com and whatever of the following you think applicable!. Also check out PMDD, & PMS in sections 48, & 19!. Keep some lightbulbs, and a small flashlight handy, just in case!. ABUSE: See http://www!.drdrew!.com/ on abuse & http://www!.burstingthebubble!.com/ & http://www!.reachout!.com!.au/home!.asp It's possible that, because she can't express to him the rage and anger she feels about your biological father, she is taking it out on you, but this would require sessions of therapy to establish!.

My standard post follows: See bipolar disorder, at ezy build, below, in section 10, and take the quiz, if unsure, and if the results are positive, ensure you get an expert diagnosis from a mental health professional, not doctors, who are much better dealing with physical ailments, and don't diagnose complex disorders like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and borderline personality disorder often enough to develop any real expertise!.

Bipolar disorder usually involves major mood swings, which occur without apparent cause, and often over many months, or a matter of years, rather than days, as with most people (unless rapid cycling)!. I'd take 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements daily, replacing 2 of them with cod liver oil supplements in the winter months, (or, as probably a better alternative to the 2 cod liver oil supplements: 1 teaspoonful of cod liver oil, with a little butter, to ensure its use; I take mine on sourdough rye bread, or toast, covered with fishpaste, and pepper, to mask the strong taste)!. Those people who receive adequate exposure to sunlight, daily, won't need the vitamin D from cod liver oil, but many people, particularly those in latitudes far from the equator, find this difficult, to achieve!.

If you decide to use allopathy, (modern Western medicine) I recommend trying Lithium Carbonate, or Lithium Citrate!. (regular tests are necessary, for these) before trying the other mood stabilisers, but if you aren't good at taking medications regularly, drinking adequate water, and keeping up your salt intake, something else, such as Lamictal, or Depakote, may suit you better!. Check out "lithium" at http://www!.drugs!.com/, and http://crazymeds!.us/ and always research medications first, (read, and keep the labels/information sheets) so you will be aware of the risks, and on the lookout for side effects!. (Personally, if I wasn't bipolar type 1, and didn't experience hallucinations, or serious delusional states, I know I'd first try the orthomolecular, and Omega 3 fish oil supplements, vitamins, minerals; a herbal remedy, and a mostly raw food diet, for several months!. Note: St!. John's wort, and also antidepressants, may cause mania, or hypomania, in people with bipolar disorder!. I'd aso eat in accordance with my "nutritional type"!. Enter that term in the searchbar at http://www!.mercola!.com/

If not considerably improved, after a maximum of 6 months trial period, consult your primary mental health care provider: you may be one of those who need medications to prevent this serious disorder from worsening!. If you have bipolar type 1, an antipsychotic medication may also be needed!. Everyone should take the Omega 3 supplements, or preferably "krill oil" for its other health benefits: use the searchbar at http://www!.mercola!.com/ !. Some people refuse medication, using supplements, and a selective, mostly raw food diet (I do not recommended trying this, if bipolar 1, unless you aren't troubled by hallucinations, or delusional states)!.

Maintain the treatments for the depressive phase, in section 2, at: http://www!.ezy-build!.net!.nz/~shaneris Some topics in section 10 include: treating bipolar disorder with supplements, vitamins, minerals, and herbal remedies (except for St!. John's wort, which may cause mania, or hypomania)!. As with all medications, there are risks, and the possibility of side effects, which is why I inform people of the alternatives, to see if they can cope sufficiently well, without resorting to medications or, at least use less of them!. Don't use medications and supplements together, without medical advice, except for Omega 3, which is safe, anytime!.
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This must be a very difficult situation for you to deal with!. It does sound like she suffers from some type of severe psychiatric disorder, and she probably does not intend to hurt you or be destructive!. That is something that is important to understand!. She most likely does not have control of her behavior!. However, this is not an excuse for someone to ever physically hurt you, but she does need help, rather than retaliation for her behavior!.

It doesn't sound like menopausal symptoms, or the typical presentation of bipolar disorder, and I would advise you against trying to figure out yourself what she suffers from without a doctor!. The best thing I think you can do for your mother, and yourself, is get her some type of help!. Try to convince her to see a mental health expert-preferably a psychologist!. (You can get a referral from your mom's general practitioner!.) It would probably be best if you could also speak to whatever doctor you see to explain to them your view of your mother's behavior!.

As far as what to do when she is in that state!.!.!.it depends!. If she is being abusive towards you, it would probably be best for you to leave the situation, and if you think she is at risk for hurting herself, probably calling an ambulance is the best thing!.

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Well, being a bi-polar person myself, I can tell you there is only one thing that will fix the problem!.!.!.MEDICATION!. I am taking Lamictal and it has changed my life immensely!. Good Luck!! It will get better once she is properly medicated and taken care of!. I know how hard it is to deal with someone being bi-polar, and it can cause great depression to everyone around that person, so I know that being medicated for this would definitely help your mother in an ENORMOUS way!.!.!.

And the only way to really deal with a person like this, is to unfortunately tell yourself "this person has a disorder, and this is not necessarily how she feels at this moment, it's just a part of her disease"Www@Answer-Health@Com





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