Any advice on having to live with a bipolar sister?!


Question: Any advice on having to live with a bipolar sister?
Okay I am 17 and my sister is 16 she has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and has an extremely bad temper. I'm just going to give a few examples of her behavior like last night my boyfriend and I went out on the roof to look at the moon and my sister and her friend came up to the window because apparently they were planning on sitting out were we were and she just started yelling at us saying that she was just about to sit out there and she hated us and she wanted to shoot us in the face then she slammed the window closed. Then earlier today she got pissed off at my boyfriend because he asked her if she was still watching whatever was on tv and he stood behind her for a few seconds and she asked him to leave and right as he was about to turn around she wacked him with the remote and left a huge welt on his arm. I wasn't even in the room when it happened and when I came downstairs she was freaking out and yelling that she was sick of being around people and she wanted us to go away so I told her if she wanted to be thats what her room was for. She ran outside to get my mom and my mom just tells us we need to leave and that my boyfriend can't come over that often anymore. I spend a lot of time in my room away from her and I don't get to do a lot of stuff I would like to do because I never know what will upset her. I feel like she is tearing my family apart and living with her makes me really depressed. My parents never punish her for her behavior because she is bipolar and I think that is such BS. She is very rude and she loses it when things don't go away. I'm so tired of being depressed and hiding in my room while my parents allow her to act this way.

Answers:

I used to work as a Registered Nurse in psychiatry on adult and adolescent psychiatric units in hospitals. I know what you are talking about. You sister is not on adequate medication, and you can't stay in the same house with her or you will get Depressed. It is impossible to live with someone who has Bipolar Disorder and is in the manic phase. If there is an Aunt or someone you can live with, you should do that.

I'm sorry that your parents are just letting this happen. If they won't force your sister to get on adequate medication and stay on it, there is nothing you can do about that. You can show your parents this answer if it will help. If you can't move out and your parents won't do anything then you need to call Child Protection Services in your city or county. What you are living in is so dysfunctional a situation that it is child abuse for you to stay there. The Child Abuse workers should either fix the situation or find you a family to live with until you become self supporting and can live where you want to.

I have been very firm in this answer because you "need" to stop living with your sister for your mental health. If your parents tell you not to call child protection, call them anyway!. You can also talk to a counselor at school who has a duty to notify Child Protection when a Child is in an abusive situation.

I hope something I wrote has been helpful. I care about you.

I used to work as a Registered Nurse on adult and adolescent psychiatric units in hospitals for 20 years. Personal experience living in an abusive living situation.



Does she take medication for the bipolar? It isn't healthy for her to live in this condition, and it certainly isn't for your family either. If she is on medication, it's probably not working effectively. I'm not sure what you can do... depending on how close you are with your parents, you can talk to them about it. Or you can always gently bring up how you are feeling to your sister. If she isn't properly medicated though, things will stay the same.
Wish you the best!




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