dpb

his brothers on lithium , but i gather thats maybe a bit of a one way street and he isnt prepared to do it, even tho the brother holds down a well paid job in advertising whilst Tim is a chippie,kinda

I wouldnt really say he displays the full symptoms but hes hard work for an ordinary person especially when occasionally working for him - maybe one should make allowances,
he appears to have difficulty with gfriends which he puts down to his mum topping herself when he was 6 ( i thnik he just has trust issues,generally )

I know slightly winding him is dangerous and can be counter productive , but then hes quite happy to meter out the same !

MJW

Well he might not have to go straight onto the lithium, there are milder anti-depressants and also talking therapies like Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. First thing would be for him to actually acknowledge that he has a problem with depression and go to his GP. Hopefully then the GP will refer him and / or put him on some meds.

dpb

oh hes acknowledged hes a problem alright , He was in fact put on to a therapist for about 9 months - I think untill he tried to get off with her or maybe his time was up anyway

Was just wondering how we his friends should 'cope' with him - hes not violent or anything

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Spend a day with J4ckos mate, wont cure him but he wont seem half as bad

SwissTony

iTrader: (19)

Get him a big white bear




Sorry, I have no acreditation of being a threapist or doctor

bigsinky

bi-polar has major depressive episodes followed by a manic phase which usuually only lasts for a short time. because he is on lithium doesn't mean he has a positive diagnosis of bipolar. GPs tend to use lithium as a catch all and include it along with other SSIDs and/or anti-psychotics.

There are certain criteria for bi-polar and dependant on what behaviours are present he could be any one of a number of different types.

Bi-polar 1, bi-polar2, bi-polar2 (rapid cycle)

Have you also thought about borderline personality disorder. much broader symtoms/behaviours.

The Zohan

My Mother is Bi Polar, in her case she has severs mood swings from being too happy and bubbly (a bit like putting it on for show) to a horrible nasty vicious old woman. I would not leave her alone with the kids or anyone vulnerable!

She is in her 80's

I am sure she is on lithium and other meds, it straightens out the swings and puts her on a more even keel, she still gets moody but no where near as bad.

The problem lies with a lot of Bi polar people that they are in their happy place, on the meds and then do not see the need to continue on it so stop taking it and start the mood swings. They have to police their own drugs and take them, my mum used to hide them apparently and blag us she was taking them - it was obvious within a few days that she was off of them. One problem is she lives in sheltered accomms in Croydon and we live 110 miles away in Northampton so it is impossible to ensure she takes the drugs as required and fully monitor her moods. She sees a doc once a month to check she is OK.

it is real important they the person does really understand that they have a medical condition that is treatable and they must continue the meds no matter how good they feel.

Your mate need to take it seriously and responsibility with help from the family or friends to ensure he takes the drugs/treatment and keeps at it.

john banks

GPs would not tend to initiate lithium these days, all that I know would refer, and then prescribe/monitor under a shared care arrangement.

Having said that, one psychiatrist that I had training under used to diagnose nearly all his patients as bipolar and put them on lithium, which I did not and do not agree with.

However, there is good evidence for the effectiveness of lithium or valproate over conventional antidepressants for bipolar disorder. In the right cases, lithium is literally a life saver.

For the original poster's friend, with a family history of suicide and bipolar disorder, it sounds like a trip to the GP with all the issues aired is appropriate.

Leslie

I am very sorry for him with such a problem. Is it possible for someone to get over it in time?

Les

Matteeboy

Stephen Fry generally manages okay.

I know three people with it (maybe it's something to do with the Cornish air?!) - they all have a flipping hard time getting anywhere with work, relationships and family. A real shame as all three are generally great people.

thesyn

On the other hand.
True bi-polar affective disorder is uncommon.
It is always tempting to give a psychiatric diagnosis to all people whose behaviour does not conform to that which society expects.
Some people are just "different" and in extreme cases would be described as having a personality disorder. There is no effective medication for this although it is thought that prolonged psychotherapy with a subject with insight and willingness to participate may help.
If he has been through 9 months of sessions with a therapist it would seem likely that she would have alerted his GP if she had suspicions of psychiatric illness.
Agree with JB, a trip to the GP would be a good idea but take a friend with him so that all issues are covered

Bob1973

That **** of Eastenders has it, makes her even more slutty than normal..... I'd treat her alright

She has massive **** as well

richiewong

Semi-sodium Valproate or Olanzapine but watch out for the weight gain.

Lot of personality disorder's are getting diagnosed as BPAD, thanks America

davyboy

Isn't this the new lable to give naughty kids?

It seems most with Bi polar are council house dwelling, poor diet getting, JJB shopping Jeremy Kyle guests.

john banks

Cause or effect though? There are qualified lawyers and doctors that end up as you describe due to genuine mental illness.

ADHD seems to be the main naughty kid diagnosis, often the types you mention ask me to diagnose that in their kids and the kid is sitting their politely and quietly whilst the parent rants about them, but I've seen a few others of interest recently, "oppositional defiant disorder" LOL. Isn't that all kids?

Abuse of medical and welfare services by many can cause cynicism for genuine cases though. We do rely a lot on what patients tell us.

mart360

I had a G/F who was on lithium,

when she was up, she was amazing, , when she was down, she was scary, very scary.

lets just say the scary side was too much to take

mart

davyboy

LOL - yeah thats what I was thinking......another thread for that I think!

sorry to Bi Polar sufferers

Dan Gleebits

names not simon is it?

Turbohot

Unless the right diagnosis is made, not much can be said how the person with high and low mood swings can be treated.

In the situation like this, behavioural or other therapies can be tried out. not necessarily the guy has Bi-polar, just because he has a history of depression in the family. It is possible that his behaviour is a "learnt" behaviour, working as his coping device or else; although it may make others' life hell.

Tell him to go to counselling for a bit.

Lee247

What the chuff is Bi Polar

Turbohot

Bisexual polar bear, or a polar bear with two heads.

On serious note, its a mood disorder with significant highs and lows for no apparent reasons , Lesley. Many famous people have got it too, so many un-famous people also like to get labelled with it; just to feel important

^ Its a sorta truth. The number of plastic Bi-polar sufferers is growing dramatically. Real Bi-polar people do suffer badly. It is very sad to see

Lee247

Thanks, Swati. I had never heard of it. Hope you are tickety boo, hun

Turbohot

I am very well, Lesley Hope you are cool too

Sonic'

You know what, I was thinking exactly the same thing, and have thought it many times before

richiewong

Proper name for the old term, Manic Depression.

john banks

Can't believe I wrote their instead of there Off to the social housing for me then