1 of 3

No

Write now Article Tools

My youngest sister was diagnosed with bipolar disorder eighteen years ago, just after the birth of her first and only child. That only child has been through nightmare after nightmare throughout her eighteen years of life. I would like to describe a few of the many upsetting events involving her mother that I have personally witnessed.

Shortly after the birth of my niece, I went to visit my sister and meet the new addition to our family. This was an out of state trip for me. My mother, who lived a just a few miles from my sister, was also visiting the day I arrived. Mom was making soup for all of us, since it was cold outside, and it was nearing lunchtime.

After holding the new arrival for awhile, I noticed my sister acting strangely, walking to the kitchen and back to the living room over and over, shaking her head and muttering to herself all the while. During one of her trips to the kitchen, I heard loud shouting and a cry from my mother. After quickly placing the baby in her crib, I rushed into the kitchen to see my mother cringing in a corner while my sister stood over her waving a large serving spoon and shouting over and over in a screeching voice, "I know you put poison in the soup! You think you will get rid of me that way, but it won't work!"

Moving quietly up behind my ranting sister, I grabbed the spoon from her hand, and had to hug her tightly to keep her from attacking my mother. It took almost an hour to calm both of the down, and afterward my sister acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. In fact, when it was mentioned, and she was asked why it happened, she vehemently denied knowing what we were even talking about.

Several months later, my mother, my sister and I were shopping at the local mall when my sister started jabbering so fast we could barely make out a word she said. She was accusing her husband of trying to kill her the day before by leaving the gas stove in their kitchen on without the burners being lit. In fact, she said this was not the first time he had tried to kill her so that he could take her daughter away from her.

The sad part of that episode is that my brother-in-law had divorced my sister the previous year, saying he could no longer deal with her illness. He had not seen my sister since the divorce.

My sister was unable to hold a job for more than one or two weeks at a time, and usually less than a day or two. Mom had paid for her to go to school to become a hair stylist, but

• 1
• 2
• 3
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Can mothers diagnosed with bipolar disorder make good parents??
We want to hear your view. Write now!