by Kris Kennedy

Created on: July 12, 2010   Last Updated: July 17, 2010

Bi-polar Individuals in Your Life

Everyone involved in the life of the person suffers bi-polar illness. The protection of self requires attention. If you suffer, no one is able to help the patient with bi-polar illness.

Require Treatment

No one would allow someone to ignore advice for this disease any more than for a coronary issue. If involved with a bi-polar patient, you must require involvement with treatment. Patients find it difficult to find adequate treatment and need drug changes frequently, but must remain active in following through with change.

It may seem hard, but if they refuse to follow through with treatment, the individual needs removal from your life. The stigma associated with the disease makes the patient want to discontinue treatment when they get to feeling good but he or she feels good because of the treatment. When the relapse begins, he or she must take the consequences of the choice or return to treatment. Most disease's symptoms are evident to the patient, but not always with bi-polar while the behavior's consequences are evident. If you fail to give the consequence, the patient fails to identify the symptoms. A bi-polar patient requires others in his or her life to notice the changes prior to a full relapse.

Journal

Keeping a journal helps the individual in your life. If you keep track of when odd behavior occurs than you can offer to the patient some insight.  With the insight, the psychiatrist or medication nurse can sort through any changes required in the medication levels for the patient.  This effort takes a little effort that can pay off big for the individual and maintain your relationship.  One of the other important things you must do is take care of yourself.

Personal health

An individual involved with a bi-polar individual needs to take care of themselves as an example and to maintain the strength necessary to deal with the assistance necessary to help the patient. The greatest example we can give the patient is that we follow the recommendation for our health from our doctors.

In addition, bi-polar problems do not occur on doctor’s schedules and many communities do not have emergency services for treatment so you might need to be up to helping the patient through a relapse incident. Caregivers need to take care of sleep habits, relaxation and eating habits.

Education

Read all that you can find about bi-polar so you can identify symptoms and drug reactions.  With the information, you avoid making unreasonable demands while making reasonable demands. Sometimes you do not know of all the options.  By joining a support group or take a family oriented class, you can find out from other about unknown resources.  In addition, someone can listen which is very valuable.

Bi-polar illness offers a challenge to the patient and the others in his or her circle of influence. Putting yourself first, this includes acknowledging the individual's value to your life, places both of you on the road to a productive life.

Learn more about this author, Kris Kennedy.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.