Living with Bipolar Disorder: Tips and Support

Has anyone else dealt with this illness, and what does it actually look like in daily life? My brother was diagnosed with that label yesterday, though honestly, nobody sees any signs of mental illness in him—he just goes about his work like a totally normal guy
I'm curious if anyone here has experience living with someone who has this condition, or maybe you're dealing with it yourself

Betty Fowler21 said:Has anyone actually dealt with this condition before? I’m really curious how it shows up in daily life... My brother just got diagnosed yesterday, but honestly, you wouldn't even know it—he’s totally fine, works a regular job, acts completely normal...
I'm just looking to hear from people who either live with this themselves or have a family member going through it right now.

Look, just because someone sees a psychiatrist and gets a diagnosis doesn't mean they aren't "normal" or that they can't hold down a career...

A coworker of mine has bipolar disorder, and honestly, she’s totally fine—she’s got a great career, a boyfriend, a solid life... the only thing is she's been on medication for years. From what I gathered, she ended up in the hospital after a super intense, draining relationship with her ex, especially since her parents were totally against them being together, so she just kind of snapped and started having these hallucinations... at least, that's how she describes it, anyway. That's all I really know about it... but seriously, she's a great person! Honestly, she's more grounded than some people out there who don't even have a diagnosis...

Bipolar disorder ran in my family.
My grandfather spent his entire life fighting it. I’ve spent a lot of time digging into the subject; I actually wrote my high school senior thesis on manic depression and bipolar disorder back in the day.
The bottom line is that staying consistent with prescribed medication is everything. My grandfather wouldn't do it, though. He had the most severe form of manic depression and refused to take his meds, hiding them whenever he could. By the time he hit his late forties, he was spending most of his time in a locked psychiatric ward. That’s where he passed away last year. 😢 His body just couldn't keep up with the constant fluctuations anymore, especially since his heart started failing him during those final years.
There’s also this state called euthymia, which is the period between manic and depressive episodes where things feel relatively stable, but for my grandfather, those "calm" phases pretty much vanished toward the end. He was either crashing or spinning out. I should point out—and I have zero patience for people who just dismiss these cases as people being "crazy"—that everyone experiences bipolar disorder differently, and people can live perfectly productive lives if they stay on top of their treatment. I don't know what specific medications your brother is on, but I remember my grandfather was taking lithium while he was hospitalized to help stabilize his moods. You can find a mountain of information online about this... here is a resource from an American site.

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publi...te-index.shtml