Mother has bipolar, how can I help her cope with it?

Posted , 2 users are following.

Hi, im a 16 year old A-Level student living in London and my mother's been diagnosed with Bipolar for the past 24 years. As a child I don't remember this effecting her much except in extreme times e.g when my parents broke up/after the death of her mother/the death of my dad (her ex-partner). She frequently used to have burts of laughter and happiness which I understand to be a mania and also naturally times where she would cry or show signs of depression. Recently she has been getting worse which I assume is due to the fact she is getting older, as she is currently 52. This "getting worse" has been shown through random outbursts of intense crying and anger, throwing things about and saying repeatadly the same thing to herself in Italian (her first language). In addition to this she frequently shouts out to herself and when I ask who she's talking to, she simply says "mind your own business" or replies with a vague term to describe someone e.g "there are loads of busy bodies around here". She also shouts out about how she hates the area we live in and claims there are people mocking or jeering at her as they pass the house, I have not seen any evidence of this and haven't heard anyone saying anything that may be provoking towards her, when I ask what they're saying, she says "I won't repeat it" or "It's too vulgar to repeat" or sometimes "I've forgotten" even when it was supposidly said maybe a minute before. This has been happening for a while and I recently called A&E as she had a very big sort of breakdown, running out of the house and down the street. This is where she saw a psychiatrist and they decided to decrease her medicine intake as I assume they were worried her mania's were getting too out of control, making her imagine people were there. When she shouts, I try my best to calm her down and ask her to stop shouting, however I admit I do sometimes say it in a way which could be put nicer but I find it hard to cope sometimes and end up shouting at her to stop. This doesn't work of course. I've tried to offer to get her help as she's been asked if she wants a psychiatrist to talk to in order to make her feel a little bit better but she declines, saying she hates everyone who works in the health system, probably due to paranoia from the bipolar. She doesn't have any real friends either and rarely leaves the house, the only person she talks to semi-frequently other than me is her sister over the phone, this usually ends in an argument.

What I'm trying to ask is, how can I help myself cope and more importantly help her cope and calm down in a way that won't provoke her? 

0 likes, 2 replies

2 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi Conrad, I'm sorry to hear of your situation. It's alot to cope with at your age and it's lovely you want to be there to support your mum smile However you need support too! If you have support of your own you will be better placed to cope with helping your mum.

    My daughter sees a lady regularly from an organisation called Young Carers. They help support kids such as yourself up to 18 years of age. We are in Scotland but I'm sure if you google 'young carers' for your area then something will come up.My daughters sees the lady at her school, so perhaps if there is a guidance teacher or someone similar at your school you could talk to them about it? If not, then don't be shy...pick up the phone or email whatever young carers organisation is in your area, and tell them your situation and ask if they can help support you. They will be best placed to give you advice about your mum and you will have someone you can talk to face to face.

    Best wishes, Mari xx

  • Posted

    Hello Conrad.h,

    First and foremost your an amazing mature young man. I am a mother of a 21 year old daughter. I wasn't diagnosed until last year with Bipolar one. My daughter went through literal hell because of my undiagnosed illness. I would kindly encourage a support group for you to help you through this. Please reach out to a school resource counsellor and tell him or her about your home situation. You need a support network to help hold you up and maybe they can locate a community personal support worker for your mom. In Canada, these workers come to your home once a week and will spend time with your mum in a very non threatening manner, just a very supportive and kind attitude the workers have.

    I am so sorry your going through this alone. Please be persistent until you get what you need. Keep in touch Conrad.h, your a very lovely young man.

    I am routing for you.

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.