Bipolar: Expect the Unexpected
Published: Mon, 04/15/13
Hi,
How are you?
I hope you're fine.
I was looking at greeting cards the other day,
and I came across this one that made me laugh
out loud:
On the cover it says, "Open this card to find
your birthday money."
And then on the back it says, "Gotcha!"
Because...
You can't open the card!
I thought it was so funny.
But it reminded me of the saying, "Expect the
unexpected."
See, like with the card, the way it gets you is that
you ASSUME something (that turns out not to be
true).
Well, we do that in life, too.
And when it comes to bipolar disorder, it can be
dangerous for your loved one.
For example, if you ASSUME that they are stable,
so they will never have another bipolar episode...
That episode can come unexpectedly and you won't
be prepared for it.
First of all, no matter how long your loved one has
had bipolar disorder, you still need to update
your knowledge of the disorder.
That's one of the biggest reasons why I post the
Bipolar News on my website, and why I stress the
importance of information in my courses/systems.
SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11
SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com
HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net
There is always new information coming out on
bipolar disorder.
You can't afford to fall behind.
So you need to stay informed.
That's one thing you can do.
Another thing you can do as far as expecting the
unexpected is to have a plan in case your loved
one DOES go into an episode.
This plan should be something you develop together,
when they are NOT in an episode.
You might want to come up with a code word that
they can say to you at those times when they are
"feeling bipolar."
Then you can determine how you will respond to
it.
Here is one couple's plan:
Their key word is "decompensating."
If she uses this word, telling him that she feels like
she is decompensating, he knows to put their plan
into effect.
The first thing he does is determine how serious the
situation is.
He asks her if she's feeling suicidal.
If she is, (especially if she has a plan for it, how she
is going to do it), he calls her psychiatrist right away,
and they decide whether to put her in the hospital
because she is a threat to herself.
If he believes it's a real threat, like if she's got a plan
and intends to carry it out, he may take her directly
to the Emergency Room (for her own safety).
If she is not suicidal, he tries to determine if she is
in a full blown bipolar episode, or just on the way
to one.
He can determine this by talking with her and finding
out how rational she is.
If she is in a full blown episode, he goes ahead and
calls the psychiatrist and the doctor either adjusts her
medication, or her husband takes her to the Emergency
Room.
Sometimes, if your loved one is only on the way to an
episode but not in one right now, or at least not a full
blown episode, they can be controlled by a temporary
increase in the dose of their medication, and you may
not necessarily have to take them to the hospital at that
time.
This is the plan that this couple has developed, and you
can copy it and/or make one of your own.
But you still have to expect the unexpected.
In other words, you may think that your loved one is
stable and perfectly fine, but then they may say their
key word to you, and you will have to put your plan
into action.
The point is to have a plan you have worked out in
advance, so you know what to do.
What do you think?
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Well, I have to go!
Your Friend,
Dave
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