A Bi-Polar Question

[Johnboy60]

Can two people with Bi-polar make good roommates? I have a lady friend that wants to move in apartment with another lady that has bi-polar condition and wondering if this is a good idea?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Grace2022]

Good question. I have no idea. It could be a good thing in that they can each truly understand each other, or a bad thing in that they may exacerbate each others condition.

Pray, ask, leave it to Jesus to guide. He always knows the answers if we have faith.

 

[quietpraiyze]

Anything is possible but I think it depends on the people involved and how long they've known each other, how long they've been bipolar, what their stability is like, and what kind of social support they have. I think your lady friend should pray and seek the Lord as well as talk it over with those who know her. Bipolar is such a hard illness because it's so unpredictable even when you're doing everything that's considered right so it really is hard to say....

 

[blackribbon]

The important question is how well is it controlled in both people and I would suggest you work out a contract for each person on how you want your roomie to act if you start to go depressive or manic. Including who to contact for you. If you are both reasonably well managed and comfortable with you conditions, I could see it as being a very beneficial situation. Just keep finances as separate as possible on the event of a manic cycle

 

[Open Heart]

It depends on how dysfunctional you are. Right now I'm highly highly functionally. I could be roommates with anyone. I wouldn't want to be roommates with someone who is dysfunctional, because I'm not.

There are homes for people who are mentally disabled, homes that have a home manager and then each room has two roommies. There is a lot of help with making sure that meds are taken.

The thing is with bipolar disorder, we make terrible roommates for anyone unless we are taking our meds regularly and are getting therapy.

I would approach it like this: I would try to be as functional as possible. I would not look for a roommate to try to fix me. However, a roommate that I get along with well? That's always a plus.

 

[Tylerx95]

I would be very careful about it. It would be good for the depression phases because they could relate to each other and offer support to avoid things like isolation and suicide. Mania is the part that can be very dangerous because when only one person in a household has bi polar and everyone else is normal they can very easily fly off the handle in 2 seconds, especially since they constantly seek to fulfill the need for pleasure in that stage and the ones with alot of anger many times will seek it by getting in physical altercations. As someone thats been arrested for that before and on the receiving end of an unstable parent, i would like to see you avoid that situation. That doesn't mean they can't live together, it only means it has to be planned out extremely carefully. Hopefully both of them are medicated, and looking to increase their relationship with god.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Can two people with Bi-polar make good roommates? I have a lady friend that wants to move in apartment with another lady that has bi-polar condition and wondering if this is a good idea? Thanks for your help.

Could be fine if they are both living as practicing Christians .
Personally, I find if people take the stress tabs/ happy pill (B-100's) (water soluble safe even for children, and no side effects) and are Christians they may be very happy. (sometimes stress can exacerbate relationships, so the B-vitamins always seem to help, even for Christians, since life is so stressful as it is, for most people anyway)

 

[Open Heart]

Could be fine if they are both living as practicing Christians .
Personally, I find if people take the stress tabs/ happy pill (B-100's) (water soluble safe even for children, and no side effects) and are Christians they may be very happy. (sometimes stress can exacerbate relationships, so the B-vitamins always seem to help, even for Christians, since life is so stressful as it is, for most people anyway)

If you think it makes one iota of difference whether the two people are Christian, then you have no idea what being bipolar means.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

If you think it makes one iota of difference whether the two people are Christian, then you have no idea what being bipolar means.

If you think a non-Christian is okay, well, what church says that ? ? ?
Can LIGHT have any fellowship with darkness ? Especially that close to each other?
As for bipolar, look up how they understood it before 1950. There was a lot better understanding then than there is today in most places. (you may have to find out what it was called back then first)

 

[Open Heart]

If you think a non-Christian is okay, well, what church says that ? ? ?
Can LIGHT have any fellowship with darkness ? Especially that close to each other?
As for bipolar, look up how they understood it before 1950. There was a lot better understanding then than there is today in most places. (you may have to find out what it was called back then first)

I never said that non-Christians don't need Christ. I simply remarked that being a Christian doesn't give you an edge if you are bipolar. You suffer just as much.

I have no clue why you would think that they had a better understanding in the 1950's about bipolar disorder (which they called manic depression back then). They used to do lobotomies back then. Is that what you prefer?

Today we have many more pharmaceuticals other than lithium to chose from. Lamictal was what finally worked for me--I can now function like a regular human being.

MRI's gave us a window into how the Bipolar Brain works, and how it seems to be related to other mood disorders, and how it is different.

We now understand that there is Bipolar II as well as Bipolar I, and it is interesting that Borderline Personality Disorder responds to pretty much the same pharmaceuticals as Bipolar Disorder, indicating it shares a common biology.

 

[Johnboy60]

Would Bi-polar cause this?
1 Friend worries about their past for hours.
2 nail biting their nails down to the skin all day.
3 sleeps all day and stays up all night.
4 Goes to bed and few minutes later up and going to kitchen for drink then goes back too bed all night long doing this.
5 They cann't find their clothes but there closet filled with them.
6. They throw away good stuff in the garbage.

 

[Tylerx95]

Would Bi-polar cause this?
1 Friend worries about their past for hours.
2 nail biting their nails down to the skin all day.
3 sleeps all day and stays up all night.
4 Goes to bed and few minutes later up and going to kitchen for drink then goes back too bed all night long doing this.
5 They cann't find their clothes but there closet filled with them.
6. They throw away good stuff in the garbage.

Yes 100% of it especially the throwing stuff away and then they'll regret they did and try to find it.

 

[Johnboy60]

Yes 100% of it especially the throwing stuff away and then they'll regret they did and try to find it.

I have to storage garbage can in a locked shed to keep them from throwing stuff away.

This friend is a 66 year old woman and her own children and sister has disowned her because of Bi-polar. I found her living on the street homeless and took her in too my home.

 

[Tylerx95]

I have to storage garbage can in a locked shed to keep them from throwing stuff away.

This friend is a 66 year old woman and her own children and sister has disowned her because of Bi-polar. I found her living on the street homeless and took her in too my home.

Yes it definitely sounds familiar. I wasted money on different shirts and things before and told my mother to give them away when the veterans come by to collect. It seemed better than just throwing them away, but people with bi polar really can't think straight when making decisions.
That really is horrible overall but letting her know she wasn't alone was a really good thing to do

 

[Open Heart]

Would Bi-polar cause this?
1 Friend worries about their past for hours.
2 nail biting their nails down to the skin all day.
3 sleeps all day and stays up all night.
4 Goes to bed and few minutes later up and going to kitchen for drink then goes back too bed all night long doing this.
5 They cann't find their clothes but there closet filled with them.
6. They throw away good stuff in the garbage.

There is more than one diagnosis that would exhibit these things. Also, a person could be NORMAL mentally, and simply have some of these poor habits.

 

[blackribbon]

I would be very careful about it. It would be good for the depression phases because they could relate to each other and offer support to avoid things like isolation and suicide. Mania is the part that can be very dangerous because when only one person in a household has bi polar and everyone else is normal they can very easily fly off the handle in 2 seconds, especially since they constantly seek to fulfill the need for pleasure in that stage and the ones with alot of anger many times will seek it by getting in physical altercations. As someone thats been arrested for that before and on the receiving end of an unstable parent, i would like to see you avoid that situation. That doesn't mean they can't live together, it only means it has to be planned out extremely carefully. Hopefully both of them are medicated, and looking to increase their relationship with god.

What is the likelihood that they will cycle together. If it isn't controlled, then it could be an issue. If it is controlled then the one not cycling probably can recognize the beginnings of a cycle in the roommate faster than a non-bipolar person and get help sooner and when the person is more receptive to help.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

I have no clue why you would think that they had a better understanding in the 1950's about bipolar disorder (which they called manic depression back then). They used to do lobotomies back then. Is that what you prefer?

That's sad - (lobs) - and even after they stopped doing them, due to public pressure or law?, they startd again, and worse. (not a good direction though).

The drug pushers do not like their trade to be diminished, anywhere (including here). The tests doctors could use that were available in 1920 to 1950 presumably are or could be still available, I don't know for sure. The information was still available until a few years ago anyway, and was very good to know about for doctors, health care professionals and their families and patients. It is of course harder to find good and true information every day, so if you or anyone does want to know, best to start looking while there is still time.

 

[Johnboy60]

Is this below other things other people with Bi-polar do?

She now crying and then in a few minutes real mad and then hates being around other people and their children all in one day. She wanting to take a trip too some where she never been before but then return after a few hours.

 

[Tylerx95]

What is the likelihood that they will cycle together. If it isn't controlled, then it could be an issue. If it is controlled then the one not cycling probably can recognize the beginnings of a cycle in the roommate faster than a non-bipolar person and get help sooner and when the person is more receptive to help.

Its only a possibility.. One that's best to avoid.

 

[blackribbon]

Is this below other things other people with Bi-polar do?

She now crying and then in a few minutes real mad and then hates being around other people and their children all in one day. She wanting to take a trip too some where she never been before but then return after a few hours.

I don't think it is normal to cycle so fast and be considered bi-polar but something is going on that needs some attention if this is an on-going thing or she acts on these emotions. It wouldn't hurt to find a therapist that would help her think through her emotions and get control of them. If this is happens only for a few days each month, it could be very well that her hormones are going whack and this should be discussed with her gynecologist.