What's the different between insane and Bi-polar?

[Johnboy60]

I take care of a woman with Bi-polar and she is now really off. Going back and forth with her thinking. Wants too die most of the time and hearing siren's and thinking of all different kind of things. Her mental doctor wants her in a mental hospital right now but she will not go and doctor can't force her she says. I take care of this woman seven days a week for two and half years now with no breaks.

 

[Open Heart]

It varies from state to state.

1. I think all states will involuntarily hospitalize her if she is a danger to herself or others. If she begins to say things like she wants to die or hurt someone, call her psychiatrist right away.

2. Otherwise it depends on the state's rules. Where I live, if a person is so mentally ill that they cannot function, they can be involuntarily hospitalized. For example if a cop sees a person in a park stark naked talking to people who are not there, he can take that person to a hospital involuntarily. There are also ways to go to court and have someone committed until such time as they are able to function again -- their family would present evidence that they are not eating, not bathing, that they lost their job because they stopped showing up for work, that they perhaps sleep on the streets, AND that all of this is due to their mental illness.

The truth is that our society today feels no compulsion to care for the mentally ill. Beginning with Ronald Reagan, we have used the excuse that institutionalization is a terrible thing (which it is ) to treat them far worse. The idea was to provide community support instead, but that never happened. Nor does it take into consideration that in some situations, institutionalization may still be the kindest option.

Be prepared for the possibility that you might simply have to care for a very sick woman.

God bless you for caring!

 

[Jeshu]

As someone who also suffers from bipolar i want to encourage you and tell you that you are doing a good work in the Lord. i've met many bipolar people in the hospital they have one thing in common, they all know about the pit and they all know about heaven and angels for our moods take us up and take us down. At times hellish to be.

It is true that they're are times of madness, and they can be very confronting and difficult to deal with. Usually hospital will need to be involved then and a change in meds is warranted.

Please continue to care for this frail person if you can, though respite might be in the order of things. My wife always has a yearly break of three or four days just with a few loved ones apart of me. She needs it and i learn to appreciate her even more during such times. Make sure you take good care of you as well. Caring needs caring input before it can deliver.

Too often we bi-polar people are hurting life too much to be of much value to others, please remember it is not our fault.

A good diet and medication can make world of difference.

Be blessed looking after the sick and needy.

 

[Open Heart]

BTW, if you are her care giver, there are perhaps things you can do that can help.

1. Keep her life as scheduled as possible -- It's stress reducing, and allows the entire body to simply function better. I'm not saying to be draconian. I'm just saying it helps to see to it that she gets up at the same time each day, has a morning routine, eats her meals at approximately the same time, takes her meds at the same time, and goes to sleep at the same time.

2. Have her eat healthy foods. This is good advice for everyone, but is VERY important to those with mental health issues. She needs foods with plenty of vitamins in them, so look for ways to up fresh foods and vegetables. Stay away from sugar--it messes with our whole bodies, and the glucose spikes are bad for people with mood disorders. Plus, along with bipolar meds (which cause weight gain) having a lot of sugar will cause diabetes. But like I said, no need to be draconian either. People on bipolar meds should NOT be drinking alcohol, period. Salmon and tuna help bipolar meds work better. Stay away from processed foods -- those additives are chemicals!

3. Make sure she gets around eight hours of sleep. Skipping sleep is exceptionally bad for mood disorders. Note -- this advice can be hard to follow. There's just something wierd about the way bipolar illness interacts with our sleep cycles. I know I'll be tired during the day and be looking forward to going to sleep at night. But then when 11:00 comes around, my mind starts whirring. It's fortunate for me that my Risperdal has a sedative effect, or I would never fall asleep. If she's having difficulty falling or staying asleep all night, this definitely needs to be brought up with her doctor.

4. People who are depressed have problems even getting up out of bed or their recliner much less exercise. Please try to understand that she isn't being lazy -- it's truly hard for her. But laying around all day isn't good for her. Know where her limits are. Perhaps the best you can get her to do is to move out onto the patio where she can get some sunshine and talk to you. Maybe she can go on short errands with you or out for a treat, like, "Hey how about going with me to the post office to drop this off, and we'll stop by Starbuck's for a Latte." If you can... try to get her to do a little exercise, even if it's only for a few minutes. Go for a short walk and enjoy the flowers and trees in the yards on the street. Or put on a fun song and dance for five minutes.

I don't know exactly how involved a caregiver you are, or how many hours you have with her, but I hope that at least some of this is helpful.

God bless you for caring. Those of us who are ill are so grateful for people like you.

 

[Johnboy60]

This lady's own children don't want anything too do with her. She would be living on the street if I didn't help her. She eight months ago pulled a steak knife on me and she was arrested and ended up taking her back because she would have ended up on the street again. I took all knifes out of house and got pepper spray in case of attack again. This lady is 67 years old and was married to her husband for 45 years before he died. She takes Bupropion 100 mgs once a day and just started it two days ago.