PLEASE FORWARD TO YOUR FRIENDS

Hi,

Sorry the news is late. We had a technical problem.

With that said, here’s the news.

To read this week’s news visit:

http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews454/

Here are the news headlines:

Man Who Suffered from Bipolar Disorder has Book Published

DO> Sounds like good book. Haven’t read it yet.

NBPF Develops Preventative Care Program Called ‘Safe ’til Stable’ for People Impacted with Bipolar Disorder

DO> Sounds like great idea.

Funding Supports ADA Technologies’ Development of Home Monitor for Bipolar Disorder

DO> Hmm. Sounds really worth while, don’t you think.

…Antipsychotic Drugs Spur Dramatic Weight Gain in Kids

DO> This is a sad side effect of medication.

An Illness Even Sadder When it Affects Teens

DO> This is really the truth. The good news is, today there are way better treatments than when my mom was growing up.

For these stories and more, please visit:

http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews454/

==>Help with ALL aspects of bipolar disorder<<==

Check out all my resources, programs and information for all aspects of bipolar disorder by visiting:

http://www.bipolarcentralcatalog.com

Your Friend,

Dave

Hi,

How’s it going?

I hope you’re having a good day today.

You know we’re in a recession.

Everyone knows we’re in a recession.

But there are some people that blame everything on the recession.

Whatever goes wrong in their life, they complain that it’s because of the recession.

Basically, these are people who would complain anyway, recession or not.

They blame all their problems on something else.

They have a bad attitude.

A doom and gloom approach.

A negative approach to life in general, and their problems in particular.

And if you try to encourage them or give them advice, they may even turn on you!

These people continually have problems, because they don’t have active solutions.

They just complain, but don’t do anything about their situation.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

YOU choose your attitude.

YOU choose your approach to life and your problems.

YOU choose how you handle things that come against you.

In my courses/systems, I call this being proactive.

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

If you determine that you aren’t going to let bipolar disorder run your life, it won’t.

If you choose to have a positive attitude, you will.

If you decide that you are going to take control of the disorder instead of letting it take control of you, you will.

It’s all in your attitude, and in being proactive.

See, some people just react to everything that happens to them.

Those are the type of people I was talking about earlier.

There’s a saying:

“Life is 1% what happens to

you and 99% your reaction to

it.”

These people react in a negative way.

You need to be different.

You need to react to life and the things that come against you in a positive way.

I’m not saying that you won’t have any problems (everyone has problems), but a positive attitude

will help you to solve them.

Being proactive with bipolar disorder is “taking the bull by its horns,” and taking control of it.

You take the approach that you can manage the disorder.

You look at the different things you can do to accomplish that.

You look at all your choices.

You make good choices.

And you make good decisions, because you have looked at all sides of it.

If you are a supporter, being proactive with your loved one’s bipolar disorder means that you

are alert for any signs and symptoms of an episode and prevent it from ever getting started.

And being proactive in your life means that you are in control of it.

Do you agree with me?

How do you approach your or your loved one’s bipolar disorder and your life?

Hey,

I just got back in from volunteering tonight.

Anyway, I wanted to send this out yesterday.

I have a brand new dvd that I am giving away.

It’s called:

The Ultimate Home Business Starter Kit.

It’s for Bipolar Supporters AND Bipolar Survivors.

You might be wondering why I am sending this out?

Well it’s simple. I have had tons and tons of people ask me about ways to increase their income from home. Both bipolar survivors and bipolar supporters.

Anyway, if you are interested, you can get it here:

http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/uhb/

See you tomorrow morning.

Dave

Hi,

How’s it going for you today?

I hope it’s going good.

I want to share an email I got with you:

“Dave, it’s so hard being a supporter

to someone who has bipolar disorder,

but you already know that. I’ve always

tried to look at things in a positive way,

to the point that I earned the nickname

the Eternal Optimist. Still, it’s so hard

to be an optimist when you’re facing all

the things that bipolar makes you face.

Sometimes my sister goes through times

where she is just like she used to be,

and we’re really happy during those times.

But when she goes into an episode, she’s

like a totally different person. She’s had

so many problems with her medications,

and she just can’t seem to stay stable for

very long.

She’s even gotten in trouble with the law,

and other things, because of her episodes,

and the rest of the family won’t even

have anything to do with her any more.

But as hard as it is, I just can’t desert her.

See, even though I know there’s no cure for her,

I do believe that she can get better. Sometimes

she shows signs of it, and those are the times I

hang onto. She has a hard time believing she’ll

ever get better, though, and sometimes I just don’t

know what to do to encourage her. Do you have

any advice? Linda”

———————————————————

The Eternal Optimist.

Linda sure sounds like one, doesn’t she?

Well, I believe we can all learn a lesson from her.

She’s right about there being no cure, unfortunately, and that’s true, but in my courses/systems, I teach you how to cope and deal with bipolar disorder in spite of it.

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

Bipolar disorder is a very cunning and baffling disorder.

Many people with the disorder do lose their family and friends because of it.

They have to deal with consequences of their episodes, like this woman’s sister, and that can be rough.

Sometimes the consequences are pretty bad.

I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.

There may have been times that you wanted to give up on your loved one, too, because sometimes it just gets so hard to deal with them.

That’s a normal feeling for a supporter.

But to Linda, and to you, my best advice is:

NEVER GIVE UP.

Yes, there’s no cure for bipolar disorder, but there is treatment for it.

And if your loved one adheres to their treatment, they have the best chance at stability.

And they WILL get better.

Like the sister, however, it may take time to find the right medications, so you may have to be patient during this process.

Just never give up.

Don’t give up hope for a cure.

Don’t give up hope for your loved one to get better.

And don’t give up on your loved one.

That’s probably the most important thing for a supporter to do.

And sometimes one of the hardest.

But if you had read as many success stories as I have, you would know that it IS possible to recover from bipolar disorder.

It’s not easy.

And it is a process.

And all processes take time.

But it will help your loved one so much if they know that you believe in them and that they will reach stability.

Wouldn’t you like to be like the Eternal Optimist?

Then NEVER GIVE UP.

Bipolar disorder CAN be defeated!

Hi,

How are you today?

I hope you’re having a great day!

I was thinking about this saying I’ve heard before, though I don’t know who originally said it.

It says:

“Insanity is doing the same thing

over and over again expecting

different results.”

I want you to think about that.

Because I want you to answer:

Are you sane or insane?

In other words, do you keep doing the same things over and over again, thinking that maybe

this time they’ll work?

Do you keep making the same mistakes over and over again?

And each time expect your loved one to respond differently.

If you are doing that, then technically you follow the expression, and you are insane!

The good news is, you can change things!

If you’re doing something for your loved one and no matter how many times you’ve done

it, it hasn’t worked, you need to try something new.

For example, if during their manic episodes, they blow all the money in the checking

account…

And each time you “forgive and forget,” you may be enabling them to keep on with the same

behavior.

On the other hand, what would happen if you sit them down between episodes and show them what they do/have done with the finances…

Then propose something different, like you having control of the finances.

What if you showed them the credit card statement and suggested that they don’t carry credit cards around with them?

That’s doing something different.

I talk about alternative ways to handle your loved one’s behavior 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

Many supporters don’t do this because they are afraid…

Or they don’t think they have the power…

Or they are intimidated by their loved one and/or their disorder.

Or maybe they haven’t even seen it as a problem…

Or maybe they don’t see any other way to do things.

Well, let me tell you –

There is always another way to do things.

Have you tried everything you can?

As a supporter, have you tried everything you can think of to help your loved one?

If you really believe you have done EVERYTHING…

Then your loved one should be stable.

But if they are still not stable right now, there are still things you can do to help them.

What you need to do is take out a sheet of paper and brainstorm ideas of how to do things that

aren’t working, differently.

Say your loved one is not taking their medication (which is a very common problem).

You usually get into a fight over it, because you want them to take it.

The next time, instead of arguing, try something different.

For example, you can use the statistics from the National Institute on Mental Health to sway them.

Show them an outside opinion on what happens with people who have bipolar disorder and go off their medications.

If you can’t find it on the Internet, I will just tell you:

According to NIMH, 20% (1 in 5) people with untreated bipolar disorder will kill themselves.

Maybe your loved one will respond to that and other statistics that you can find on the NIMH

website.

Maybe just telling them how concerned you are about them and them not taking their medications will be enough for them to take it.

But fighting is not the way to do it, especially if that’s the way you always do it.

You need to break the cycle, whatever the behavior.

Brainstorm.

Try to come up with new things to try, or different ways to do the things you do.

Hi,

How’s it going?

I hope you’re fine.

I wanted to write you something important.

There was a big fight in the gym between two people.

One a democrat and one a republican (democrat and republican are political parties in the U.S., for those outside the country that are reading this.).

One argued Obama is doing too many things that are not related to the main goal which should be to fix the economy (i.e., getting jobs).

The person arguing for Obama said he has to work on all these things at the same time and you can’t just focus on one.

(NOTE Obama is the President of the United States)

Some say President Obama is doing too much.

Okay, we’re not going to get political.

And if you are wondering, I am an independent, neither republican nor democrat.

But my friend who thinks Obama has done too much too fast brings up a good point for bipolar disorder.

You have to decide what is important and not important.

There are times, you have to work on many things at the same time.

Find a good doctor, therapist, make sure you keep your job if you are a supporter, handle bills, etc. etc.

In my courses/systems, I go over the elements that make a successful supporter:

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

Ask yourself:

Am I doing too much for my loved one?

Am I not doing enough for my loved one?

Some people will disagree with you either way, so this is just your opinion of yourself.

Here’s my point of view:

I don’t think you can do too much to support a loved one with bipolar disorder, UNLESS…

(this is how you’ll know you’re doing too much)

1. You do things for them that they

can do for themselves.

2. You make them dependent on you

3. You become an enabler

4. You are codependent

5. You have no life outside the home

6. You focus on the disorder too

much

7. You don’t have any outside

activities

8. You don’t have your own support

system

9. You are your loved one’s only

supporter

10. You don’t ever do anything that

you enjoy (or be by yourself or

with your own friends)

I know your heart is in the right place, or you wouldn’t be a supporter to your loved one.

It’s obvious that you do care.

But do you care too much?

Being codependent means seeing more to your loved one’s needs than to your own.

Seeing to your own needs, physically and mentally is crucial to being a good supporter.

Ask yourself the hard questions.

Am I doing enough for my loved one?

Am I doing too much for them?

There needs to be a balance.

Hi,

How’s it going? I have to get going pretty quick. I’ll catch up with you next week.

Here’s the news.

To read this week’s news visit:

http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews453/

Here are the news headlines:

Mental Illness: The Stigma of Silence

DO> Great article. Take a look.

Glenn Close and Family Tackle Stigma of Mental Illness

DO> Another great article.

When Bipolar Illness Meets Grief: Kay Redfield Jamison on Becoming a Widow

DO> This is one of the earliest authors writing on bipolar.

Insurer Decides on Treatment

DO> What do you think of this article?

Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder: Bridging the Divide

DO> Great article that explains two difficult illnesses.

For these stories and more, please visit:

http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews453/

==>Help with ALL aspects of bipolar disorder<<==

Check out all my resources, programs and information for all aspects of bipolar disorder by visiting:

http://www.bipolarcentralcatalog.com

Your Friend,

Dave

Hi,

I have some good news for the many people who have asked me for resources related to

Christianity and Bipolar Disorder.

I have gotten many requests over the last two years but I really didn’t have a resource to point people to. Now I do. It’s actually by Michele Soloway and everyone that has gotten a copy loves it.

For more information, on Michele Soloway’s The Bipolar Spiritual Journey,

Volume I visit:

http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/specialoffer/spiritualjourney1/

Thanks.

Dave

Hi,

How’s it going for you today?

I hope you’re having a good day.

They say that what you see is what you get.

I say that what you see is not necessarily what you get!

Here’s what I mean:

You can hope for one thing…

And then get surprised when you get something totally different.

You can look at something a certain way and think you’re sure of what you see…

Then find out it’s not.

Think about optical illusions, for example.

If you look at it one way, you see one thing.

But if you look at it another way, you see something else.

The important thing when it comes to bipolar disorder, like I say in my courses/systems, is

that you DO look at what is facing you, however.

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

Optical illusions can “trick” us.

Well, bipolar disorder can trick you the same way.

You think you see it one way, but something changes, and you can see it a totally other

way.

A lot of it has to do with your attitude.

If you look at something with a positive attitude, you’re going to see it one way.

But if you look at it with a negative attitude, you’re going to see it another way.

When you apply this principle to bipolar disorder, you can see the difference that your attitude

can make.

If you look at your loved one’s recovery from bipolar disorder with a positive viewpoint, you’re

going to see them as stable someday.

And you hope for that day.

If you look at your loved one’s bipolar disorder with a negative attitude, however, you may think

that they’ll never get better.

Think about that optical illusion.

There are two ways to look at the same thing.

One supporter put it this way:

“Right now my son is not stable

with his bipolar disorder. But

at least he’s trying his best. It’s

just that he keeps having problems

with his medication. Sometimes

he gets discouraged, but I try to

keep him optimistic, because I am

a positive person, and I try to keep

him focused on the future and that

someday he will be better, that

soon they’ll get his medications

right.”

——————————————–

That’s the difference that a good attitude can make.

This woman is a good supporter.

Having a positive outlook can help you get through the hard times.

It can keep you looking forward to the “someday” of stability.

Things may look bad now, but if you look at it later, things will look much different.

That’s how bipolar disorder tricks you.

It can get you believing that what you see now is what you’re always going to get.

But that’s not true.

If your loved one is doing the things they need to do to further their stability, then you have every reason to hope that they will recover.

Just remember that it won’t happen overnight, but it will happen.

Do you agree that bipolar disorder tries to “trick” you into thinking that your loved one will never get better?

Can you see it differently now?

Hi,

How’s it going for you today.

I hope your day is going well so far.

Remember when we were little, we called our bellybuttons “innie” or “outie”?

I don’t know if kids still do that today.

But I do know that “outies” were not the norm.

I think, for them, that it was harder than for the “innies” who were in the majority.

What about you?

Are you an innie or an outie?

Were you popular in school or not, in other words?

If all you cared about was being with the “in crowd,” back in school, then you might be struggling as a supporter to a loved one with bipolar disorder now.

A supporter who is doing their job may not be in the majority.

For example, at support group meetings.

Sometimes people talk at these meetings about how they found a natural cure for bipolar disorder

and that their loved one has gone off their medication and is fine.

Well, you know you can’t do that (and this person shouldn’t, either).

But if you speak up, defending medications as treatment, you may find you get some negative

feedback.

The thing is that you have to be confident in yourself.

You have to know that you have good judgment and can make good decisions for you and your loved one, as well as other family members.

You have to trust your instincts.

Especially in the case above.

Your instinct should tell you that there is no “miracle cure,” natural or otherwise, for bipolar disorder.

And just because this person is claiming it, doesn’t mean that you have to be on “their side.”

Stick up for what you believe in, like I teach 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

You should know the “rights” and “wrongs” of being a supporter by now.

And the proof will be in whether your loved one is on the way to stability or not.

You do what works for YOU, and don’t worry about what anyone else thinks or says.

Some of the things I recommend in my courses/systems are not the majority opinion.

Like my doctor finding system.

Nothing like it existed until I made it a reality.

Now, some people accept it and do real well with it, but others don’t.

But I suggest these things because I KNOW they will lead to stability for your loved one.

When you are getting opposition to what you are doing, you have to ask yourself, “Does this person have my loved one’s best interests at heart like I do?”

People are going to voice their own opinions, but it’s your choice whether to listen to them.

For example, I know there are people who think I’m a fraud.

But I know that I’m not, and you know that I’m not.

Neither do the thousands of other people I’ve helped with my courses/systems.

But still, people can say what they want to say.

I know the truth.

Stand by your convictions, even if it isn’t the most popular thing to do.

Your goal is to help your loved one, whether your methods are popular or not.

Even if you stand out as different from other supporters, you have to do what is best for YOUR loved one with bipolar disorder.

Have you come across what I was talking about in a support group meeting?

What happened?

Are some of your methods for handling your loved one’s bipolar disorder somewhat unorthodox?

What are they?