Hi, how’s it going? Hope you are doing well.

Have you ever seen a toddler trying to walk for the first time? They usually fall – a lot. But most of the time, they are pretty persistent. Their parents help that along. They encourage their child to get back up and try again.

Have you ever seen a child try their hand at sewing? They generally mess up a lot, and are likely as not to poke themselves with a needle once or twice. And watching them try to thread a needle can be a test of patience. But they keep trying. Eventually, with practice, they will get it right.

Have you ever watched a first grade student learn to write? Often times, at first, they get it wrong. And they always need to ask what letter comes next. It takes a lot of patience to be the one teaching them to write. But in the long run it’s worth it, because they do learn.

One more.

Have you ever seen a child learn to swim? First they test the water. Then they slowly wade in, clinging onto the edge of the pool. Generally, they have a life jacket on and maybe even floaties anyway. But they are cautious, and don’t necessarily want to try it all at once. But their parents keep taking them back to the pool over and over again until they learn to swim.

All of these stories have a couple of things in common. Yes, they are all about children. But that wasn’t *exactly* the answer I was looking for. LOL. For one, they are all about second chances. And sometimes even about third, fourth, fifth… Secondly, they are all about persevering until it’s right.

These are two very valuable lessons for someone who is a supporter of a person with bipolar disorder. People who have bipolar disorder don’t generally give up. And when they do, it’s not for long – maybe just for a period of depression, and then when they come out of the depression they go right back to struggling to make things better.

They don’t always get things right at first. After all, no one does. But if you keep giving them chances, they will get it right in the end. They are willing to persevere. Are you?

Even if you get impatient at times and say or do something you shouldn’t, there are second chances for you, too. Life is full of second chances to learn and grow. It is also full of things to test our perseverance and to make things harder on us.

Remember next time your loved one doesn’t get it right that they need more chances so that they can get to the point that they will get it right. Remember that if you were in their place, you would want someone to give you a second chance.

What are your thoughts on this?

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave

Hi,

Last year I let many people know about a new e-report that I have called Bipolar Disorder-The REAL Silent Killer.

Lots of people got this important report but some did not. They were not around for the special offer that I setup.

So I decided to extend my special offer again.

For more information, please visit:

http://www.bipolarcentral.com/specialoffer/bipolarsilentkiller/

Also, this new resource comes with a Special Report titled:

“Why People With Bipolar Disorder Are Dying Because of Their Religious Beliefs.”

Talk to you tomorrow morning.

Dave

Hi, how’s it going? Hope you are doing well.

There was a news story that I was following the other day. It said that in the city of San Diego,

California, some shops were posting stickers in their windows that read “Don’t Feed Our Bums.” The news report was asking for opinions on whether this was cruel or a good way to handle a legitimate concern.

They got many answers that went both ways. One in particular struck me: A man saying that no one should ever help homeless people because one of them threw rocks at him. I’ve seen people who weren’t homeless act just as cruel. Does that mean that every homeless person is that way? Of course not!

There was another comment that was left that astounded me, also, but not in a bad way this time. A woman was talking about how she had become homeless because of a series of events that she couldn’t control. She mentioned that she had never pan-handled the entire time she was homeless. Instead, she stayed in shelters where she worked to earn her stay and food.

She went to school while she was homeless, and eventually got a job and managed to get a place of her own again. But she made a very valid point: Not everyone who is homeless is there because they want to be, or because it is their fault.

Here’s another point for you to consider: Many people who are homeless are so because of unmanaged mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Now, many of you have probably heard that many people with schizophrenia become homeless, but did you know the same is true with bipolar?

I knew a girl once who repetitively became homeless for short periods of time, mostly because her mood swings made it impossible for her to stay in one place for very long. Not to mention she would burn bridges to relationships that could have helped her. She had bipolar disorder, and, for at least one period of time, ended up in a homeless shelter.

To this day, she still does not live on her own, but by following her treatment plan and learning new skills and strategies for coping, she now makes a much better roommate than she ever did before.

Usually when a person who has bipolar disorder becomes homeless, they were not on their medications. Or maybe they were taking their medications, but not reporting to their psychiatrist that the medications weren’t working for them.

Sometimes it happens because of money. When manic, they might spend everything that they had for rent, and next thing you know, they’ve been evicted. Sometimes it happens because of relationship problems. This is especially true in roommate situations, or when living with family.

How many times does a person who has bipolar disorder – and is not following their treatment plan – mess up their relationships? Sometimes it is fixable, sometimes not. Sometimes it is enough that if the person was providing them housing, they decide that they can no longer do so for them.

Can you see how any of these different factors could lead to homelessness? So yes, I would say that those stickers, and any attitude towards the homeless that is all-inclusive, is cruel. Not all homeless people act the same way, and it’s a shame if a select few ruin it for the rest of them.

It is a personal choice if someone chooses to help them, and on what level. But at the very least, we need to understand that our loved ones could easily be there. Doesn’t that make you want to go give them a hug and be glad that they’re not?

What are your thoughts on this?

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave

Hi,

What’s new? Hope you are doing well.

To read this week’s news visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews489/

Here are the news headlines:

Is There a Role for Antidepressants in the Treatment of Bipolar?
DO> Wow, what do you think of this article?

Family Experiences of Bipolar Disorder – The Ups and Downs
DO> Great article, take a look.

Got Bipolar? You’re at Risk for Metabolic Syndrome, Too
DO> Geeze, another issue for those with bipolar.

Attorney Says ‘No Prior Psych Episode For River Toss Mom’
DO> Man this is sad, don’t you think?

Abbotsford mourns killing of five-year-old girl
DO> Really sad article, what do you think?

For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews489/

==>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? Hope you are doing well.

I knew a man at one time who had a brilliant mind. He could find a solution to any puzzle or problem, and he always had something cleaver to say. This man happened to have bipolar disorder. And, like many with the disorder, he didn’t take his medications. He thought he was doing fine. After all, he wasn’t depressed, and that’s what matters, right?

Except that he was manic. He ended up spending all of his rent money on things that he didn’t need and were non-returnable. He lost his job because he got mad at work and started ranting about things he shouldn’t have. He burned bridges with family and friends by the things he said and did when he was manic.

Naturally, he got kicked out of his apartment when he couldn’t pay the rent. He couldn’t go stay with anybody, because he had made them all mad at him. And he couldn’t afford to get a new place, because he had lost his job. He became homeless.

Since he lost his job, he lost the medical insurance that went with it, which means he lost his ability to see a psychiatrist and get medications. So he stayed off his medications, even when he no longer wanted to be off them. Now he’s been homeless for years, and the man that knew how to fix everybody’s problems doesn’t know how to fix his own.

It’s easy to think he was a fool, or an idiot. After all, how could he neglect his responsibilities that way? Or even, how could he think he could be off medications in the first place? Unfortunately, though, this is a very common problem.

Much of the time people who have bipolar disorder think they can go without their medications. And that usually leads to a downward cycle. Sometimes it ends in homelessness. Other times it ends in death, when the person gets so depressed that they take their own life. Sometimes it ends in losing all of the friends and family that a person has.

This is why it is so important to have and follow a treatment plan. If your loved one has bipolar disorder, then a treatment plan needs to be written with their future well-being in mind. At a time when they can think straight, have them sit down and think about their mentalities when they are manic or depressed. Have them write themselves reminders for those times as to why they should continue to follow their treatment plan even when they don’t want to.

Keep those reminders in a place that is easy to get to. Then, when they get to the point that they don’t want to take their medications or otherwise follow their treatment plan, pull out those reminders and show them to them.

There are things that can be done to prevent your loved one from becoming homeless. They will need your help with it, because there will be times when they just don’t feel like it. And, since bipolar disorder is a disorder that affects a person’s moods, when they don’t feel like something they are likely to not do it.

But you can be there as their reminder that they need to follow their treatment plan. If you feel you need to, remind them that many in their situation have ended up homeless, dead, or alone. Let them know that you don’t want them to end up like that, but you need their help to make sure that they don’t.

The aim is always for recovery, but it can be easy to look up so high that we don’t see the rock below that we are about to trip on. What I mean by this is, it can be easy to be so focused on what it will be like when they are in recovery that we forget to take the time to prevent them from getting worse. But it is something that needs to happen.

What can you do today to make sure that this doesn’t happen to your loved one?

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave