Hi,

They say that life experiences change people. You know about Superstorm Sandy? Well, I was lucky. It didn’t get me bad, just some flooded streets. But my mom lost power for a while. And other people were hurt much worse. Those people’s lives were forever changed by a natural disaster. It was a horrible life experience for them. But now they have a chance to start over and make changes.

Divorce changes people. Have you ever known anyone who got divorced (or gotten divorced yourself)? Then you know that divorce definitely changes people. Two people that may have been in love at one time now may hate each other, or at least have nothing good to say about each other. They’re different people now. They may be bitter.

Changing careers can change a person as well. They may have to adapt to a whole new way of doing things than they did at their other job. And aging definitely changes people. All their life experiences combined change them from who they were at one time to who they are now.

We are all the result of our life experiences. Good and bad. Having children, for example.

Somehow, being responsible for a small baby changes people. For one thing, it makes them more serious and responsible. They want to be a good parent, so they change into one.

Other experiences change people, too. Finding out that you have an incurable disease can really change you. Like bipolar disorder. It can bring with it changes, which can be for better or for worse.

Okay, let’s talk about the down side first. Your loved one may become a different person

because of the disorder. They are definitely different when they go through episodes as opposed to when they are in a normal period. If your loved one gets depressed, they are not the same person you usually know. They may be sad, lose interest in things, feel helpless and hopeless, or even talk of suicide. Of course this is a bad experience. If your loved one gets manic, they also experience changes. They may be more energetic and/or be excessively happy, which sound like they would be good things, but for someone in a bipolar manic episode, they aren’t. They may become very impulsive, do risk-taking behavior, and make bad decisions. So a manic episode is a bad experience as well.

However, let’s look at the other side of the coin. Yes, bipolar disorder does change a person, but sometimes it’s for the better. For one thing, now you have a reason for why your loved one said and did the things they did. Bipolar disorder can make a person more determined. Many people refuse to let the disorder rule their lives, so they do what they can to be in control of it instead of it being in control of them. Bipolar disorder can make a person take more responsibility for themselves. Many people, bound for stability, will make the necessary life changes to insure that stability. They will take medication, go to see their doctor, psychiatrist, and therapist on a regular basis, learn stress reduction techniques, eat a healthy diet, get better sleep, exercise, etc.

Bipolar disorder can also change your loved one into someone who may have been a pessimist before, but now is an optimist, believing that they can recover from the disorder.

All our life experiences change us. But it’s up to us whether they change us for the better or for the worse.

Well, I have to go!

 

Your Friend,

 

Dave

 

Hi,

Have you ever watched someone try to put a jigsaw puzzle together? The concentration…The focus…How meticulous they can be…All those parts? Some people can’t do it. But those that can…Those who can take all those parts…And put them together just right…Can make a beautiful picture out of what seemed to be nothing!

Well, music is the same way. It doesn’t matter what kind of music you like the best, all music still has the same parts:

• Melody

• Notes

• Rhythm

• Tone

• Timing

• Composition

• Instruments

• Songwriter

• Song

• Lyrics

• Band

• Singer

All that concentration…All that focus…All those parts! And that’s just for ONE SONG! Now, these days, they usually add a video and some dancing to it as well. So now you’ve got even more parts –

• Choreographer

• Dance steps

• Choreography

• Lighting

• Direction

• Outfit designer

• Outfits

• Etc.

Now with bipolar disorder, we have parts, too – Like the parts to the stability equation I talk about. Many people still complain about the parts to stability for bipolar disorder, but when you compare it to the parts to music (especially one with a video) it doesn’t seem so bad, does it? If you want just music, you can skip some of the parts. I’m not saying it would be the best music, but it could still be music. But if you want QUALITY music you have to make sure that you have all the parts, and that every part is attended to. Same thing with bipolar disorder.

Some people just tend to the minimum of the parts to stability with bipolar disorder. They just take their pills and go to therapy, for example. But if you want QUALITY management of your bipolar disorder, you have to make sure every part of it is attended to as well.

You’ve got such things as:

• Medications

• Therapy

• Strong support system

• Sleep

• Exercise

• Diet

• Self-care

• Productivity

• Reduced stress

• Balance

• Watch for triggers

• Look for signs/symptoms

of episodes

• Etc.

In other words, like putting that puzzle together, your loved one has to put all the pieces together, too, to make one bigger complete picture of their stability.

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/bipolarnews645/

Advantages in Bipolar — No Longer If, but Why and How
DO> Some good information for you.

VIDEO: ‘I’ve bought cars I couldn’t afford and demolished my own house …
DO> You’ll find this video very interesting.

Garey Jones appears in court on multiple stabbing charges
DO> This is frightening, don’t you think?

Birth Defects Of The Nervous System Linked To Later Development Of …
DO> Important information that you should know.

Is iron deficiency causing psychiatric disorders in kids?
DO> Interesting study, don’t you agree?

Oxytocin Helps Ease Social Rejection, Suggesting Therapeutic Treatment For …
DO> Don’t you think that this is important?

Why bipolar sufferer Jocelyn Duncan is having the last laugh
DO> You’ll find this woman’s story inspiring.

Cardiovascular Mortality Twice As High for People with Bipolar
DO> Some good information for you to know.

Wrongful death lawsuit filed in fatal police shooting of Samuel Cruz in New …
DO> You’ll be very interested in this video.

Older, Cheap Drug May Cut Suicide Risk for People With Mood Disorders
DO> A very important discovery, don’t you agree?

For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews645/

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 this guy who works for me, and I’d have nothing to complain about, EXCEPT…Working with him is like trying to negotiate a battlefield. I feel like I’m always walking through a mine field whenever I talk to him, because sometimes he just explodes in anger at me! And he isn’t consistent. So what made him mad last time is not necessarily what he’s mad at me for this time!

It’s really a problem working with him, since he is so unpredictable in his mood swings and anger. I probably wouldn’t keep him on staff, except that he is a genius at what he does. So I’ve learned to take the good with the bad whenever I need some work from him.

It’s the same way I look at bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is a battlefield. There are mines everywhere you look, if that’s what you look for. But if you think of those mines as episodic behavior, there’s a chance you can get around them. Of course, it means monitoring your loved one’s behavior and moods, and having a plan of action in place to battle them.

In any battle, you need to have ammunition. Your ammunition is knowledge. And, hopefully, a close relationship with your loved one’s doctor, psychiatrist and therapist, as well. That way, they’re on your side. So let’s look at those land mines. And compare them with your ammunition.

Many people with bipolar disorder don’t want to take their medication, or put up a fuss about taking it, or some even just forget to take it. Many supporters have reported to me that they struggle with getting their loved one to take their meds.

So what ammunition do you have? You have the doctor on your side – the one who prescribed your loved one’s medication and hopefully is following their progress on it. Don’t feel embarrassed if you have to ask for help from your loved one’s doctor or nurse to get your loved one to take their medication. You should have their therapist on your side as well, and maybe they can talk to your loved one and get through to them the importance of taking it.

If your loved one is not sticking to their treatment, that can be a big problem. And a big area to fight, according to supporters that have talked to me. The problem is, you can’t force your loved one to WANT to adhere to their treatment. But you DO have to deal with the consequences of their episodic behavior, so you should have a say in the matter. That’s one thing you should try to get across to your loved one, in the least threatening way possible. Show them the statistics on bipolar disorder. Tell them you don’t want them to be a statistic (20% of people with bipolar disorder will kill themselves), so you want them to adhere to their treatment. Tell them in a loving way that you want them to get better.

The more people you have behind you, the more ammunition you have to fight this bipolar disorder. Get your loved one’s family involved if you have to. If you go to church, get your pastor or minister or priest involved. Or your loved one’s friends. Just someone your loved one will listen to if they won’t listen to you.

The good news is – Bipolar disorder is a battlefield upon which you can emerge the winner.

NOTE: Always remember that it is the bipolar disorder that you’re fighting and NOT your loved one!

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

 

Dave

 

Hi,

You know the most important part of any movie, right? It’s not the title. It’s not the director. It’s not the actors (even if they are the biggest stars in Hollywood). It’s the PLOT. Without a good plot (a good story), it doesn’t matter how good the director is, or even how good the actors (stars) are. The only way a movie is going to be good is if it has a good plot. Well, in a way we can compare our lives with a movie in that we are living out a sort of plot as well. But what if we want to change the end of our movie? Well…

The only way to change the end of a movie is to change the plot of that movie! That suggests that we have some control over our lives, doesn’t it? Many people with bipolar disorder and their supporters don’t believe that, unfortunately. But I have talked to many, many people who HAVE changed the plots of their lives so that they WILL have a happy ending! These people have bipolar disorder, but have learned to manage their disorder. Even some of the most hopeless cases have been able to turn their lives around so that they have become bipolar success stories!

For some, stability was just a dream – something that seemed unattainable. But with concentrated effort and a lot of hope, they finally reached it – they changed the end of their movie by changing the plot of their movie.

How does this happen? Well, when your loved one is first diagnosed, they will be put on a treatment plan. That treatment plan should include medication and therapy. Those are just the basics, though – the foundation of their treatment plan. They also need to do some work themselves for them to get better. During their “movie,” both of you will have “parts” for you to play. So will other people, as your loved one develops a good, strong support system.

They cannot get better by themselves.

Your part is the role of the supporter. You need to be patient and understanding. You need to be supportive, without enabling your loved one (doing things for them that allow them to continue unacceptable behaviors). If you are living with your loved one, then you need to keep as stress-free an environment for them as possible. But you also need to remember to take care of yourself first, because if you’re not healthy (physically, emotionally and spiritually), how can you take care of your loved one?

Your loved one has a role in this “movie” as well.

Their “role” consists of:

• taking their medication

• seeing a doctor, psychiatrist and therapist

• sticking to a good sleep schedule

• eating a healthy diet

• exercising

• being productive

• working or volunteering

• etc.

Taken all together, it is a recipe for stability, which is the happy ending of the movie for anyone with bipolar disorder.

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

 

Dave