Hi,

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 can see something else. The important thing when it comes to bipolar disorder, is that you DO look at what is facing you, however.

Optical illusions can “trick” us. Well, bipolar disorder can trick you in sort of the same way. You think you see it one way, but something changes, and then 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.

Here’s another example: 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. It can help you to look forward to your loved one reaching the recovery stage of their bipolar disorder. 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 try not to get discouraged. Just remember that it won’t happen overnight, but it will

happen. Just keep in mind that the bipolar disorder will try to “trick” you into thinking that your loved one will never get better. But you don’t have to believe it.Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave