Hi,

Do you remember Play-Dough? I think it’s even still around today! I remember having a blast playing with it as a kid. There was so much you could do with it! There were so many colors it came in. There were so many different shapes you could make it go into. Especially if you bought the special molds. But even if you didn’t, you could always use Mom’s cookie cutters,
couldn’t you?

The thing is…Some kids could spend hours using their imaginations and making all kinds of things with Play-Dough. Other kids would play with it for a little while and then lose interest and go on to something else. And then there were other kids who would just EAT it! LOL Just kidding…

But what I’m getting at is that different people, if given the same circumstances, will react in different ways. Just like those children, given the same toy. Like everyone with bipolar disorder is different, so the same medication/treatment is not going to work the same for everybody.

So think about how that relates to you, as a supporter. On the one hand, I hope it would be good news to you to find out that you are NOT alone. There are SO many other supporters of a loved one with bipolar disorder out there. I know, because I get emails and letters from thousands of them. So no, you are not alone. And that should be good news.

Because I know that sometimes I felt, when I was dealing with my mom as her supporter, that I was alone in what I was trying to cope with. And when I found out that there were actually
millions of people that had bipolar disorder, it was a revelation to me. I just didn’t know that.
So just knowing that helped.

But it was still hard going through being a supporter to my mom. It’s still hard for you, isn’t it?
The daily ups and downs…The mood swings…The bipolar episodes…The unpredictability…
The financial pressures…The impulsive acts…And maybe just the fact that your loved one
got diagnosed with bipolar disorder turned your life upside down.

I know it has for some supporters. I know in some cases, their loved one makes it really hard for them at work, too. That might be part of the problem for you, as well. But you hang in there, don’t you? In spite of all the problems, you still hang in there. Because you feel like you have no choice.

So you try your best, sometimes just to get through the days. But sometimes you think that maybe your best just isn’t good enough. So maybe you start to compare yourself with other supporters. Maybe you hear about other supporters in your support group and you think they are doing better than you are, so you want to be like them.

But I’m here to tell you…That’s not the right way to think. Mostly because everybody is different, and you don’t know what’s really going on with them. They might be struggling just as much as you are!

They might even be jealous of you! So just keep doing the best that you can, and hopefully
things will eventually get easier for you. Just don’t compare yourself to others, because
everybody is different.

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave