Hi,

Ya know, there was this girl who used to work out where I do…Who, I swear, had more problems than any one person could have in a lifetime, to hear her tell it! She was always having problems with her boyfriend, for one thing. I mean, he wasn’t abusing her or anything…But he certainly couldn’t do anything else right, according to this girl. And it was all so dramatic! It made me wonder why she even stayed with the guy in the first place. And if she wasn’t complaining about her boyfriend, she was complaining about her job. To hear her tell it…It was like there was this huge conspiracy going on at work or something. And, of course, it all centered around her. Yeah, right! Again, all the drama. It would make me tired just to listen to her! Then there were her family problems…Her car…Her apartment…Money problems…And anything else you could think of that could cause problems in a person’s life. But I mean, I had problems, too, but nothing that was on the catastrophic scale that apparently her problems were to her! This girl was what I would call a Drama Queen.

And the thing about Drama Queens is that nobody wants to be around them. They just drain you, ya know? They’re always complaining about something. According to them, nothing goes right in their life…They’ve always got problems…And it’s always a crisis! The thing is, when you’re dealing with bipolar disorder, you can’t afford to be a Drama Queen (or King). You can’t afford to have crises. A bipolar episode is crisis enough. But everyday problems have to be solvable.

You have to approach your problems in a calm manner. First of all, you have to realize that, when you’re dealing with a loved one with bipolar disorder, there are going to be problems.

But your best chance to solve them is if you approach it as a team and try to solve them together.

So, you stay calm, realize there are going to be problems, work as a team, and develop a good

problem solving approach.

For example: You might write down the problem. Then write down your options to solving the

problem. Then eliminate those options that are not viable options. Then choose the best option for solving the problem. Many people find that just by writing things down, it helps with the problem solving approach. Sometimes you might have to talk to someone else to help you solve your problem. It’s ok if you need to ask for help. This doesn’t mean that you’re weak. Everyone needs help sometime. It just may be what you need to help you solve your problem.

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave