Hi,

Did you know that 20% of people that have bipolar disorder kill themselves? That’s 1 in 5 people! That’s a staggering statistic, when you think about it. And that’s not just my say-so, that’s according to the National Institute on Mental Health, a national statistic. And I bet a lot of those suicides occur after the holidays, too. That’s when a lot of people with bipolar disorder tend to fall into a depression. That’s because they got so “high,” or manic, during the holidays.

That can be a big problem for people with bipolar disorder.

Like this one blogger says:

“I hate the holidays. I mean, I don’t hate the holidays per se, I just hate holiday time, because I really have to watch myself. That’s when my bipolar can really get out of hand. I get so excited because of all the excitement of the holidays, what with the decorations, and busyness in the stores and malls and all around and all. You see all the commercials on TV and you’re just reminded everywhere you turn that the holidays are here. It’s just this one time of the year, but it’s such a “high” time that if I don’t watch myself, I can get totally manic. I mean, there are holiday gatherings to prepare for and all, with cooking and baking and all those extra goodies I like to do, plus all the gatherings and parties to go to, but I really have to watch myself not to get out of hand. I have to stay in control or I could easily go into a manic episode.”

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Like this blogger was saying, it can (and must) be done, especially if you’re aware of those triggers. But it’s one thing to be aware of the manic triggers, and another thing to be sideswiped by a depression that follows the holidays. One that you didn’t expect. That can too easily happen if you’re not prepared for it. Especially if your loved one did experience a mania during the holidays. As many times, a mania will be followed by an inevitable crash into a depression afterwards.

So what can you do about post-holiday depression in your loved one? First of all…You can try to avoid it. Try not to let them get too manic or excited or “high” over the holidays themselves.

This way they can maintain more of an even keel throughout this time. Then, hopefully, you will avoid the crash of a depression after the holidays. Another way you can try to avoid it is…Try to get things back to normal as quickly as you can after the holidays. I’m not saying to take down the decorations immediately or anything (unless you want to), but just to get back to as great a sense of normalcy as you can as quickly as you can. In other words, get back to your normal routine and schedule. Do things that you would normally do.

Another thing you can do to avoid post-holiday depression is…Keep up the gatherings. Keep seeing friends and family even though it’s no longer the holidays. This will help keep your loved one “in the spirit” longer and keep them from getting depressed.

Another thing is…Encourage your loved one to get back into their routine as quickly as possible.

Much of the time, people forego their diet and exercise regimens over the holidays because of the gatherings and parties. Someone with bipolar disorder is no different. It would help your loved one to get back into their diet and exercise routines as quickly as possible after the holidays to avoid depression.

If they do fall into a depression after the holidays…Encourage them to make an appointment to see their therapist and/or psychiatrist for an extra visit before they go into a full blown bipolar depressive episode.

And don’t forget yourself…You need to watch yourself as well, so that you don’t go into a depression after the holidays. Make sure that you stay busy and get yourself back to normal as quickly as possible. You can follow the same advice as above to avoid depression for yourself.

Your Friend,

Dave