Hi,

There was this old saying I heard: “The only things you can count on in life are death and taxes.”

It was supposed to be a sort of funny way of saying that there really aren’t many things that you can count on in life. And that’s true, isn’t it? Basically, life is pretty unpredictable. I mean, look at your life now. Would you have ever predicted that you would be who you are now? Doing what you’re doing now? Being with who you are now? Working where you are now? Living where you are now? Even driving what you are now? See? Life is really unpredictable. Especially when it comes to a loved one with bipolar disorder.

One of the things I often talk about is the unpredictability of your loved one’s bipolar episodes.

In fact, that’s one of the most unpredictable things about bipolar disorder. Which can make it one of the most frustrating aspects of the disorder for you. But I’m going to tell you a secret. There is a way to make your loved one’s bipolar episodes more predictable. I know…This may sound like an impossibility, but hear me out.

Here’s my logic: If something happens once, there’s a better likelihood that it will happen again, right? That’s how we can determine triggers that lead to bipolar episodes. So think back…Try to remember what led to or caused your loved one’s last bipolar episode. Say for example that it was a manic episode. And say that it was lack of sleep that was the trigger. (I’m just using this as an example – your loved one’s trigger may have been something else.)

Well…Using my logic…You can now use this as a predictor for the future. In other words…

If at any time in the future your loved one loses sleep…You can predict that there is a chance that they may go into a manic episode.

There! The unpredictability factor of their bipolar disorder has lessened at least a little bit for you! You can do the same thing for all their bipolar episodes. Just work it the same way as I just did.

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave