Bipolar Supporter Blog

Hi,

Today I am heading off to a business seminar
so I am writing this very early in the morning.

Today is Thursday and it’s almost the weekend.

Before I head out the door for the day, I wanted
to tell you something. It’s something that I haven’t
mentioned in a while in my daily emails. I have a
major warning as well. Read on.

I just was talking to someone who
works for me yesterday. She does really well
with her bipolar disorder.

Anyway, we were talking about how we really
need to make sure that we always keep going over
the basics of bipolar disorder. That got me
to thinking about something. I have gotten
a ton of emails about people asking, what’s
a bipolar episode.

At first I was thinking that everyone should
know that but I never knew what an episode was
after being around my mom for 29 years. We use
to call it “mom’s sick.” So, let’s talk about
what an episode is.

What is a bipolar episode?

Bipolar Disorder is marked by extreme mood swings.
There are times when a person with Bipolar Disorder
enters a depressive mood (extreme sadness), and
other times when they experience mania (extreme euphoria).

These are called bipolar episodes. Contrary to what some
people believe, a person with the disorder does not
continually go back and forth between these two
extremes. In between episodes, the person can go
months (or even years) with normal moods.

My mom’s episodes tend to be manic BUT for many
years when I was a kid she was depressed. I remember
my mom being in the bed for YEARS. I think from like
age 10 through maybe 13, my mom was always in the
bed in a dark house.

It made it strange for me because I thought that was
normal until one day a friend said, “where’s your mom?”
I explained she was always in bed and he said that
wasn’t normal. It was at that point I knew something
was wrong because all my other friends had mom’s that
weren’t in bed all day.

Anyway, next question…..

What Happens During an Episode?

Manic Episodes: Symptoms build up over time
with initial symptoms being mild. It generally
starts off slowly but starts getting worse.

When the episode ends, the person will either
enter a depressive episode or will return to their
normal mood. The main symptom of a manic episode
is seriously impaired judgment. Symptoms include:
less sleep, rapid speech, overspending, and risky
behavior involving sex, gambling, eating, drugs,
and/or alcohol.

In my mom’s manic episodes, she spent a TON and I mean
a TON of money. I have never calculated the total loss
but it’s way more than $500,000 that’s for sure.

Depressive Episodes: Many times, the person might
enter a depressive episode immediately after coming
out of a manic episode. Other times, they might go from
a normal mood to a depressive episode. Depressive
episodes are usually marked by feelings of hopelessness
– sometimes even thoughts of death or suicide. CALL
911 or the doctor if your loved one is suicidal.
TAKE IT SERIOUSLY.

Symptoms also include withdrawal from family and friends and not participating in activities that the person used to enjoy.

Mixed Episodes: In some cases, the person might
actually have episodes that include symptoms of both
mania and depression. These can be more difficult to
deal with because they are having some of the manic
feelings and some of the depressive feelings in the
same episode.

WARNING!!!!

HERE’S THE BIGGEST SECRET I HAVE LEARNED. This is
one worth a ton to you.

You have to develop a system to PREVENT episodes
and you have to develop a system of what to do
if/when an episode occurs.

You can’t say “let’s just hope one doesn’t occur.”
You can’t just leave it all in the hands of a doctor.
EVERYONE needs to be involved and on the same page
with the same plan.

This is what our family NEVER did. As a result
it created DECADES of problems.

Most people simply don’t plan and prepare, this is
both the supporter and person with the disorder.
For some reason, NOT planning is what people do
when they should be planning and preparing.

Here’s the deal. The two toughest months
for my mom and bipolar disorder are November
and December. My mom called me yesterday to say
that she has a plan and wants to go over
it with me this weekend.

I am soooooo happy that my mom is being
proactive. This is great my mom is going
to plan.

People who don’t plan are DOOMED.

Take a look at what I have, but I am not
pushing my material on you. You can do what
I did, go interview doctors, read all the books,
go to many conferences, meetings, workshops,
talk to therapists, meeting people with bipolar
disorder who are high functioning and make your
own system. One person told me on my list she did
just that because she had plenty of time.

Just do something right away.

SUPPORTING AN ADULT?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com

HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net

Well I have to run, I will talk to you tomorrow.

Your Friend,

Dave

P.S. Don’t forget to take a look through the
different programs I’ve put together… each one is designed
to help you with a different area of bipolar disorder whether
you have it or you are supporting someone with it.
You can see them all and get the details by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/catalog.asp

P.P.S. Check out my F.ree blog with copies of emails
that I have sent in the past and lots of great
information for you:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/supporterblog/

P.P.P.S Check out my F.ree podcast. Hear me give
mini seminars designed to teach you information
you can’t learn anywhere else.
http://bipolarcentral.libsyn.com

==>>Help with ALL aspects of bipolar disorder<<==
Check out all my resources, programs and information
for all aspects of bipolar disorder by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/catalog.asp

Hey,

How’s it going? I hope you are doing well. It’s
Wednesday so we are at the middle of the week.

You’re not going to believe what happen
to me. I was in the library yesterday
and I was reading some books and outlining
some plans.

There was this kid that was yelling, “Mommy
this is just like the mall…I love the mall…
The mall is fun…
Mommy this is just like the mall..”

It was really funny. The kid was referring to the
library that it was just like a mall I guess because
it was big and there was a lot of “stuff.”

I was laughing and spoke with the kids mom. We got
to talking and of course I brought up bipolar
disorder because you know by now, I ALWAYS bring
it up to see what people say.

So guess what? Take a wild guess and then
scroll…..

Don’t cheat. Guess then scroll…

She had a family member with bipolar disorder. She
was telling me how hard his life has been for
so many years. She said she was trying to help
but didn’t know how to. I asked her if she
ever heard of bipolarcentral.com and she said
“what’s that?” I guess I have a long way
to go with being famous :).

She then told me something really revealing. She
said, “I heard that such and such drug for bipolar
makes all your hair fall out and your teeth?”
She said she was worried about him taking
bipolar medications because of this.

I was like, “huh?” She was dead serious. NOTE
she actually named the drug but I didn’t want
to here. I just put such and such. She didn’t
say such and such so you know.

I asked her where she got this information from.
She said, she went to a meeting and someone
had bipolar disorder and said it. I was like
who was the person that said it? She said
someone in a room at a support group meeting
she attended.

I quickly explained to her that I wasn’t
a doctor, lawyer, insurance agent and couldn’t
give medical advice, she was like yea, yea
I get that so talk to me.

So I told her how bipolar medication is the
key to success. I told her about the bipolar
stability equation and how that works with
medication.

I tried to tell her as much as possible
that is found in my courses/systems
below:

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com

HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net

But quickly realized that I was overwhelming
her and she was confused. So I went
through the 10 mistakes people make when
supporting someone with bipolar disorder and
had her jot them down.

After all of this, I was amazed what she heard
and how many rumors there are with bipolar
disorder that you have to avoid.

I like to call them–the bipolar rumors.

I have noticed that when you get a bunch of people
talking about bipolar disorder you tend to hear
stuff that isn’t close to the whole truth, nothing
but the truth, and in some cases is a flat out lie.

I have gone to meetings and someone has made a statement
with tremendous conviction that such and such medication
did something terrible. Or that a person was on no medication,
did illegal drugs, drank alcohol and was stable for years. Or
that a person used something from the woods to “cure”
bipolar disorder. Or that a person heard, from someone
who works in a drug company, there is a goal try to
suppress people with bipolar disorder. All these things
sound totally crazy and at least 85% of the time they
were said by BIPOLAR SUPPORTERS not people with
bipolar disorder.

Whenever I looked into these statements, I found
out they were obviously not true. Especially the ones
that a certain person was doing well not
following any kind of logical treatment plan.

Read that line I said about about who passed on
the bipolar rumor. When I hear them, they are from
bipolar supporters. Just like the lady I met was a bipolar
supporter and she was passing along bad info. I asked
her how many people she told and she said, “well
a bunch of people.”

As a side note, there are no bipolar drugs that cause you
to lose all your hair and teeth that I have ever heard of.

I think that sometimes, something with bipolar disorder
starts out maybe a little true and then just gets
passed along and the story get exaggerated. For example,
my mom lost a little, let me repeat, a little bit of
hair from what she thinks is her medication. If press
her, she might say, “well it might be because I am older,
my diet, or something else.”

Now if my mom took this info and then went into a group
and told everyone “my hair is falling out because of this
bipolar medication”, people might hear this and then
say bipolar medication x causes all one’s hair to fall
out.

And if that person told people in a meeting, they might
not get the entire story and then start telling others
that bipolar medication x causes hair, teeth and your
arms and legs to stop working. Then the bipolar
rumor has a life of it’s own just like people
swear in the east coast there are alligators
in the water system in New York City.

There are lots of people that swear alligators
are in the water system. Can you believe that?

I have asked a number of experts about this, read books, and
watched a documentary that say this is NOT and
I repeat not true.

But if you ask some people, they will swear that’s
totally true because they “heard it” from
someone.

My word to you is to get the facts when you
are dealing with bipolar disorder. If you have
questions, check with your doctor or therapist,
check with someone who knows what the heck they
are talking about and don’t fall victim to the
bipolar rumor like this lady I spoke to did.

Successful supporters and survivors of bipolar
disorder get the facts first from a credible
source before making decisions on things.
You should too.

Hey I have take off. Catch you tomorrow. Have
a great day.

Your Friend,

Dave

P.S. Don’t forget to take a look through the
different programs I’ve put together… each one is designed
to help you with a different area of bipolar disorder whether
you have it or you are supporting someone with it.
You can see them all and get the details by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/catalog.asp

P.P.S. Check out my F.ree blog with copies of emails
that I have sent in the past and lots of great
information for you:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/supporterblog/

P.P.P.S Check out my F.ree podcast. Hear me give
mini seminars designed to teach you information
you can’t learn anywhere else.
http://bipolarcentral.libsyn.com

==>>Help with ALL aspects of bipolar disorder<<==
Check out all my resources, programs and information
for all aspects of bipolar disorder by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/catalog.asp

Hi,

How’s it going? This is going to be
kind of a short email today.

The other day I wrote “How to avoid the bipolar
stability lottery”, if you missed it, please
see my blog below to read it.

Several people wrote me and asked about
sleep and bipolar disorder and why it
so important because I referenced that
in my email.

I am here to tell you, it’s super important
for a person with bipolar disorder.

If my mom stops sleeping there is no
question she will go into a bipolar
episode.

This is the same for everyone who works
for me. Actually there a couple of people
who have worked for me that started sending
me emails at like 12:00am and I knew that
was a bad sign. I had a talk with them
and they agreed to check in with the doctor.

Same thing with my mom. She knows for sure
if she can’t sleep to call the doctor
at once and work on it. My mom has said
to me that for her other than medication sleep
is the second most important thing.

Actually in one place that I volunteer at,
there are several people who always would leave
at the same time. I thought it was odd and kind
of rude.

One day I made a joke and was like, “hey, come
you always leave so early? Is it past your bedtime?”

The person said, “yes it is. I have to go to bed
by 9:30pm every day period no matter what for
my stability.” I felt like a total dummy.

What a stupid thing I said. The guy could have
been hard on me for being a dummy but he let
me go. We are good friends now and he’s a really
cool person.

If you are a bipolar supporter, make sure you
help your loved one with bipolar have a plan
that leads to good sleep.

This might mean for those with bipolar
disorder: getting rid of noise at night,
eliminating TV at night (my mom’s doctor
said no more TV after 9pm EST for her),
not exercising so late (if you exercise late,
it will keep you up at night), not drinking
too much at night (to reduce trips to the
bathroom), not eating too much too late (
to cut down on indigestion that will keep
you up) and other
ideas.

In my courses/system many people who
are successful with bipolar disorder
learned how to master the art of sleeping
well as well as reducing stress.

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com

HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net

As you listen to the audio interviews in
the above courses, ask yourself, “aren’t these
concepts so simple?” Many of them really
are.

There is one interview that is incredibly
revealing in the supporter course where someone
read multiple books on sleep just to master
it. If you have problems you may do this too.
If you are a bipolar supporter you may do it
to offer helpful suggestions to your loved
ones.

Many of the strategies my mom uses to sleep
are indeed simple and she learned most from
her doctor.

One of them is, if she is having trouble sleeping
to count backwards from 1000. I have tried this
technique and it works. Simple but powerful.

Just remember one thing. Sleep is super
important to someone with bipolar disorder.

If you have a story about sleep and bipolar
disorder, please post it below.

Well I have to take off, catch you tomorrow.

Your Friend,

Dave

P.S. Don’t forget to take a look through the
different programs I’ve put together… each one is designed
to help you with a different area of bipolar disorder whether
you have it or you are supporting someone with it.
You can see them all and get the details by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/catalog.asp

P.P.S. Check out my F.ree blog with copies of emails
that I have sent in the past and lots of great
information for you:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/supporterblog/

P.P.P.S Check out my F.ree podcast. Hear me give
mini seminars designed to teach you information
you can’t learn anywhere else.
http://bipolarcentral.libsyn.com

==>>Help with ALL aspects of bipolar disorder<<==
Check out all my resources, programs and information
for all aspects of bipolar disorder by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/catalog.asp

Hey,

How’s it going? I wanted to tell you something
super important today but before I do, I want
to update you on some stuff.

This past week I set a record for myself. I
read 18 books. I am working on two problems–
one lowering the cost of my advertising
which is out of this world. The cost of bringing
in new people to my mailing list is really,
really high. Some of you know how much and
you have been “amazed.”

The second problem I have been working on
is a way to help people who can’t afford
medication for a mental illness. Now I know
there are these programs where you can get
bipolar medication at a reduced cost but
many people can’t figure out how to qualify
or simply don’t qualify.

It’s such a big problem for people on my
list that I am working on a f.ree system
to help people in need. I almost have it
all together.

It’s going to be great and will cover
all situations. I find that the reduced
medication programs simply don’t seem
to work too well with people like I said
before.

I am going to be asking for volunteers
to get and go through my system for fr.ee
and give me feedback to make sure it makes
sense and will work. I then will launch
it worldwide 100% free of charge to help
society. It’s kind of complicated to set
it up but it will be simple to use.

The idea I came up with has forced me to
do tons of research hence why I read 18
books in a week. I have about another 25
to go. I am going to read them over the next
two weeks.

Keep your eyes opens for an email over the next
month asking for volunteers to go through
my system.

Okay let’s jump into today’s topic.

I was over my parents house and I was
talking to my dad. First he told me
my mom was having trouble sleeping
but before it got out of control
and went into a major bipolar episode,
she called her doctor and therapist
and they came up with a change
to her bipolar treatment plan to help
her sleep.

Sleep is a huge thing with bipolar
disorder. Very few people even mention
it. If you or your loved one has problems
sleeping, call the doctor/therapist as soon
as possible. Lack of sleep leads to bipolar
episodes.

Anyway, I was happy my mom was proactive.
So then I told my dad that I kind of knew this
would happen…he looked at me confused
and said, “how did you know?” I said,
“umm remember those worksheets I gave
you from my bipolar supporter course
that I filled out for you that explained
the signs and symptoms for mom and also
went through historical data?”

He was like, “ummm, well yea that’s right.”

I could tell he had no idea what I was
talking about. Then he said to me, “well
it’s great your mother was proactive. I
am keeping my fingers crossed that she
doesn’t go into an episode.”

I was like, “you are keeping your fingers
crossed?” He was like, “yea, that’s what I
am doing.” I looked at him like he was
crazy.

NOTE-If you are in a country where people
don’t do this and you don’t know what “keeping ones
fingers crossed” means, it’s like…hmm
how do I explain it. People do this
so that they can prevent bad things or
bad luck from happening.

I said, “Dad what kind of system is that? You’re
fingers crossed? What do you think stability
is, like a lottery?” He looked at me puzzled
and then I reminded him all the stuff in my
bipolar supporter course on bipolar success
course on what it takes to be stable.

I said, “dad, when I set all this up, the goal
was a system that mom could use that gave her
the power to manage her bipolar disorder. This
system has worked incredibly well for her and
tens of thousands of other people all over the world,
and it’s not based on a lottery type of approach.”

He said, “well, you’re right, she will follow
your material.” Then he went back to watching
the news.

In my head, I realized that my dad seriously
thinks my mom’s stability is based on “luck”
or like a lottery. He thinks she has kind of
gotten lucky. It’s not skill or a system
and this is totally wrong.

There are many on my list that think this
way. I am here to tell you…well first
let’s take a break and say the old disclaimer…

I am not a doctor, lawyer, insurance agent
therapist, or other kind of professional.
I am not offering medical or legal advice.
I am offering my opinion.

Oh and I am not a circus worker. Someone asked
me if I worked in a circus out west in the USA.
I had to laugh.

Okay back to the point. Stability with bipolar
disorder is done through a system and I firmly
believe that anyone can learn the system
to managing bipolar disorder.

It’s not a lottery at all.

AS a matter of fact, I was interviewing a woman
today and she is one of the biggest success stories
I have ever come across. She spent years, and years
going to hospitals for bipolar disorder. She was
doing really, really bad. She had really violent
thoughts. She couldn’t keep any kind of job.

Eventually she learned how to manage bipolar her
bipolar disorder through a new system and new
techniques and methods. She has remained stable
for 17 years and not been to the hospital. She also
has held the same job for the last 17 years.

So here is a lady who has stability based on
almost luck or a lottery and then goes on
to manage her bipolar and control it instead
of it controlling her. It’s through
a system.

She is just one example that bipolar can
be managed. Look at my mom, same thing.
She used to go into so many bipolar episodes
every year. Today she manages her bipolar
disorder and “catches” the episodes before they
get out of control.

In my courses/systems:

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com

HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net

I talk about how to prevent episodes and what
to do if episodes occur whether you have bipolar disorder
or you are supporting an adult or child.
There are ways to manage bipolar disorder.

You may feel that I keep repeating the
same point in this email but I really want
to drive it home before it’s so important.

Bipolar supporters and bipolar survivors
have to realize that you can manage bipolar
disorder. I sent an email yesterday talking
about the importance of belief and bipolar
disorder. This goes along with belief. You have
to believe that you or your loved one can
manage bipolar disorder.

If you think it’s based on luck or a lottery
than it’s going to be really difficult to maintain
stability.

Well I have to run and head off to the library
to do some research. I will catch you tomorrow.

Your Friend,

Dave

P.S. Don’t forget to take a look through the
different programs I’ve put together… each one is designed
to help you with a different area of bipolar disorder whether
you have it or you are supporting someone with it.
You can see them all and get the details by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/catalog.asp

P.P.S. Check out my F.ree blog with copies of emails
that I have sent in the past and lots of great
information for you:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/supporterblog/

P.P.P.S Check out my F.ree podcast. Hear me give
mini seminars designed to teach you information
you can’t learn anywhere else.
http://bipolarcentral.libsyn.com

==>>Help with ALL aspects of bipolar disorder<<==
Check out all my resources, programs and information
for all aspects of bipolar disorder by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/catalog.asp

Hi,

How are you?

I have two important things about
bipolar disorder I wanted to share today.
One is about success and bipolar disorder
the other is about a major, and I mean major
bipolar success story.

It’s really strange, I had two phone calls from
two people that asked if they could be successful
with bipolar disorder. They were really
sincere and I kind of thought it was a
joke that my friends were playing on me.

It wasn’t.

Then I thought what a strange question because
the answer is absolutely yes!

You can achieve success with bipolar disorder
if you learn how to manage it. I believe
that learning how to manage bipolar
disorder is something that anyone can learn.

My mom has learned how to and so have all
the people who work for me with bipolar disorder
in addition to many other individuals that I have
come across.

When I first started doing this, one of the
first things I found was that it took many people
with bipolar disorder years and years to figure
out how to manage the disorder.

Asked myself, why is this? I started talking to
lots of people and started to find out there
were some common themes with the unsuccessful
and the successful…that is I looked
at both groups of people.

I think the problem starts with the mental health
system. We’ve talked about before how people
go to the doctor, get a diagnosis, aren’t really
told what they have or how to manage it, they
only get 20 minutes with a doctor, most books
don’t provide much practical information, etc.

I have finally figured out that the “short cut”
to success with bipolar is to
learn from those that have already walked down
the path so to speak.

BUT the very first thing that most be done before
anything is a belief that one can be successful
with bipolar disorder. Or if you are a bipolar
supporter, you must believe that your loved one
can get better.

When you don’t have belief than success won’t
really follow.

I will tell you a story of a person who
had bipolar disorder that did really poorly
with it for a long, long time. At first
he never took the illness seriously. Actually
at first he never really believed he had
it even though several doctors said he did.

He went around and didn’t really take his
medication or do what the doctor said.

Eventually he lost his entire family because
they couldn’t put up with it anymore.

Finally one day he had a major breakdown and
was put into the hospital.

Everyone though he would be in the hospital
forever and never amount to anything. People
said he would be dead soon and there was little
to no hope for him.

He told me, people betted against him—
especially family members. His family
left him.

However, one person really believed in him in the
hospital.

There he finally decided to accept his diagnosis
and he was told by someone else in the hospital
that worked there that he could be a success
as long as he did certain things and managed
his disorder.

The person really beat into his head he could
be a success. Not literally but figuratively
of course.

Those “talks” with the hospital workers inspired
him and he decided to learn everything he could
about the disorder, find a great doctor, listen
to the doctor, and find a mentor to help him
with his bipolar disorder.

He did all of this.

Eventually after a few years, he was able to
remarry, have kids, build a successful business
and have a great life.

He is just ONE example. There are many more.

Many are contained in my courses/systems below:

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com

HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net

The thing is, you really have to believe
that you can be successful if you have bipolar
disorder. And if you are a supporter, you really
have to believe your loved one can be a success.

When my mom first went into her major episode,
I was 100% convinced she could get better and
be a success. Nobody in the family but me thought
so. A few family members thought maybe she could
do okay and kind of get by.

For some reason, maybe I was just too dumb to
realize what I was up against. I thought
it was totally possible for my mom to be
a success with bipolar and that we could
have a solution to all my mom’s problems
and we would find a great doctor who would
help her.

I must say, I am not sure why I had so much
belief. I wasn’t reading bipolar success stories,
and at the time I didn’t know anyone who had
bipolar disorder and was successful.

BUT, as I look back this was a key to my mom’s
success both her belief and my belief.

I am sure if people are honest on my list,
they will say that belief is the foundation
of success with bipolar disorder.

Hey if you have a good story about belief
in yourself or your loved one please post it.

It’s kind of strange, I get calls from people.
They get one of my courses/systems, and use
the f.ree consultation certificate. Some
call and say something like this, “well
there’s no hope for so and so but I had this
question and wanted to see if you had any
ideas. You probably don’t and there’s probably
no hope but I just kind of wanted to check
with you.”

They tell me the “problem”, 99% of the time
I have an immediate answer and the people are
amazed and start to believe there is hope.

I remember this one guy, well I can’t get into
that story today. I am going to get into this
other story tomorrow. There was one guy that
called me and he was a wreck, his wife left
him and he was in a major episode. He seriously
believed there was absolutely positively no
hope. He was desperate and wanted to fly me
in to see him.

I spent a whole lot of time with him on
the phone. It was back when I had a much
smaller mailing list. I first attacked
his beliefs and convinced him the situation
could be turned around. I then gave him
many strategies and eventually his wife
became stable and now they are married.

It’s kind of cool that I have been doing this
for more than 2 years and I have a long list of
success stories and I can see people over an
extended period of time. BUT again, the key
starts with belief. It’s a simple thing,
doesn’t cost anything (it doesn’t cost
anything to believe, it’s f.ree) but it’s powerful.

I have to take off. See you tomorrow.

Your Friend,

Dave

P.S. Don’t forget to take a look through the
different programs I’ve put together… each one is designed
to help you with a different area of bipolar disorder whether
you have it or you are supporting someone with it.
You can see them all and get the details by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/catalog.asp

P.P.S. Check out my F.ree blog with copies of emails
that I have sent in the past and lots of great
information for you:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/supporterblog/

P.P.P.S Check out my F.ree podcast. Hear me give
mini seminars designed to teach you information
you can’t learn anywhere else.
http://bipolarcentral.libsyn.com

==>>Help with ALL aspects of bipolar disorder<<==
Check out all my resources, programs and information
for all aspects of bipolar disorder by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/catalog.asp

Hi,

What’s going on? Well today is Saturday
and the weekend is finally here.

Yesterday I spent the entire afternoon volunteering
with an organization that helps those who are
dealing with bipolar disorder.

I was kind of annoyed because some people backed out
and that meant I had to do everything myself.

BUT, while I was doing what I had to do,
I thought of something that happened the
other day that I forgot to tell you.

So I guess it’s a good thing that I was
by myself and had a lot of time to think.

Let me tell you the story.

I got in an argument with my dad the
other day. It
was about my mom and a “bipolar situation”
and the mistake my dad keeps on making that
so many others make and it creates such
problems for them.

This make, I think, is the #1
reason I think bipolar really seriously hurt
our family for so many years. It’s the #1
thing that I corrected when I took over
and was my mom’s chief supporter.

What is it? The mistake is called NOT
standing up to bipolar disorder.

What do I mean? Well bipolar disorder is a mood
disorder where a person can say and/or do
things the normally never ever would do OR
is not in their best long term interest.

Many people with bipolar disorder go into
episodes and do a whole lot of things
that create huge gigantic problems for
them in the future.

For example some people with bipolar
disorder (NOT everyone but a lot of people
who go into episodes):

-Spend money on big purchases they don’t need
-Borrow money and take out l.oans
-Quit a job
-Do something that loses them health insurance
-Have unprotected sex
-Get into drugs and alcohol
-Make promises they absolutely can’t positively keep
-Say things that wind up getting them into big trouble.

NOTE-
I just know I am going to get a lot of hate mail
from people who have bipolar and say I am stereotyping.
Hey if you are about to write me hate mail, no matter
how good you are, let’s be honest, you and I know
that what I wrote is true, right for many
people with bipolar, NOT everyone but many people, right?
So before you send me hate mail or call with anger,
understand I am writing to a mass audience and trying
to prevent problems not writing about those with
bipolar disorder that do everything right and don’t
have any problems. Make sense? I hope so.

Anyway, there are a whole lot of things that a person
who goes into a bipolar episode can do.

I saw this my entire life. Over my life, sometimes
my mom was in an episode and bad things happened:

-Entire periods where we never ate dinner together
or went on vacation

-An entire period where we had to have the lights
off in the house for the most part

-Entire periods where money was spent on the most
ridiculous things

-Entire periods of time when the house wasn’t cleaned

-Entire periods of time when I got screamed at for no reason.
It was far worse for my brother. He got screamed at a lot from
what he has told me.

-Entire periods of time when money would vanish

And other bad things. These things occurred when
my mom was in an episode over a long period of
time. I am not saying that every single day of
my life growing up was horrible–it was not.

But there were times when the craziest things
would be going on for lack of a better word. The
reason why these things went on, or most of them,
was because no one stood up to bipolar disorder.

Instead of my dad standing up to bipolar, he always
backed down. I can’t think of one time my dad
stood up to bipolar.

So recently, my dad thought my mom wanted to quit
her job. She actually didn’t, but he thought
she did, and he was going to go along with it.

I was like, “dad are you kidding me? Her job
is part of both of your low cost health care,
if she quit, 50% of your healthcare is gone…
did you think of that?”

He mumbled something and I was so super annoyed
that after all this time, he still doesn’t stand
up to bipolar.

I thought in my head, if my mom really wanted
to quit, he would have gone along with it
under the guise of “keeping the peace”
or that he is older and doesn’t like to argue.

I have explained to him on more than one occasion
his plan of NOT standing up to bipolar disorder
has failed for more than 40 years.

When I took over the first thing I did was
stand up to bipolar. I refused to go along
with ridiculous things that my mom’s bipolar
was demanding like giving her c.redit cards
so she could spend money when she already
had no job and $30,000+ of d.ebt. My dad actually
wanted me to give her c.redit cards back
and I said no way. Period.

Today my mom thanks me for this decision.

Don’t forget this.

You have to stand up to bipolar disorder.

What does it mean? Well there is going
to be these times that the bipolar
disorder can start demanding things that
are not good for the person with it or
the people around them and you are going
to have to say no and not go along with
it.

It will be tough. You will get yelled at.
Bad things will be said about you. But in
the end, it will be the right decision.
You will have to hang in there. Your loved
one’s bipolar disorder will say horrible
things about you. But you will have
to stand up and not back down.

Once the person is out of the episode
he/she will thank you, like my mom
did and like so many other people
with bipolar disorder report to me.

If you don’t you only hurt yourself and
the person. Eventually the person will come
out of his/her episode and will have tons
of problems to deal with because you didn’t
stand up to bipolar disorder.

I am sure that many people on this list
that are doing well, want a loved one to
stop them from destroying themselves or
the people around them. That’s part of being
a “good supporter.”

Don’t fall into my dads ways and back down
to bipolar disorder.

Another way you can stand up to bipolar
disorder is to get information on how
to effectively deal with it. That’s where my
courses/systems come in.

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com

HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net

If you haven’t gotten them, take a look.
People ask me all the time if the course/system
covers this or that. For the most part it covers
virtually every problem a person will face because
my mom and our family had to face them all.

Also I take it a step further and have solutions to
problems other people (generally the 8 to 10
that worked for me) had that we didn’t have
to face.

I want to make a few more comments. Notice
I say “stand up to bipolar disorder” and write
my mom’s bipolar disorder said or did this
and that. Don’t think I am losing it or
out of my mind because I talk about bipolar
disorder as if it were a thing.

I really think of it that way. I think of
bipolar disorder as something that is separate
from my mom. It’s a cunning thing that tries
to constantly create problems for me. I always
try to stay ahead of it.

If you follow my line of thinking. It would want
nothing more than to be around a bunch of people
that never stand up to it.

Imagine that bipolar disorder was a dictator
of a country and wanted to take over the world.
The dictator would want countries to simply
allow it to take over with no resistance.

Okay I don’t want you to think I am totally out
of my mind so I hope you get the idea. I tell
you these things and concepts as odd as they may
seem because this is the kind of thinking that works
for not only me but so many other successful
people dealing with bipolar disorder.

One last note, if you have bipolar disorder and
are stable, you can help yourself and your supporters
by signing a simply agreement that says something
like the following:

“If I go into an episode, I give you permission
to stand up to my bipolar disorder and help me
prevent myself from doing self destructive things.”

I know tons of people that have these type of
agreements. I have an agreement like this with
my mom.

How does this help? Well if a person starts going
into an episode and you have the agreement, it gives
you the strength to stand up to bipolar disorder
easier and not second guess yourself.

Okay I have to run to the gym. Catch you later.

If you have stories of not standing up to bipolar
disorder or standing up to it, please post them
so others can read and learn. Or if you have
any other comments, please post them.
I can’t say this enough.

Your Friend,

Dave

P.S. Don’t forget to take a look through the
different programs I’ve put together… each one is designed
to help you with a different area of bipolar disorder whether
you have it or you are supporting someone with it.
You can see them all and get the details by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/catalog.asp

P.P.S. Check out my F.ree blog with copies of emails
that I have sent in the past and lots of great
information for you:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/supporterblog/

P.P.P.S Check out my F.ree podcast. Hear me give
mini seminars designed to teach you information
you can’t learn anywhere else.
http://bipolarcentral.libsyn.com

Hi,

Here is the current Bipolar Disorder news.

Make sure you take a look at the news. I really
work hard to put it together for you :).

To see the news visit:

http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews347

There’s some really interesting news stories this week.
Take a look at them. Also, write me some feedback by
visiting my blog below.

Here are some of the headlines:

New Medications More Effective for Treating Bipolar
DO>VERY interesting and brings a lot of hope!

Actor Joe Pantoliano Discloses Depression; Talks
About His Latest Movie and His Sensitive Side
DO> Great personal story.

A natural treatment for bipolar disorder and depression?
DO>What do you think about this?

Bipolar Disorder in Children: Over or Under Diagnosed?
DO> Very interesting perspective

Sinead O’Connor relieved she is bipolar
DO> Did you hear about this story? I wrote
a follow article about the topic.

For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews347

==>> Get Help with ALL aspects of bipolar disorder<<== Check out all my resources, programs and information
for all aspects of bipolar disorder by visiting:

http://www.bipolarcentral.com/catalog.asp?utm_source=aweber&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=bipolarnews&utm_term=09282007

Your Friend,

Dave

==>>Help with ALL aspects of bipolar disorder<<==
Check out all my resources, programs and information
for all aspects of bipolar disorder by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/catalog.asp

Hi,

How’s it going?

I wanted to drop a quick note about today.

Do you know what day today is? Well it’s
Bipolar Disorder Awareness Day (BDAD).

What the heck is Bipolar Disorder Awareness Day you
might be asking?

Bipolar Disorder Awareness Day was created
by NAMI and Abbott Laboratories to increase
awareness of bipolar disorder, promote early
detection, and better understand the impact on
the more than 13 million Americans presently
affected by the disorder.

BDAD activities focus on encouraging the community
to:

-Learn more about the symptoms of bipolar disorder
and mental illness and understand its impact on society.

-Participate in a f.ree mental health screening held in
many communities.

-Reach out to individuals suffering from bipolar disorder
or mental illness.

-Encourage individuals with bipolar disorder to seek treatment.

You should check around in your area and see if anything
is going on. There could be good speakers in your area,
events and f.ree stuff that can help you with bipolar
disorder or mental health in general.

Every community is different so I can’t tell you
what’s going on in yours.

One thing you should do on this day is be grateful
that you know what bipolar disorder is. Even if
you don’t fully understand it, if you are reading
this email, you at least has some idea.

I am not sure how many people there are, but I would
have to say millions of people through out the
world that have bipolar disorder and don’t even
realize it.

In my courses/systems below:

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com

HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net

A common theme that you here is that many people
who are a success today with bipolar disorder
or are successful bipolar supporters had no
idea what was wrong for many, many years.

So really if you have an idea that bipolar
disorder may be the problem you are on
solid foundation for success with helping
yourself with the disorder or helping a loved
one with it.

Well I have to take off today. Make sure
you check your email tomorrow for the
bipolar news.

Bye for now.

Your Friend,

Dave

P.S. Don’t forget to take a look through the
different programs I’ve put together… each one is designed
to help you with a different area of bipolar disorder whether
you have it or you are supporting someone with it.
You can see them all and get the details by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/catalog.asp

P.P.S. Check out my F.ree blog with copies of emails
that I have sent in the past and lots of great
information for you:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/supporterblog/

P.P.P.S Check out my F.ree podcast. Hear me give
mini seminars designed to teach you information
you can’t learn anywhere else.
http://bipolarcentral.libsyn.com

==>>Help with ALL aspects of bipolar disorder<<==
Check out all my resources, programs and information
for all aspects of bipolar disorder by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/catalog.asp

Hi,

How are you today?

Hope you are well.

I received an email from someone that said
and I quote:

“I hate bipolar disorder. It’s the worst
illness ever. It’s mesed up my life so
much. I hate it. I hate having it.
I wish I didn’t have it.”
-Janice

Janice got me to thinking of several things.
First let me say that I do not have bipolar
disorder so I can’t speak from personal
experience about having the disorder.

But I want to point out something that
all started with someone I knew.

A few years back, right around the time
my mom started to go into her really big
bipolar episode, I was working with
my accountant of many years.

He was the accountant that I had for the
longest. He was older close to 70 and a
really smart person. He had been a Certified
Public Accountant for 50 years or so.

MAJOR BIPOLAR LESSON COMING

One week I was in to see him. He was coughing
a lot. I told him he should go to the doctor.
He laughed and told me how he doesn’t go to the
doctor.

A week later, he was coughing like crazy on
a Friday. I said he needed to go to the doctor.
So did his assistant. He actually decided he
was going to go. For the first time I saw
he looked worried.

I told him, I would see him next week again
to go over more stuff. We said goodbye.

That was the last time I ever saw him. He
died with 90 days of cancer. It was really
sad.

I never really got to say goodbye to him. I
said goodbye but I didn’t know the last time
I said it would be the LAST TIME.

I was really sad for a while.

Fast forward a few years and I need to get
another car. The last guy who sold me my
other car was a guy named Dave. He was a really
nice and honest car salesmen. After he sold
me my car, we became friends. I would come in
and see him many times.

He was amazing because
most car sales people that I met in the past
are dishonest and “slick.”

Dave was a great guy however. I went in
to see him about getting another car
and he was like, “come on in when you are ready,
I will take care of you.”

I waited several months and I went
to go see him. I was told when I went in
that Dave is on sick leave. I asked privately
what was wrong. I was told he had cancer.

I was immediately worried. I thought of my
accountant. I thought of the fact there seems
to be no system with cancer. I thought of the
randomness.

I was really sad. Dave died within 6 months
of having the illness.

There are other people I know who have died but
none that I knew so much about like my accountant
and Dave.

When I hear people say how bad bipolar disorder
is, I often tell them to realize that the disorder
can be managed. I remind them that no one
I know of died from bipolar disorder itself like
cancer.

I think cancer is a far worse thing to have. It
seem random. How do you manage cancer? I mean
some people beat it but there appears to be no real
system that I have ever heard of. Maybe there is?
I am not sure.

If you got my courses/systems and go through
them from a to z carefully:

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com

HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net

You can’t help but to feel that bipolar
disorder can easily be managed and a person
with it can be successful and live a long
and productive life.

If you listen to the success interviews
in the courses/systems, you will hear
people who suffered for years and years
and years with bipolar disorder and then
learned how to manage it. And manage
it so well you can’t tell they have bipolar
disorder.

People like Janice need to hear what I
call “bipolar success” because too much
of this illness focuses on the negative.

The news does, many doctors do, many
therapists do, many people do, and worst
of all, it’s hard to find the successful
bipolar supporters or bipolar survivors
in the world. I do understand why it’s
easy to be negative when there’s not a lot
of positive promoted.

The bottom line is bipolar is NOT cancer
and I strongly believe is much more within
you and your loved one’s control.

I am not saying you can’t beat cancer but
it seems really vague how to. I am not
an expert with cancer, and I don’t have
bipolar disorder, but I can tell you,
you can manage bipolar disorder.

I have seen so many people do it and do
it effectively. I have 8 people who work
for me who manage it super well. I have
lots of friends who have it. I have interviewed
tons of people who have it and manage it.

If you are ever feeling down about
having bipolar disorder or having a loved one
with bipolar disorder, just think about the following:

-bipolar disorder can be managed. So many people
have proved this.

-there are medications to control it

-no one ever died of bipolar disorder (I know people
have died from not taking medication and doing
things that lead to death)

-Many super successful people have bipolar
disorder, and use the disorder to accomplish
big things in society

-For most people, doing well with bipolar
disorder is within their control.

I would list more things but you get the idea.

In addition to cancer, there are other illnesses
far worse than bipolar disorder as well. Ones people
can’t control. How about like my friend who
has “something” that makes her fall over sometimes
when she is walking. It makes her dizzy a lot. She
can’t think a lot of the time either.

They don’t know what it is or how to treat it.

If you are reading this, at least you know it’s
bipolar disorder. Imagine not even knowing what you have
like my friend. Even if you aren’t sure if you have
bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, borderline
personality disorder, at least you know it’s some
kind of mental illness.

Imagine falling down and not being able to think
and you have no idea why. My friend is in a constant
state of worry because she doesn’t know.

If you are ever feeling down, remind yourself about
the other illnesses out there you or your loved one
with bipolar disorder could have. Then you might
be grateful you have something that can be managed,
controlled, something you know what it is and can
read about it, something that has a track record of
some of the worlds most successful people having it
and using it as an asset, and something that makes
you seemingly more intelligent and creative than most
other people.

If you are down, take some time to really think about
this.

I have to take off now. I will see you tomorrow.

Your Friend,

Dave

P.S. Don’t forget to take a look through the
different programs I’ve put together… each one is designed
to help you with a different area of bipolar disorder whether
you have it or you are supporting someone with it.
You can see them all and get the details by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/catalog.asp

P.P.S. Check out my F.ree blog with copies of emails
that I have sent in the past and lots of great
information for you:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/supporterblog/

P.P.P.S Check out my F.ree podcast. Hear me give
mini seminars designed to teach you information
you can’t learn anywhere else.
http://bipolarcentral.libsyn.com

==>>Help with ALL aspects of bipolar disorder<<==
Check out all my resources, programs and information
for all aspects of bipolar disorder by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/catalog.asp

Hi,

How’s it going?

What’s new?

I wanted to send out a message about something
that I saw on my bipolar blog.

Someone wrote:

“P.S. I have spent years and years researching,
reading, developing plans and every doctor visit
he has had. I have also made sure that all his
medications have been taken and that every doctor
knows ever thing about him. I am sorry I sound rough,
however, sometimes I have to be to get him to get
him to take care of himself because he can do it.”

I get many emails like this. I see many blog
posts like this. I hear this in ALL the places
that I volunteer. I hear it on the phone.

It’s a constant theme. It’s the, I tried
to do it all but I can’t speech.

Many people contact me asking how they
can do more for a loved one with bipolar
disorder. I tell them they have to cut
back and stop doing so much.

You can’t do it all. You just can’t. You
can take care of your loved one with
bipolar from a to z. You can’t check to
make sure they take their medication all
the time. You can’t take them to every
single, doctor session, therapy session,
and fix all the problems they have.

If you try to, you will have a breakdown
yourself probably.

I remember back in the day, I use to
fix ALL my mom’s problems. I mean all of them.
Especially the ones related to money. No matter
how hard I tried, there would always be more
problems. I just couldn’t keep up. It almost
drove me out of my mind.

After my mom’s last big episode, I decided
no more. I decided that there would be some
things that I would help with and most things
I would not. She had to fix a lot of these
problems on her own.

This was a great decision and worked out super
well. Today she is independent and fixes
and prevents her own problems.

I started to tell other bipolar supporters
about my philosophy and either they said
they did the same thing and it worked or
they said they were going to try it and
when I spoke to them again, they said it worked.

If you think about it, how can fixing every
single person’s problems and trying to do it
all, work anyway? I know I did it but it doesn’t
make any sense.

I believe it’s important to know a lot of
techniques on how to help a loved one
with bipolar or how to manage the disorder
yourself. This is why in my courses, it
focuses on how to do things like

find a doctor
get a doctor to do a good job
find a good therapist
find a job
handle money issues
be a good supporter
what it takes to manage bipolar disorder well
etc.

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com

HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net

In addition, in my courses/systems,
I talk about this extensively about how
you have to watch out for enabling (or solving
every single one of your loved one’s problems) and most
of the interviews of those successful bipolar supporters
relay the same thing as well.

The reason why I wrote today is I felt really bad seeing
tons of emails and blog posts of people struggling to
help fix all their loved one’s with bipolar disorders
problems.

As a final note, if you have bipolar disorder, you can’t
do it all either generally. I know I believe in a can
do attitude but for the most part, many people with
bipolar disorder take on doing many, many things
at the same time. I have found through research
and also looking at the people who work for me,
you have to set priorities when you have bipolar
disorder and you may have to cut back on doing
things that are interfering with your own stability.

Something to think about. I have to take off now
and I will talk to you tomorrow.

Your Friend,

Dave

P.S. Don’t forget to take a look through the
different programs I’ve put together… each one is designed
to help you with a different area of bipolar disorder whether
you have it or you are supporting someone with it.
You can see them all and get the details by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/catalog.asp

P.P.S. Check out my F.ree blog with copies of emails
that I have sent in the past and lots of great
information for you:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/supporterblog/

P.P.P.S Check out my F.ree podcast. Hear me give
mini seminars designed to teach you information
you can’t learn anywhere else.
http://bipolarcentral.libsyn.com