Hi,<\/p>\n
How’s it going?<\/p>\n
I had a really bad day yesterday. I was sick ALL day. I have a major problem with my sinuses.<\/p>\n
I think I have a sinus infection. I am going to wait one more day and then I have to head to the doctor.<\/p>\n
I had no energy and wound up sleeping 50% of the day yesterday.<\/p>\n
Before I get started, take a look at the comments from yesterday’s daily email.<\/p>\n
Some really interesting ones. You can see them here:<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.bipolarcentral.com\/bipolarsupporterblog\/?p=21#comment-38<\/a><\/p>\n OKay with that said, I got this email that I want o share with you and ask you what you think:<\/p>\n “Dear Dave:<\/p>\n I am married to a man who has bipolar disorder.\u00a0 He didn’t used to be bad about it, but lately he’s gotten so bad, it’s like it’s just one long episode with no breaks in between.\u00a0 Is it possible for one episode to just go on and on like that?\u00a0 Or is it just a series of episodes with like no break in between or maybe just a day or two in between?\u00a0 I’ve read your emails and I know you talk about recovery, but I wonder in my husband’s case if there really is any hope of recovery.\u00a0 Can you help us?”<\/p>\n ——————————————–<\/p>\n This is a tough one, I have to be honest\u00a0 with you.\u00a0 I wish I could just turn it over to you and ask you what you would say to her (in fact, I think I will, at the end of this email).<\/p>\n It’s really hard for me sometimes when I get emails like this, because there are no easy answers.\u00a0 I can’t just say yes or no or maybe.\u00a0 The answers have to be more in-depth, and they’re not thesame for everyone.<\/p>\n I mean, I’m sure this\u00a0 woman is leaving out a lot of information\u00a0 that I might need if I’m going to give her\u00a0 a really good answer.\u00a0 But\u00a0 I can at least\u00a0 try my best, because I think she deserves an answer.<\/p>\n As far as episodes that seem continuous\u2026<\/p>\n Without treatment, an episode that may have only lasted a short time can stretch out into months.\u00a0 I know, because Michele who works for me, her mom has bipolar disorder, and her dad had promised her mom that he would never put her in the hospital.\u00a0 So what would have been a one- month episode for her turned into a six- month episode.<\/p>\n Some people with bipolar disorder have episodes that extend for very long periods of time because they won’t take medication.<\/p>\n Taking the right medication (which she didn’t indicate if her husband is even taking medication) is crucial to whether an episode is shorter rather than longer.\u00a0 So, see why I can’t even talk to this woman about that? She doesn’t give me that information, and without it, I can’t advise her.<\/p>\n But sometimes a series of episodes can seem like they stretch on and on with no break, while there really is a 1-2 or even a few days of a break in between.<\/p>\n There is a\u00a0 type of bipolar disorder that is called rapid-cycling, where the moods can shift so rapidly that sometimes it can be days or even hours apart.\u00a0 Now, granted, this is a rare form of\u00a0 bipolar disorder, but it does happen.\u00a0 So I would advise this woman to get her husband\u00a0 to a doctor\/psychiatrist and find out if\u00a0 maybe her husband has this kind of bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n At any rate, he should find out if it is a medication issue, as there would probably be a different medication for this type of bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n In my courses\/systems, I teach about all the different types of bipolar disorder including rapid-cycling bipolar disorder and the signs and symptoms of each kind:<\/p>\n SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER? SUPPORTING A CHILD\/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER? HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER? But I think that with the right treatment and a good doctor, psychiatrist, and therapist\u2026. And with a good supporter and a good support system\u2026 and with time and effort, anyone can recover. I know that sounds very simplistic, so let me go further.<\/p>\n First, let me define recovery.<\/p>\n I believe that recovery means long-term stability.\u00a0 It’s like when a cancer victim goes into remission.\u00a0 Because there’s no cure for cancer, the best they can hope\u00a0 for is remission from the cancer \u2013 then they live as normal a life as they can. But they’re never really cured.<\/p>\n Well, it’s the same for bipolar disorder. There is no cure for it.\u00a0 But as you learn to manage it, as long as you are in treatment for it, and the more you have long-term stability for it, you have recovery\/remission from the disorder, like the cancer victim, you can live a relatively normal life, too.<\/p>\n Recovery doesn’t mean you’re cured. The disorder is still there.\u00a0 It’s just not “active.”\u00a0 You’re not going through episodes.\u00a0 It doesn’t mean that you will never have another episode (that’s actually an important point to make), but people with bipolar disorder can go a long time without having an episode, if they’ve made the appropriate changes in their lives and they are managing their disorder well.<\/p>\n I know\u00a0 a woman who went 12 years without\u00a0 an episode, and a man who went 20\u00a0 years without one.\u00a0 So I know it’s\u00a0 possible.\u00a0 And I would call that as close\u00a0 to recovery as you can get.<\/p>\n The very least I would tell this woman is that I believe recovery is possible. But as for whether her husband could recover, I just couldn’t say.\u00a0 I don’t know him, and I don’t know their whole situation (like I said earlier, I don’t even know if he’s on medication, or if he’s taking medication), so I don’t think I’m qualified to give an answer.<\/p>\n Also, I’m not a doctor, psychiatrist, therapist, or any medical\/mental health professional.\u00a0 All I can do is give my opinion.<\/p>\n Speaking of opinions, what is yours?<\/p>\n What would YOU tell this woman?<\/p>\n David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide \u201cBipolar Disorder\u2014The REAL Silent Killer.\u201d Click Here<\/span><\/a><\/strong> to get FREE Information<\/strong> sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hi,<\/p>\n How’s it going?<\/p>\n I had a really bad day yesterday. I was sick ALL day. I have a major problem with my sinuses.<\/p>\n I think I have a sinus infection. I am going to wait one more day and then I have to head to the doctor.<\/p>\n I had no energy and wound up sleeping 50% of the day yesterday.<\/p>\n Before I get started,<\/p>\n
\nVisit:
\nhttp:\/\/www.bipolarsupporter.com\/report11<\/a><\/p>\n
\nVisit:
\nhttp:\/\/www.bipolarparenting.com<\/a><\/p>\n
\nVisit:
\nhttp:\/\/www.survivebipolar.net<\/a>
\nAs far as whether this woman’s husband has any chance of recovery, I like to believe that everyone has a chance of recovery.\u00a0 That’s probably because I like to think positively.\u00a0 Maybe there are cases with no chance of recovery, but I don’t like to think that.\u00a0 If I did, I certainly wouldn’t write the courses I do, that talk about recovery in them.<\/p>\n