Hi,<\/p>\n
I got the following email from someone the other day, and I wanted to share it with you, because<\/p>\n
you might have even wanted to ask the same question or wondered the same thing:<\/p>\n
\u201cDave, My wife has had bipolar disorder for a long time, and I\u2019ve been taking care of her for all that time. I\u2019m ok though. I don\u2019t have it, at least I don\u2019t think I do, but that\u2019s what I\u2019m wondering about now. I don\u2019t know if she\u2019s just driving me crazy with her bipolar behaviors or if I might be catching her bipolar disorder. But lately I\u2019ve been having mood swings myself. Well I\u2019m not going into mania like she does but I really have been depressed wondering if I\u2019m always going to have to go through this. Is it true, could I really catch her bipolar?\u201d<\/p>\n
———————————————————————————————————————<\/p>\n
At first, it may seem like a silly question to ask whether you can catch bipolar disorder, but believe me, many supporters have asked me that very same question. And, very simply, the answer is: NO. You can\u2019t catch bipolar disorder like you can catch the flu. But you CAN pick up your loved one\u2019s bipolar behaviors if you\u2019re not careful! And that can happen if you let their bipolar disorder overwhelm you to the exclusion of everything else. Which can happen easier than you might think, believe it or not. It has happened to so many supporters that they do<\/p>\n
end up asking me if you can actually catch bipolar disorder from your loved one.<\/p>\n
But here\u2019s what I\u2019m talking about: If you\u2019re living in the \u201cbipolar world\u201d so much that you don\u2019t have any escape from it\u2026Then bipolar disorder becomes the \u201cnorm\u201d and normal life becomes the exception. Then things are topsy-turvy for you\u2026And you can become as emotionally sick as your loved one. That\u2019s why I always stress to supporters that, for one thing, you shouldn\u2019t be the only supporter that your loved one has. They should have other people in their support system<\/p>\n
who can give you a break once in a while. That\u2019s so that you can get a break from them and their bipolar disorder. And so that you can stay emotionally healthy.<\/p>\n
For another thing\u2026You need to have other activities outside of your loved one, things that you do with other people. For example: Meeting friends for lunch or dinner every so often would be a good idea for you, and definitely keeping up these relationships, too. You need to have friends who don\u2019t have a mental illness to surround yourself with, as this will also help keep you emotionally healthy. You also need to keep your family relationships close to you as well.<\/p>\n
Family bonds are important, especially when you\u2019re a supporter to a loved one with bipolar disorder. They will give you a good sense of normalcy, and also a good sense of self-worth and self-esteem.<\/p>\n
Another good source of self-esteem for you (and another thing that will get you away from your loved one and their bipolar disorder) would be an outside job. If you don\u2019t already have one, I strongly urge you to get a job outside the home. This will not only help your loved one to become more independent, but will help you to get out of the bipolar world on an ongoing basis as well.<\/p>\n
You also need to do things that make you feel good, that bring you enjoyment. You could even do these things with your loved one, so that both of you can escape the bipolar world so that it doesn\u2019t consume you! But you at least definitely need to do these things so that you can stay emotionally healthy.<\/p>\n
Well, I have to go!<\/p>\n
Your Friend,<\/p>\n
Dave<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hi,<\/p>\n
I got the following email from someone the other day, and I wanted to share it with you, because<\/p>\n
you might have even wanted to ask the same question or wondered the same thing:<\/p>\n
\u201cDave, My wife has had bipolar disorder for a long time, and I\u2019ve been taking care of her for all that time. I\u2019m ok though. I don\u2019t have it, at least I don\u2019t think I do,<\/p>\n