Hi,<\/p>\n
Do you believe in predestination? Some people do, and some people don\u2019t. I don\u2019t mean to get into some big philosophical debate or anything\u2026Just wanted to get you thinking about whether<\/p>\n
you think we have any control over what happens to us in life. Because I think we do. See\u2026<\/p>\n
I look at it this way. I don\u2019t think your loved one had control over whether or not they got bipolar disorder. So it\u2019s not their fault that they got it. (Which, of course, is much different than having<\/p>\n
responsibility over it, because they still do have responsibility over it.) So whether it was fate or not is certainly not the question. That\u2019s not up for debate here. But what I\u2019m bringing up is that it\u2019s up to them what happens from here. That part IS their responsibility. In fact, you could look at it this way: Someone once said the following: \u201cLife is 1% what happens to you\u2026And 99% your reaction to it.\u201d In other words, I don\u2019t think you can control some of what life throws at you. Some stuff just happens to you. But you CAN control how you react to it. So\u2026In the first part of what I said (stuff happening to you), you don\u2019t have responsibility. But in the second part (your reaction to it), you DO have responsibility. Many times, I talk about how your loved one needs to take responsibility for the consequences of their actions in a bipolar episode. That\u2019s part of the \u201c99% your reaction to it\u201d kind of thinking. Because if it isn\u2019t even their reaction to it,<\/p>\n
it\u2019s certainly your reaction to it. And they need to at least consider that. They need to know and acknowledge that their actions do have consequences and that those consequences affect other people, like you. And that there can be ramifications.<\/p>\n
Like sometimes there can even be legal ramifications to their bipolar behavior. For example:<\/p>\n
What if, during a manic episode, they shoplifted from a store and got caught? They could be facing legal charges for that! Even though they have a mental illness like bipolar disorder, it doesn\u2019t excuse what they did \u2013 it is still illegal, and there are consequences for their shoplifting.<\/p>\n
So they need to take responsibility. Or what if they were driving recklessly while in a manic episode (this is very common)? Say they got a speeding ticket. It doesn\u2019t matter to the police that your loved one was in a bipolar manic episode or not. They are still legally responsible for paying the fine for that speeding ticket. In other words, there are ramifications for their bipolar behavior. They are responsible for the consequences of what they did during their manic episode. Sometimes they may not even remember what they did, but they are still responsible.<\/p>\n
Well, I have to go!<\/p>\n
Your Friend,<\/p>\n
Dave<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hi,<\/p>\n
Do you believe in predestination? Some people do, and some people don\u2019t. I don\u2019t mean to get into some big philosophical debate or anything\u2026Just wanted to get you thinking about whether<\/p>\n
you think we have any control over what happens to us in life. Because I think we do. See\u2026<\/p>\n
I look at it this way. I don\u2019t think your loved one had control over whether or not they got bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n