Sister in denial about mental health disorder

Hello @Sisters and a warm welcome to our forums.

This is a very difficult situation you describe with your sister and no doubt has been stressful for all your family. With your question: do you mean Bipolar Disorder or Borderline Personality Disorder (both are abbreviated to BPD)?

It's probably best to read up on the criteria and symptoms for each of these if you haven't done so already. The kinds of behavioural and mood patterns you describe fit with Borderline PD but no mention of self harming, which is common there.

When someone is highly paranoid or in denial about their illness, it is hard to get them to co-operate with treatment. Over time, the correct medication may reduce her anxiety and suspicion so she can accept more help. You said your sister has already been sectioned for treatment under the Mental Health Act, but treatment is most effective when people co-operate and engage. If she threatens to harm herself or others, then she may be sectioned again.

Who do you have to talk to about these stresses and support you? It's a lot to deal with.

Does anyone else have something to say about this topic? Have a look around in other threads @Sisters, you may find something of interest there.

Kind regards,

Frog

Dear Frog,

Thank you for your support - it has been very stressful, but it is so part of my life now, you forget about the toll it places on us. I have looked at the symptoms and I believe my sister has Borderline Personality Disorder. Whilst, she doesn't self-harm (to my knowledge), she is definitely hyper-senstive, aggressive towards others, has rapidly changing emotions, paranoid under stress and extreme feelings of abandonment and subsequent victimisation. These emotional reactions seems to impact on her cognitive reasoning to the point that she becomes delusional and distorts reality.

I can talk to my Mum, but because she is so effected by this as well, it is sometime more stressful. We have decided to go to the Annual Confernce in October to get some more information on this illness and maybe access some support or strategies to communicate with her. Every attempt to be rational and reasonable ends in an argument, so I am obviously doing something wrong. I agree that medication could help her anxiety but she is completely resistant to the idea that she is mentally unwell. She has shut out anyone who doesn't confirm her version of reality. I feel like this situation will only change if she is sectioned again and medicated, but I don't think ny of us can cope with the stress involved in that.

Dear Pip,

Thank you for your advice - I don't believe it's schizophrenia. Her delusions are not irrational, in the sense that they are possible, they are just untrue. Her threats to burn the house down, or other aggressive behaviours are a response to her extreme sensitivity and fear of abandonment. She becomes incredibly aggressive when she perceives people are mistreating her, even if this is unfounded.

Unfortunately, she did have a psychiatrist and a family doctor that she was seeing, when she was on medication, but now she won't see them. She has grouped them as part of my Mum's conspiracy. She believes that she has lied to them to make them think she is crazy (just like she apparently lied to the police and mental health crisis team). She will only see her "healer" who supports her version of reality. She has even written us a letter stating that my sister does not have a mental illness (which I think is highly suspect! What Dr. would write that?)