Carers of Bipolar 1 disorder

Hello @Pitz and welcome to the forum

My husband has Bipolar 2

I have copied a part of caring for yourself from the Sane guids and fact notes ;

Taking positive action against an illness helps minimise the risk of another episode and reduce the effect of symptoms. It also helps people feel good about themselves because it shows they can start to take control of their lives again.

There are a number of ways in which you can take positive action, for example, relieving stress by going for a walk or meditating.

Everyone needs to find ways to manage stress – but it’s especially important if you have Bipolar disorder because stress can trigger episodes of illness.

Some suggestions:

• Going for a walk, yoga, meditation, aromatherapy, or having a long bath can all help to relieve stress – find what works for you.
• Relaxing with things you enjoy – whether it’s a movie, a book, listening to music, watching TV, meeting people or being with a pet – should be a regular part of your life.
• Think about ways of reducing stress in your life. Don’t try to pack too much into your day, for instance, and try to deal with one thing at a time.
• If you can’t avoid stressful events, give yourself time to relax and recover afterwards. If stress is becoming a problem, ask your doctor or case manager to suggest ways of dealing with it.

Having Bipolar disorder can sometimes disrupt sleep patterns. Lack of sleep can increase stress and cause problems with mood.

Some suggestions:

• Try to avoid things that interfere with sleeping patterns, for example – shift work, staying out all night or staying up late to study.
• Get to know what helps you sleep, for example – having a warm (not hot) bath 20 minutes before bedtime, allowing enough time to wind down before bedtime, avoiding caffeinated drinks (cola drinks, as well as coffee or tea) or too much alcohol before bed. (Alcohol can make it easy to fall asleep, but may make you wakeful in the night.)

Ecstasy’s main ingredient (MDMA) can trigger mania. Another problem with this drug is that its after-effects include depression and sleeplessness – the last things you need when you have a diagnosis of Bipolar disorder.

Benzodiazepines (minor tranquillisers) are also known to trigger episodes of depression or mood swings.

While it’s not clear what effect other party drugs like ketamine (sometimes called ‘Special K’) and GHB, may have on Bipolar disorder, the general advice for anyone with a mental health problem is to leave them alone.

While moderate alcohol intake is unlikely to be harmful (‘moderate’ means two drinks or less for women daily and no more than four drinks daily for men, with several alcohol-free days a week), people with Bipolar who drink heavily may not control their illness well.

The combination of alcohol with antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs may also make you very drowsy – talk to your doctor about how much alcohol is safe for you and what the effects may be.

If you smoke, then giving up cigarettes is a dramatic way to improve your general health and reduce the risk of serious illness (as well as improve your bank balance). While depression can be a temporary side-effect of quitting for some people, don’t let this put you off.

Talk to your doctor or psychiatrist about the best way to quit successfully and safely, avoiding the risk of associated depression.

For more information on drugs in general, please see the Guide to Drugs.

For more information on how to quit smoking, please see the Guide to a Smoking and Mental Illness.

For people affected by Bipolar disorder, it’s even more important to do things that are good for you.

Some people affected by mental illness can be at greater risk of physical health problems such as diabetes and heart disease, because of the effects of symptoms and side-effects of medication as well as lifestyle factors.

For this reason it is important to see a GP regularly and have periodic checks of weight, waist measurement and blood tests for cholesterol, blood sugar, and liver function among others.

The doctor can also advise on a healthy lifestyle, including an improved diet, getting regular exercise, quitting smoking, and sleeping well, for example.

For more information on how to live more healthily, please see the Healthy Living.

After you’ve experienced a few extreme mood swings, you’ll find it easier to see them coming.

Signs of mania or hypomania may include having increased energy, feeling like taking on more projects, being more impatient and irritable, and feeling more ‘inspired’ than usual.

Signs of depression may be feelings of anxiety, sleeping more, or finding it hard to get out of bed in the morning. But it’s also important to know the difference between episodes and the usual ups and downs that we all experience.

It’s normal to feel down for a day or so sometimes, but if the feeling doesn’t go away, talk to your doctor. The same goes for feeling elated – it’s normal when you’ve had some good news or there’s another real reason for it, but not if you stay high as a persistent mood.

It’s not uncommon for people to have thoughts about harming or killing themselves when they’re depressed – just remember that these are only thoughts, that they will pass and there’s no need to act on them.

These thoughts are also a real warning that your treatment needs improving, so talk to your doctor about them as soon as possible. Adjusting medication can help deal with the causes of suicidal thoughts, and psychological treatments can help with strategies to cope with the thoughts if they do arise again.

For more information on how to mange and prevent suicidal feelings, please see Staying Alive.

Depression sometimes means you don’t feel like talking to other people. It’s important to fight this feeling because not mixing with others can make the depression worse. Try to make the effort to stay in touch with family, friends and neighbours – you’ll feel better for it.

@Pitz, if you have any questions please ask as you are not alone in this my friend