mambofishCasual Contributor
Caring for a newly diagnosed sister
Hi folks,
My sister was recently sectioned and admitted to a mental health hospital. She had gone into a severe mania and psychosis and her initial diagnosis is Bipolar I.
Our parents aren't in the picture so it is just me, and her cousin, available to support her, along with her very new but well intentioned boyfriend.
It has been two weeks now, and I am already exhausted! She hates the hospital, thinks she has been wrongly diagnosed, thinks we are keeping her prisoner, that she is being treated like a child. She wants a mirror, she wants a whole wardrobe of new clothes, she hates the bedding, she wants her make-up, she wants different shoes.
Initially we tried to make her feel comfortable - we each spent a few hundred dollars on some bedding, some comfortable clothes, some colouring and puzzle books to keep her happy and some other little treats that she could have in hospital. But the demands keep coming and she gets angry now that we are saying no.
I had to take her phone away as she wasn't fit to use it and anyway, it is smashed and she is no longer able to pay for it. So, nice sister that I am I bought her a cheap new phone (because why give an expensive phone to someone in hospital) with unlimited calls, texts and data and I installed parental controls, so I can ban sites like facebook and email. She hates it! She wants her old phone back, wants access to her emails so she can apply for jobs, wants to be able to get her old phone contract back.
I know I shouldn't expect her to be rational right now but she thinks she is well. She doesn't understand that she has months of recovery ahead of her. She won't be able to live on her own, or move in with her boyfriend. She won't be able to apply for jobs, or possibly even get a job, or be able to keep a job. She has no money. She threw away most of her clothes or they are unsuitable (who needs a fur coat but nothing to wear under it?!) so she is going to have to make do with tracksuits and hoodies for a while.
I hate being the bad guy, but what else can I do? I know I am making the right decisions for her - I just wish she was well enough to understand and appreciate how much we are all doing for her.
