How do I help someone with bipolar?

[mark2777]

Hey guys.
Close person to my heart has bipolar and is on and off medications since 13 years old. Almost 10 years now. She smoked weed since that age as well, was alcoholic for a long time.
Currently she is off her meds for about a year and shes getting worse. I really hate to read that she started to drink again, she hates herself, she hears voices. Overall its super bad and depressing period for her. She tries to get appointment to get back on meds but wait line is long with her insurance. Do you guys have any experience with bipolar, what on earth can help her feel better, are there any new methods to treating it other than making person numb with meds? She really wants to die and piece of me would die as well if she ever took her life. I really dont want that ever to happen. Shes such a great person but so unfortunate to have this mental ilness.

Any feedback appreciated.

 

[JessisMe]

Hi there I am so sorry to hear that your friend is struggling. That must be very hard for you.
It’s hard to say what you can do for your friend when it seems she is uninterested in taking care of herself. Not being on meds, drug and alcohol use all contribute to poor mental health for people who suffer from these conditions. Chances are your friend knows this but she does it anyway which is frustrating because you don’t want to have to take a parental role with your friend or be a nag. As much as possible I would try to be a healthy and stable force for her. Be someone she can hang out with without drinking or doing drugs. Become familiar with the signs of mania and gently bring it to her attention if she seems to be veering in that direction. If you haven’t already I would sincerely express to her how much you care about her, how hard it is to see her that way and how much you wish she would take better care of herself so it didn’t have to be that way. Let her know that you would be happy to help in any way possible. Beyond that you just have to stand back and watch and hope for the best. I hope this is helpful to you and that your friend gets over this rough patch soon. xo, j

 

[mark2777]

Thanks.
She was my girlfriend and i had my issues as well that caused this relationship to end but i still care for her and its so hard to see her struggle. Just a thought that she would die makes me so depressed.
Im just trying to figure out if there is anything that can help people with this illness. I know it also depends a lot on a psychiatrist that you go to because I heard a lot from her that some of them dont listen to feedback from patients. They dont want to give medications that work or lower/increase dosage or test anything new.

 

[OmniscientNihilist]

Thanks.
She was my girlfriend and i had my issues as well that caused this relationship to end but i still care for her and its so hard to see her struggle. Just a thought that she would die makes me so depressed.

death is an illusion

you just wont see her anymore

now many thousands of people are there from your past already that you dont see anymore

 

[HLon99]

death is an illusion

you just wont see her anymore

now many thousands of people are there from your past already that you dont see anymore

Death is an illusion..
Oh and by the way the moon is made of cheese

 

[OmniscientNihilist]

Death is an illusion..
Oh and by the way the moon is made of cheese

 

[HLon99]

If people didn't fear death they would do nothing at all. They would not build sewers to prevent the spread of disease, grow crops to stave off starvation, build hospitals to cure ailments form civilisations to have safety in numbers. All these things are products of the fear of death.

When I was depressed I wanted I told myself I didn't to live. Then about 2 weeks ago I started getting chest pains and I was taking to the hospital for a suspected heart attack. I don't know what happened but every fibre of my being was fighting to stay alive, I realised from that day on, that I didn't want to die.

 

[OmniscientNihilist]

If people didn't fear death they would do nothing at all. They would not build sewers to prevent the spread of disease, grow crops to stave off starvation, build hospitals to cure ailments form civilisations to have safety in numbers. All these things are products of the fear of death.

all motivation comes from pleasure and pain

avoiding pain and attaining pleasure

its hardwired into the mind

and creates all "choice"

the mind is a deterministic hedonism machine

there is no self or free will

just this temporary machine that moves away from pain and towards pleasure deterministically. which just so happens to equate to survival. the mind doesnt care about survival only pleasure. which has been proven many times over when people in pain kill themselves. and rats given a heroin button will push it over and over until they die.

all fear is fear of pain

fear of death doesnt exist

because death is not a thing that exists

 

[Beorn the Bear]

The worst thing your friend can do is take social drugs and drink alcohol. It's near on impossible for ANY Doctor or mental health professional to work out an effective treatment while the brain is affected by druugs and alcohol.
Also, while the substance abuse may make your friend feel better in the immediate to short term, it will only compound her mental health issues.
The best thing you can do is to be honest with her. Sometimes thats the hardest thing to do.

I've learnt the hard way that you can't truly help someone unless they want to help themselves.

 

[HLon99]

Free will exists. So much that you even have enough free will to choose to surrender it. Some people choose to kill themselves and surrender themselves to their pain, whilst others live on to fight. Some junkies surrender themselves to their addiction, whilst others fight to kick it and endure tremendous pain. The mind does not move from a state of avoiding pain and attaining pleasure. It is simply a matter of individual choice and preference of the type of pleasure and the type of pain.

A rat locked up on its own and given the choice to self administer drugs or food will continuously choose drugs until death. In the expanded model, when a rat is allowed to socialise with other rats, given a chance to play, to mate it will choose the food over drugs.

 

[OmniscientNihilist]

Free will exists. So much that you even have enough free will to choose to surrender it. Some people choose to kill themselves and surrender themselves to their pain, whilst others live on to fight. Some junkies surrender themselves to their addiction, whilst others fight to kick it and endure tremendous pain. The mind does not move from a state of avoiding pain and attaining pleasure. It is simply a matter of individual choice and preference of the type of pleasure and the type of pain.

A rat locked up on its own and given the choice to self administer drugs or food will continuously choose drugs until death. In the expanded model, when a rat is allowed to socialise with other rats, given a chance to play, to mate it will choose the food over drugs.

i have my notification set where i dont get notified of your reply unless you QUOTE my post

anyway, what appears to be "free-will" to you is really just subconscious causality

free will is just another illusion. just like death. and the fear of death.

there is only determinism and hedonism. oh and solipsism haha

determinism, hedonism, and solipsism are foundational and unbreakable truths. you cannot get around them, you can only hide them with ignorance and illusions.