Sister in-law pregnant non medical compliant bipolar

Posted by kimberly on August 04, 1999 at 15:35:22
This is in regards to my sister in law who is 24 and pregnant. She has not been medicated for about 5years, she has been diagnosed with Bipolar, manic.  She seems to have gotten worse, symptoms wise, but refuses to get help.  She has active delusions of being sought after and has grandiose ideations.  She is living at home with her parents who feed into the delusions and thus are keeping loaded guns in the house and are not allowing her to be alone in any room for fear of an attack that could happen (again this is an active delusion the daughter is having).  Will she continue to get worse without medication as she gets older or is the pregnancy making the condition worse?  She seems to be a rapid cycler and goes into screaming fits of rage for no reason.  How can I best help my husband to not feed into the delusions as her parents are doing?  Please, any help is appreciated.

Posted by HFHS M.D.-SW on August 09, 1999 at 16:09:03

Dear Kimberly,
         It is difficult to answer this question without proper evaluation of your sister-in-law.   Multiple factors may be contributing to her symptoms, natural course of bipolar illness, non compliance with medication, hormonal changes caused by the pregnancy or other unidentified stressors.   All medications during pregnancy must be clearly discussed with your doctors, as they may cause birth defects.  She must be followed by a psychiatrist and an obstetrician.  
This reply is provided as general information only.  Always consult your physician.
Sincerely,
    HFHS M.D.-SW
* Keywords: Bipolar disorder and pregnancy