Ok this is about my Client with Bipolar

[Omusicgame]

Sooo..I am a Social Worker who works with somebody who is Bipolar.  He is very High functioning and very smart,  and basically can do alot on his own. All I usually do is check on his behaviors,  give him his meds,  hang out with him, and cook him his meals.  The only problem I have is the fact that he has bipolar so he will get highs n lows fast. He will go from loving me to hating me in seconds.   It takes alot of patience to deal with this.  One of the things that bugs me the most is he always complains about meds, that I'm trying to hurt him.   Idk, sometimes I feel like I am,  because I'm not really an avid supporter of anti depressant anti psychotic drugs.  But... This is my job, and I did love it sometimes.   What do you guys think?

[Bubulous]

If I am going to far into this I underatand and you can just take anything you need from my rant.  You seem a little depressed, disheartened, or defeated yourself there bud.  Your mood or any changes u your feelings toward the client can alter how he feels toward you.

[Bubulous]

I am glad this is the first question I ran into this time because I have a hard time understanding how contrasting emotions especially the common bipolar association with a love/ hate shift.  I hope mayne specialmom can assist me with this reasoning or assist me in understanding because in order to give the best advice I could to the poster I need to clarify what this shift manifests as in your client's behavior.  What is the frequency the ups and downs and are you aware of possible triggers that effect him in any way in a range of 5 minutes before a shift to five minutes after.  See my confusion whe it comes to people perhaps misunderatanding the difference between a triggered cognitive shift or an intentional change of behavior in the client would show that an outside stimuli could trigger a shift in attitude, behavior, or as a defense that is connected to a traumatic experience.  See i can work with that and also if (and it is a small possibility) but the client gets some reaction out of you when he shifts and I'm not making any assumptions but it is a possibility.  Also if he has sensitty in certain senses, ringing in ears, or even attention problems these can all cause major discomfort which will certainly produce a change in attitude or emotion.  If you could please poster (or anyone who can support or oppose some of these possibilitiea) that would be helpful to me and the poster. My last thoughts on this are as follows.  Love and hate are not actually as related as they seem.  Love is an active show of affection or gratitude which one could say is the outward expression of a intense feeling of affection, a strong bond, or perhaps appreciation.  However hate is a feeling of basically an intense dislike so with mania being what it is and what I know about this type of shift I experienced changes in my need for more or less attention or an intense burst of impulsive and/or explosive activity like punching things or screaming.  I have had my feelings about someone change based on disappointment, or resentments.  Behavior changes can be easier to define and diagnose than attitude or personality changes.  Mood and manic energy however as it pertains to how you perceive and manifest a feeling about someone who is not tryinf to control, change, or say if you are giving him his medicine or speaking of it or it is almost time for some part of the day that he doesn't care for and a reaction is produced by an action or trigger of any kind that can be challenging but doable.  I just want to get to the bottom of this feeling shift that I can't see occurring because as some if you who understand any feelings are connected to thoughts which and feelings can have an impact on emotion but if you are talking about a behavioral change please clarify.

[YEG123]

There is an excellent book called “Loving a Person with BiPolar”. I gave it to my parents, so they could better understand my triggers and the sometimes bizarro conversations. Excellent read! Check it out:)

[specialmom]

I agree that this is typical of bipolar and very difficult to be a part of.  

I have a dear friend with bipolar.  And for me, her highs are very hard to deal with.  She LOVES them.  Oh my gosh, she feels on top of the world.  But she is very hard to be around when in this side of bipolar. The depression is terrible too, don't get me wrong.  That's scary when she is at her bottom.  But those highs . . .  She's a great person and I wouldn't dream of not being her friend but it is challenging.  Consistent medication is really important as it keeps the highs less and the deep depression away.  She'd prefer to have the highs though so always wants to stop her medication.  Sigh.

So, that's just my story of friending someone with this disorder.  To me, you sound like a very empathetic person who is doing a great thing by looking out for this person and being there for them.  I guess I would try to remember that it is not personal.  He doesn't want to take meds because he likes the ups.  But in truth, they are just as dangerous as the downs.  And taking medication when bipolar is really critical---  so remember, you are helping him. Most bipolar people do resist their medications at some point.  That is very normal.  But your job is to keep him on track, it sounds like so do the best you can.  Remembering too that you can only do what you can do.  I agree, hang in there!  It does sound like you are doing a good job with this person!

[purple1234567]

It's pretty normal for someone with bi-polar to love you one minute and hate you the next- it's also pretty normal for them to be adverse to the medications.  Is your client seeing a doctor regularly?  Are you able to be in contact with the doctor about his condition?  With HIPPA policy, you may not be able to- but if you can, I'd recommend opening some communication with his doctor so you know a bit more of what to expect and can maybe get a little more comfortable with the medications.  Have you had any extra training on dealing with bi-polar?  It's hard to be on the rollercoaster dealing with someone who has it, but it's good to keep in mind that the ups and downs are not really 'them'.  I know it's tough- hang in there!