Bipolar in the family Support Group

i have 5 kids and im just wondering how it effects them. i also have a husband. anyone have some insight for me? thanks

I suppose it depends on if you are med compliant and aware of mood triggers. I have five children and most days are good although some are not. My husband is very supportive but not very knowledgable and three of my kids are adult(17,17,22)

I agree with lizzy. It also helps to be open with them about the illness and what your triggers are. The more they understand the illness, the better they are at coping with it.

I am the child of a bipolar parent. I never understood my mom's depression and why she acted that way. Kids tend to think things happen because of something they have done. I would suggest making sure they understand that it is a disease and that whatever mood you may be in, it is not because of something they did. I would be honest and let them know when you are feeling bad and why. Then they won't be wondering what is happening. My mom would always try to self medicate and handle things on her own when she would feel bad. That made things very scary for our whole family. I think honesty and communication are the best things you can do for your kids.

You might be interested to see a thread about bipolar people as parents in the BPSO forum. My position is that there is no reason a bipolar person cannot be a great parent. I would add that there is no way a bipolar person can shield the child/ren totally from their bipolarity. It will affect the kid/s. But the fact that my mom is a packrat and my dad has an explosive temper affected me. And I have close friends who are children of alcoholics, and wow, I would choose treated bipolar any day.

My hubby is great with the kids although he does have his moments. I have explained in age appropriate detail to my 12 year old son and he understands. I tell him when I think dad may be "acting bp" and he seems to clue in on that and not do the bad things teens do like acting sassy during those times. I can't begin to explain it to the 4 year old, but I will in time. Those kids love him unconditionally and they put up with me when I have PMS soooo.... like married I'd take bp over having an alki hubby or just an overall abusive hubby any day.

I think you are right on target being open and honest with your 12 year old son. My husband is also BP, and had his moments of being angry for no apparent reason, or over reacting to things. Our 2 daughters (now in their 20s)struggled with his moods, but eventually learned to leave him alone when he was over reacting. The hardest thing for them to learn was not to take his anger personally. When the oldest left for college, she majored in psychology and has just completed her Masters in Social Work. She was able to use her experiences with her dad to put them in perspective and now wants to help others with BP. Unfortunately the younger was diagnosed BP when she was 17. She is now away from home and still struggling to accept her condition. She and her dad are a lot alike and she had a difficult time separating his moods from hers. It got better after she moved away. Sometimes she finds it necessary to remove herself from contact with him until they both return to normal. I do note, however, that when she is feeling well, she often calls him with news about her life etc or for advice. So the long story is, children are generally resilient, and will understand if you are honest with them.