Bipolar Support Group

How did your family members react to your diagnosis and how do they treat you now?

My brothers and sisters were very angry with me because of all the crap I did over the years. They just thought I was a horrible person and an alcoholic. I missed them so much through those years and tried to keep a relationship going but they avoided me because I was usually drunk and acting crazy because of mood swings.

AWhen I was first diagnosed they didn't beleive it they thought I was lieing. My Mom always knew I was sick because I changed when I turned 13 and she never forgot how I was before 13.

Now my brothers and sisters aren't mad and have forgiven me bvecause they know I was sick all those years and they feel bad because they weren't there for me. I don't hold any grudges because I can understand why they were angry they were hurt. I basically deserted them when I was supposed to take care of them. our parents were all screwed up when we were growing up and I was all they had. I'm the oldest out of 6 children.It is still a little be awekward around them but it's getting better.

I'm sorry that you and your family went through such a rough spot.

My family was just relieved to be able to put a name to my ailment. Of course, we suspected it for years, but suspecting can only do so much. Now, they're also relieved that I can sympathize with the difficulties my brother is going through in treating his PTSD.

Thank you, whats sad is they were all affected by our childhood but I the only one that will even admit that we even had a bad childhood. No one else wants to admit. Our dad is a convicted child molestor so you can imagine what our childhood was like. He was also verbally and physically abusive. I think he's evil.

I'm sorry to hear that. I think that admitting such things about the past makes you stronger for the future. My dad, out of 6 kids, is the only one that really admits that his father was severely abusive, and I think it's made him a better father to realize his own father's shortcomings.

I agree, I understand they're to scared. They are all on anti-de0pressents but blame it on stress. They don't realize that their inability to handle stress is because of our childhood. Now I'm the healthiest out of all of them. They do come to me for advice but never take it which is really frustrating.

my family knew something was up. but my main family knows like my mom and dad and brother and sister. not the others cause it's not that serious to run and tell everyone..

My mom knew because she is bipolar too. I was dx with major depression and GAD for years before the dx of bipolar.

Denial is the word that best describes the reaction of our parents. My wife's parents were so deeply in denial of my wife's diagnosis that they attempted to have her removed from the hospital... legal means were threatened to block treatment (they have alot of skeletons that they want kept hidden in the closet). Almost 10 years later they give lip service that they have accepted her diagnosis, but the actions to back it up just don't seem to be there (my perspective). My parents don't even believe mental illness exists... From what I can gather they believe it is something the psychiaty field came up with in order to perpetuate its need and funding.

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Wanna talk about screwed up perspecives! They have never lived with it and seen bipolars manifestation in all their vast array.

Denial sucks. My parents denied I had a problem until the problem grew so back I was psychotic and had to be hospitalized. My mother didn't believe mental illness could ever happen to "her" children. But they accepted it eventually because my episodes were so severe until I was finally stabilized on the right medicines a few years ago.

My sister was in denial about my bipolar for the past 2 years.

It wasn't until she was on the receiving end of my rapid cycling, extreme anger and mania that she began to realize that my diagnosis was legitimate.

She saw me go through a manic/psychotic episode in 2006, but attributed it to an insolated incident of stress.

When I experienced psychotic depression following a manic episode and was hospitalized for it in December, she told me she understood that I did in fact have bipolar and agreed with my tdoc and pdoc about the severity of my symptoms.

She is no longer in denial, but even if she were, it doesn't matter.

As long as a pdoc confirms my diagnosis (as 5 have), that's what counts.

Post edited by: neondreams, at: 04/08/2009 09:39