Parents of Bipolar Children Support Group

I am not sure if my mom has bipolar. I am not sure what my mom has but I know it is destructive and that it has surely taken a tole on my life and also affected my children. I have had enough and my brain is saying to me NO MORE. I just want to never speak to her again. I just want her to leave me alone. How can I know what she has and how to deal with her? I feel that I have PTSD in result of her abuse.

It would not surprise me AT ALL if a relative of a BP person developed PTSD from this horrible illness! The best thing you can do for yourself is get some help in the form of therapy. Most of us here have had to do or consider that at one point or another...even get prescribed meds of our own. You are not alone in how you are feeling about this, whether or not you're a parent of a BP, a child of a BP, a sibling, or other close relative or friend of a BP.

Sites like MDJ help alot too!

*hugs* to you -- and I would check out some of the other sites here in MDJ, such as the "Bipolar in the Family" forum. This one is more for those of us who are parents with bipolar children, so you might be able to find people who have much more similar experiences in there.

ttjuststop: It is absolutely possible to develop PTSD from living with a family member that is BP. i was diagnosed with PTSD from dealing with past spousal abuse and raising a BP child. I take medication and have a therapist of my own. This website has been a godsend in getting me through my struggles with my daughter (I don't have to deal with an abusive spouse anymore). You can't change your mother, but you can make yourself as healthy as possible. Find forums here that will help you get the support you need. Find a therapist that will help you deal with the stress and challenges that having a BP family member brings. Find ways to take care of you. **HUGS!**

ttjuststop, I'm so sorry about your situation. YES you can get PTSD from being around a bipolar person. Listen to your heart, if you can't take anymore abuse and have hit your limit, it is time to break free. I had PTSD from being around my bipolar mother in law and almost had to be put into the hospital after spending a week alone with her in my home. I was raised to respect adults and to forgive always. The decision to not have any contact with my bipolar in laws has been the best and healthiest decision I have ever made. It's awful to be treated like crap and then stalked and told you are not allowed to break contact with them. My husband soon had to break contact with his own family because he could not take it anymore either. I know it was much harder for him to do but he told me for the sake of his own mental health he had to make the break. My husbands bipolar narcissistic brother has moved to our city and wants to reconnect but all the years of abuse and treating us ugly does not make this reasonable even with our strict Catholic up raising. My husband and I both had long talks with our Priest because we were so conflicted about 'forgiving' and our decision to break contact was extremely painful but for the sake of our health and so we can continue to be good servants to our own family, Church and community we had to let go of people that were tearing us down and apart. What I have learned from the past few years is that it does not matter who the other human is, family or not, if they are destroying your life to where you can't function get the hell away from them as soon and as fast as you can. It's a different story if it's your own child, but it gets to the point many of us have to do that with our own children. I've had to revamp my own spiritual beliefs and follow my heart. I feel much happier, healthier and content. Many people are bipolar, many are on medication and many are not mean or toxic, I'm only talking about the ones that make your life living hell.

I have it from 20 plus years of a BP husband! I take anti-d's and anxiety meds to help cope - he is now on treatment and now my son is having the same symptome.. if not for those meds I would have a hard time coping (should I say hardER)... I think therapy for family members is very important. take care of YOU!!