I took some notes last night at our bp support group. We had a mixed group of those with and without the illness. Normally we split up but the group was small so we stuck together. The issue was the phrases, "Are you getting manic?", "did you take your meds?", etc. Every person with a dx in the group stated that they took offense to these questions being posed in this way. One person said they could be having a great day, doing well and then someone says to them, "are you manic?" totally taking them down. I read this in my book "Bipolar Survival Guide" also. They called it "overprotectiveness", being hyper-sensitive to your loved one's moods. I think it's a great idea to be in tune with how they are feeling to hopefull deal with a situation before it gets out of hand. Our counselor suggested we "check in" with each other periodically during the day. So I will say "do you want to check in?" or he will tell me how he's feeling and say "just checking in". When I suggested this to the group, they all said that kind of language would be appreciated. I'm only bringing this up because it was an issue at the meeting. I'm not passing judgement on anyone who finds that their way of communicating works for them. What works, works. Don't mess with something that works. Just some info I thought might possibly be helpful for someone. You are worthy of respect, love, and empathy. Choose life, find your joy, find your passion.
Please see a licensed counselor for professional direction. All I can provide is my best advice.
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