How To Help A Person With Bipolar Disorder: 9 Useful Tips
Bipolarity is a disorder about which there are many myths; The term is often used incorrectly to refer to changes in people’s attitudes, but without these meeting the necessary criteria to be considered symptoms of bipolar disorder.
In this article We are going to address the topic of how to help a person with bipolar disorder and we will also clarify doubts regarding the symptoms of this pathology, to clearly determine when we may be in the presence of this mental alteration.
Before moving on to the advice on how to help a person with bipolar disorder, it is necessary to know exactly what this pathology is about. What is known as bipolar disorder consists of a mental condition characterized by alternating cycles in which the person’s mood reaches very intense extremes; a series of extreme changes in people’s mood which are maintained consistently for some time.
It can be presumed that a person is presenting behaviors typical of bipolar disorder when the changes between one mood state and another occur after a period of time of approximately several months, that is, they are not sudden changes that occur in a matter of minutes. Furthermore, the intensity of the moods must be significant and entail discomfort or significant risks to the integrity of the person and/or their environment.
The emotional polarities that manifest themselves in bipolar personality disorder are one manic, characterized by intense states of euphoria and agitation in people, and another depressive ; characterized by strong states of apathy and general lack of enthusiasm.
In some cases, patients are often seen in whom both polarities coexist; This is what is known as mixed bipolar disorder. This variant of bipolarity is more complex than the classic one and includes a greater risk for subjects who suffer from it.
In mixed cases of bipolarity, manic and euphoric behaviors are mixed with depressive behaviors, which results in subjects living with treacherous attitudes motivated by intense depressive thoughts. In these scenarios, the risk of self-flagellation and suicide increases.
Symptoms
As we have mentioned previously, the symptoms of bipolar disorder go beyond simple mood changes in people.
During manic states physical symptoms may be evident, such as constant agitation, verbosity, hyperactivity, etc. These will always be accompanied by an attitude of abnormal enthusiasm, nervousness or tension.
Regarding the depressive states that occur in bipolar disorder, people They present quite marked behaviors of discouragement and apathy, slow behavior in any circumstance, insomnia, and fatigue. In severe cases, the possibility of suicide is considered.
Therefore, to help a person with bipolar disorder, it is first necessary to understand the main symptoms of this psychological disorder and understand that those who suffer from this condition do not choose to behave this way. From this premise, let’s look at a series of tips about what to do.
Tips to help a person with bipolar disorder
In the following list of tips we are going to review some tools to provide support and help to people with bipolar disorder.
1. Help you accept your disorder
The sooner we get the person to accept that they have a pathology, the closer we will be that is willing to seek the necessary help Let us remember that our role is one of accompaniment and support, and that it is necessary to have a mental health professional for the improvement to be significant.
Talking to the person about the benefits of going to therapy is a good way to help them agree to attend the consultation, although we must be careful how we say things; We don’t want to appear to be making value judgments about the way they behave and make decisions.
2. Understanding depressive and manic states
As support figures we must understand the behaviors of the subjects when they are going through a polar crisis of this disorder. We should not judge or treat the subject as a bad person or someone who does not deserve respect for having serious problems; Their behavior responds to an organic pathology that escapes their voluntary control
This is one of the most important tips when helping a person with bipolar disorder, since damaging their self-esteem could cause them to stop attending therapy.
3. Learn to recognize the indicators
Generally, when a subject is about to change from one polarity to another, certain indicators usually appear that anticipate it It is important that we know how to recognize what they are. In this way, everything possible can be done to prevent progression to a full episode, or delay its onset.
In addition, it is also useful to encourage the person to recognize these warning signs in themselves, so that they can organize themselves better and gain autonomy.
4. Accompany you to therapy
The fact that we are willing and available to accompany the subject to therapy It means an extra source of motivation for him In addition, we will prevent the person from feeling alone, which greatly helps them to be consistent with the sessions and correctly follow the therapist’s instructions.
5. Monitor your medication
Patients with bipolar disorder should be monitored jointly with a psychologist and psychiatrist. Medication is often essential for the subject to remain stable and prevent manic and depressive episodes from significantly affecting the patient’s quality of life.
Therefore, as friends or family of the patient, we must do everything possible to monitor whether you take your medication according to the doctor’s instructions, and if not, talk to him. Of course, this should be done non-invasively, respecting his privacy. You simply have to pay attention to look for signs that the person is not following the treatment properly.
6. Spend quality time with the person
People who suffer from bipolar disorder generally do not have the ability to maintain long and stable personal relationships, taking into account that they change their attitude in very extreme ways; Sometimes they are too eloquent and frenetic, and sometimes they don’t feel like talking to almost anyone.
It is important that we spend quality time with these people and make the process of relating easier for them, thus preventing them from isolating themselves from others We can look for activities to do together, in which they interact with other people and feel that they are capable of leading a normal life.
7. Avoid tense situations in front of the subject
It is recommended that we always try to maintain an attitude of assertiveness and respect with people who have bipolar disorder, because moments of tension can trigger manic or depressive behaviors.
8. Help you detect the signs that a stage of mania or hypomania is approaching
Establishing a flow of communication with the therapist, it is important learn to recognize the emotional and behavioral signs that occur when one of these stages approaches of bipolar disorder.
9. Give support by maintaining an adequate sleep schedule
Sleep regulation is very important in the treatment of bipolar disorder. Therefore, when offering support to someone who has developed this psychopathology, It is key to make it easy for them to follow a consistent sleep schedule in an organized way and compatible with the goals of therapy. Remind him of the time he has to go to bed, do everything possible to ensure that he sleeps in a place without noise or distractions, etc.
