My Sister and Bi Polar

[greebobeebo]

Hi every body

My sister was diagnosed with Bi Polar about 3 years ago. I have always had a small problem believing this as she has always lied to get sympathy. She lives something like 150 miles away. I accept that she is depressed, she had an abusive relationship before she left for Leeds.

I have never really had a brilliant relationship with her cos she spent most of the time winding me up. She used to have really bad migraines and also used to suffer really bad hay fever. If I so much as sniffed or coughed I was told off.

I don't really see much of her because she always takes anything I say personally.

My question I suppose is, How do you tell whether someone has BP? She has never talked to me about it.

I don't think that knowing for definite will change my relationship with her because we are talking 20+ years of torment from her.

[chairmanma084]

Originally Posted by greebobeebo

Hi every body

My sister was diagnosed with Bi Polar about 3 years ago. I have always had a small problem believing this as she has always lied to get sympathy. She lives something like 150 miles away. I accept that she is depressed, she had an abusive relationship before she left for Leeds.

I have never really had a brilliant relationship with her cos she spent most of the time winding me up. She used to have really bad migraines and also used to suffer really bad hay fever. If I so much as sniffed or coughed I was told off.

I don't really see much of her because she always takes anything I say personally.

My question I suppose is, How do you tell whether someone has BP? She has never talked to me about it.

I don't think that knowing for definite will change my relationship with her because we are talking 20+ years of torment from her.

gree

my father DEFINITELY has BP. i had a hard time accepting it for years. this is primarily due to his dishonesty and inconsistency in what he does/does not remember about the times he was MANIC.

lying to get sympathy is a big sign of depression, IMO.

BP is different from person to person, but there are general patterns that occur. In the case of my old man, he, before he started his now successful medication routine, would go through bouts of "acute mania" for a while followed with dehabilitating episodes of depression.

we are not talking about slight mania or depression though. we all get excited and we all get sad, some times for longer than is healthy. but, from what i've noticed, those with serious BP disorder have serious, long-term mood variations from the highest of high (MANIA) and the rock bottom low (DEPRESSION).

you've said you don't keep in touch well w/ her so I think it would be very difficult to try to validate any diagnosis she's received. just try to do what you can to help and not enable or hinder her, especially when it seems like the person is lying.

hope this helps...

chairman

[greebobeebo]

Hi

Thanx for that info. I think I will just go with the flow as I always have done, I can't be ar$ed with her attitude to me. I don't think I have ever seen her either one way or the other, but I do know that those who are depressed hide it well. Coz I've been there and done it myself.

I just wish that she could just have something bog standard wrong with her, and I don't mean that in a nasty way because I have gone beyond that now.