2Many
I'm so glad to hear that he is on Lithium.
Best practice for Bipolar Disorder treatment:
Lithium (very narrow window of efficacy, chek every 3 days for 3 weeks for 3 months to make sure it is in clinical range)
Education for client and family (emotional expressiveness factor, for example, -- negative types of emotions can be a real trigger for bipolar, so try to keep them at a minimu. Needs lot of stress management education and mood hygiene -- go to bed at same time, watch extremes in dieting and exercise)
Go to family Education 2 many! I think you'll find that Bipolar is VERY treatable. It's not a mental illness so much as a brain illness - the salts in the brain get "out of wack" and cause the severe mood swings. Therapy alone can't treat bipolar, in fact its considered malpractice by many counselors if the patient hasn't been referred for lithium. If you plan on staying in the house, do your best to keep him on the meds.
Good Luck -- Niki