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Taking On Bipolar Disease Without Bitterness

By: Julie Frey

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Bipolar disorder affects approximately 2% of the population. It is a terrible disease to be diagnosed with. It can create havoc in one's life and in extreme cases make it impossible to live even a semi-normal life. But as bad as bipolar disorder is on the patient, it takes it toll on the family, friends, and caregivers as well.

This is especially true if you are the primary caregiver. You will find both mental and physical burdens suffocating you.. Your normal life will be manifestly disrupted- probably for a long time. One major mental challenge is simply attempting to not let yourself be brought down emotionally by the bipolar sufferer. Their mood swings can be impossible to control and, as is true with caring for any mentally troubled person, the effort to maintain some semblance of normality in the household can be exhausting.

Another big difficulty that many people end up facing is the loss of a second income, or in some cases the primary income. If the bipolar sufferer was one of the breadwinners, and has no disability insurance, your family's standard of living could drastically decrease. If you were financially overextended to begin with, it will place even more hardships on your family.

So, in this situation, who will care for the caregivers? How will you and your family be ab;etp take care of the bipolar sufferer and at the same time live even a semblance of your normal life?

The first thing you can do is to accept the responsibility without bitterness. It is not the person's fault that he has bipolar. It is not his fault that he is jerked from mania to depression and back to mania again. Being bitter can make you an emotional cripple and change your entire attitude on life. Don't let that happen. Once you've accepted the responsibility, you can get to work on coming up with solutions to your difficulties.

So, try your best not to feel at fault. The same as it is not his fault that he has bipolar, it is not yours either. And, while it may not be admirable, it is perfectly normal for you and members of your family to feel anger or resentment at times for having to care for another person. All of us have selfish parts to our personality. It's in our DNA and part of our human nature and not something to feel guilty about.

Find a bipolar disorder support group in your community - your doctor or health provider may be able to help you. Or if you can't find one in or near your neighborhood, find one on the internet that you feel comfortable with. There will be times when you will need to talk to someone who is supportive and knowledgeable about the situations that you're going through or the feelings that you are experiencing. There will also be times when you need practical, real life advice to questions you have or problems that you are having. A good support group will help you to keep yourself on an even keel.

Don't lose your sense of humor. Humor is one of the most powerful emotional medicines around. It brings joy to the soul and calms the body. It takes the tension right out of your body and puts you into a different state of mind. It helps you to get through difficult times like nothing else can. Don't let your difficult circumstances drain the joy from your life.

Bipolar disorder is a difficult disease for anyone to have or any family to deal with. But it's important that caring for another person doesn't make you neglect the caring for yourself and your family.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Julie Frey writes about bipolar disorder and how it affects lives. For more info on bipolar 1 disorder signs, bipolar support groups / therapy, and other bipolar issues, please visit her website.

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