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Bipolar Disorder/any way to get my friend to seek help?

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Expert: - 4/15/2009


Question
Hello, I have a housemate and very good friend, who I've known for years, who I suspect has bipolar disorder. I have known someone in the past who was diagnosed with bipolar, who acted very similarly to my friend, unfortunately she committed suicide a few years ago. I'm very worried that my friend will end up doing this too if he doesnt get help. He has all the classic signs, during his hyper periods he thinks he can do anything and doesnt go to sleep for days. His low periods I have found seem to be during the summer, he talks to himself very loudly at night, normally pretty angry and complains about how pathetic humans are all the time, he also looses the will to do anything except bang his head against his wall, and he wont talk to anyone.
Anyway, summertime is coming around again and he is slowly starting to act like this again. Both me and my fellow housemates are concerned. I really think he should get help, hes fine when hes hyper, but when he gets depressed its pretty scary for everyone who cares about him. Is there anything we can do to make him get help, or is it all up to him to make the desicion? Anyway we can convince him to get help himself? Very worried about him :(
Thank you for your help, I hope I can hear from you soon.

Answer
Unfortunately, there is really no way that you and anyone else who cares about this friend can do or say to convince him that he should get help, at least when it comes to his actually following through with getting help.  One thing that I would suggest, would be talking to him about the problems and your fears for his safety and well being.  In fact, if it's likely that he would be receptive to such a thing, I'd have all of his friends and yourself sit him down for something along the lines of an intervention.  One thing that you need to consider with the intervention route, is that in the event your friend decides not to get the help that he seems to desperately need, you and anyone else who participates in the sit-down will have to realize that you've all done everything that you have the power to, and will have to let this person go and make whatever decisions he wishes to make -- without the crutch of other people to enable him.  From what you've described, he could very well be bipolar, but as I am not a qualified mental health professional, he should make an appointment with someone with the necessary credentials who can properly diagnose him.

Bipolar Disorder

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Jennifer

Expertise

I am available to answer questions of a general nature about bipolar disorder, provide online resources that address bipolar disorder in a more in-depth manner and sources to serve as a starting point for those looking for substantial information on the illness from a healthcare professional approach. I am not a doctor or a psychiatrist, my background is based in personal experience and extensive reading in my own process of understanding my diagnosis. I can also take questions that deal with the social issues surrounding bipolar disorder such as relationships; coping for family, friends, and the patient; marriage, choosing to start a family and related. Answers to questions of a legal nature will provide general information but anyone with a serious legal problem should consult an attorney licensed to practice in their jurisdiction.

Experience

I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder type II in 2000; as a SSI beneficiary, have experience and knowledge of the limitations and processes involved with the program; I understand the moods, the feelings, the worries, the doubts, and a lot more that there's not enough room to express - from the personal experiences of being bipolar. I have first-hand experience with the challenges of returning to college following hospitalizations and various combinations of medications that were tried before my doctor and I finally arrived at the most effective medication program for my treatment. My family and I have learned so much about each other in the process of dealing with the highs and lows that followed my diagnosis. I've had relationships with someone who also is bipolar and someone that is not - romantic relationships are no easier on either side! I feel that many of the ideas and beliefs that people have regarding bipolar disorder and those who have the condition promote the continuation of social stigmas associated with mental illness in general, and after learning from others with bipolar disorder, hope to guide others who may be trying to navigate the government health care system,& share information on other possible means of obtaining assistance with the cost of medications and/or mental health services and limited financial assistance programs for meeting basic living expenses for qualified individuals, dealing with problems from or with family & loved ones, co-occurring substance abuse problems, medications and side-effects (and when it feels like nothing will work, or why it's not helping the situation to ask whether or not a patient has taken their 'meds' when they seem hostile or moody to those around them).

Education/Credentials
I have a B.A. in Liberal Arts and will earn my J.D. upon completion of the Spring 2011 term after which I will be preparing to take the multi-state bar exam.

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