Expert: Jurriaan Plesman, Nutritional Psychotherapist - 3/27/2007

Question
My wife is bipolar and a recovering alchoholic. I have been with her for 10 years. she has been taking her meds(as far as I know) for 2. in AA for 9 mos. We have had a rocky road. every year to year and a half she decides she wants a divorce. She is going to see a lawyer today. She has been hospitalised 5 times in the past 1 1/2 years for reasons ranging from suicidal thoughts, thoughts of hurting the children, and thoughts of hurting me. She feels she is all better, has left our church and told the kids that AA is her new church. she wants to take the kids at the end of the school year to her parents 1 hour away. I can and have been taking care of the kids mostly alone now off and on for years. Now she has tons of energy and is cleaning the house like crazy (she is manic and trying to cast herself in a different light that will make people think she is all better) .I have stood by her, but she seeks to blame me for her condition. She is scaring me and I know she is not a stable parent. Can you help me with some suggestions on how I can bring out to her and to the legal people Ill soon be forced to answer to that she has been unstable and is in fact unstable now and possibly dangerous? I should note that when she is not hating me, she says she is very much in love with me and thankful that I have stood by her. She is an excellent liar and actress and I believe she is not being honest with her doctors. I thank you in advance for any help you can offer. my main concern now is for the kids.  Ron

Answer
Hi Ron.

This must be a very difficult situation for you. I don't know whether she is interested in therapy, but going to AA for her alcoholism is not the answer to alcoholism itself, although she may benefit from meeting people with similar problems. In my opinion alcoholism is a physical disease that can only be treated by physical means. I know I am only a minority opinion.

Please read:

“Why Alcoholics drink?” at
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/why_alcoholics_drink.html

“Alcoholism (Addiction) is a Treatable Disease” at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/alcoholism_treatable.html

Most Bipolar people do benefit from going on a hypoglycemic diet.

See:

What is Hypoglycemia? at
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/what_is_hypo.html

The Serotonin Connection at
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/serotonin_connection.html

“The Nutritional Aspects of Schizophrenia” at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/news/hyponl2001_06.pdf

and go to page 7 of the Newsletter

The use of lecithin is very beneficial for Bipolar people in their manic stage, but this should not be taken in the depressive stage.

Pleasae read:

[b][url=http://www.amazon.com/Nutritional-Influences-Mental-Illness-Sourcebook/dp/0961855010]Werbach MR, Nutritional Influences on Mental Illness[/url][/b]and see chapter on Bipolar Disorder.

There are many other articles about "mental" illness" at our web site.

Having regard to her Bipolarity, I can only advise that she should see a NUTRITIONAL DOCTOR. Please search for GLYCERINE at our web site for more details.

_________________________________
Jurriaan Plesman, BA(Psych), Post Grad Dip Clin Nutr
Editor: HYPOGLYCEMIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA at
www.hypoglycemia.asn.au
Author: “Getting off the Hook” at
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