Friends and family of those with bipolar disorder may be alarmed and frustrated by their loved one’s destructive and erratic actions, yet they mean well. This is encouraging because social support can make or break a person with bipolar disorder’s ability to maintain mental health and stability. A positive outlook can be maintained with the help of social support and encouragement from loved ones. This balancing factor has many facets. Get help from 2nd Chance Treatment Center.
Ways Loved Ones Can Help
The first step in providing assistance is to keep an eye on things. Those closest to a person with bipolar disorder are often the best observers of their state of mind. The patient’s loved ones may be able to sense that they are entering a dangerous period again before the sufferer does. Friends and family members can help people with bipolar disorder who have stopped taking their medication get back on it or discover other means of coping with mood fluctuations.
Second, loved ones can be constant cheerleaders for their loved ones with bipolar disorder as they adhere to treatment and professional recommendations (such as medication, therapy sessions, etc.). Medication adherence is critical at all times, but especially during the early stages of treatment when mood symptoms are mild.
Professional treatment is the best approach to lessen the severity of symptoms associated with bipolar disorder; therefore, assisting patients in following treatment guidelines is essential when mood symptoms are shifting. Customers frequently express dissatisfaction with their medications’ effects and desire to discontinue use. When patients on prophylactic medication for bipolar disorder stop taking it, they are left vulnerable to new mood cycles, which can have devastating consequences. Supporting treatment recommendations made by doctors, such as taking medication as directed, might help defuse the situation.
Third, loved ones of people with bipolar disorder can assist them in “reality-test” their assumptions by pointing out when they make poor decisions or behave unusually. People with bipolar disorder frequently place blame on others. When this tendency toward externalization arises, loved ones can assist patients in developing an impartial perspective on their behavior.
It is okay to seek professional support!
As a fourth point, support from loved ones is always available. They can arrange for people to see a psychiatrist or therapist for bipolar disorder and even go along with them if required. This lessens the patient’s concern about seeing a doctor because they can talk about their treatment with someone they know and trust. When hospitalization is necessary, loved ones can step in to help coordinate the process.