Crystal
Hi Mom of bipolar son. My husband is also bipolar. It is very hard to cope with. My husband went through so many doctors, so many medications, dx'd with soooooo many illnesses, until I think 1998 when a psychiatrist he met in the ward diagnosed him properly, and was given better/appropriate meds. One of the things caregivers, family members etc need to be aware of is the side effects of the meds. Too often, the person goes off their meds either because they think they are fine, or due to sometimes intolerable side effects. I'm curious to know the age of your son and how/why he was diagnosed. Patience. Yes, lots and lots of patience is needed. It's hard at times to separate the person from the illness (even when they are on meds) it's not a perfect fix, there are still reasons that cause episodes of the extreme depression, and the mania. Lack of sleep, stress and diet are the biggest. I recently read some information on natural treatment of bipolar on discovery health. I believe the info is still on their site, and many renowned universities are doing independent studies now (Yale/Harvard I believe, to name a couple). Best wishes to you "mom" and your son :)