I've been doing a lot of watching and learning lately. Apparently the some of the symptoms of bipolar can be controlled to some extent without medication. It's all just about how bad the person wants to do better.
You see, nearly every person in Mister's family has bipolar disorder, including him. They all take turns going off of their medicine and being extremely manic or extremely depressed. There are times of the year when they all go manic at the same time.
Uncle G has been in a deep depression for about two years now, after a three year manic phase. I remember before getting pregnant with my oldest, a few years ago, he was so bad manic he decided he was going to take a tree someone has cut down in his yard and build a condo. He was in and out of the mental hospital with little to no help. Pretty much just creating nonstop chaos for the whole family, mainly his elderly parents. At some point two years ago he fell into a deep dark depression, to the point he wouldn't leave his bedroom, except to use the bathroom. He wouldn't bathe, would barely eat, and would not talk.
Now that he is finally showing signs of coming out of his depression, his son is running rapid, off of his medicine, and in and out of jail for minor things. With Allan it started out simple but quickly escalated into pure insane chaos. He was blowing every penny he had as soon as he came home from his out of town job. He was buying expensive things, getting people to co-sign for vehicles and atvs. The all of a sudden he got sent home after getting hurt at work, right around the time Mister lost his job. He offered to help Mister get a job with him. But they were having to drive 4 hours away every other day and it was going nowhere. We lost all of our money listening to him. He was just using us the whole time so he boss would pay him when he got to the office.
Now, Allan is so paranoid about everything that he can't even leave the house without thinking someone is watching him or out to get him. I'm no sure yet what happened this week that landed him in jail but I'm sure it's not good. Maybe one day we will all find out but it's apparent the family is keeping quiet.
To the point though, last week before going to jail Aunt T drove 5 hours from her home through Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana with Allan's sister Sally trying to get him to a doctor and have him committed so he could get the help he needs. He convinced the doctor that there's nothing wrong with him and they sent him on his way. Three days later, he's in jail again.
Mister is the same way. He's been picking argument after argument with me, getting mad every time I speak to him, going back and forth on everything, and so much more; he's off his medicine. I was able to convince him to call his Uncle Alex, in hopes maybe he would tell him how he feels and why he's acting out so much. Nope! He immediately played the victim and went on and on about work and school and how he isn't getting in enough hours. Not one word was said about his aggression or anger towards me.
I keep wondering why it's so easy for some people with bipolar to "snap out of it" when they are in the presence of a person of authority or a person who they are intimidated by. With Mister and his family, they seem to lose respect for any person they have to deal with on a daily basis but not those who they are scared of (for lack of a better word). I wish I could get answers ok this. I wish it were a little simpler.
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