How to Support Someone With Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a serious mental health condition that affects about 40 million across the world. The extreme changes in mood, energy, and activity levels make living with bipolar disorder a challenge. These symptoms can also be hard for loved ones looking to support someone with bipolar. 

Individuals with bipolar disorder need to learn how to manage their condition. It’s also essential to have support from friends and family. 

I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in my late teens. Throughout the years, I’ve met many people who wanted to support me but didn’t know how. When I wasn’t stable, I didn’t know how to ask for the help I needed. I’d cycle through manic highs and depressive lows, often resulting in week-long psychiatric hospital stays. I tend to isolate myself, especially when experiencing a depressive episode. In the beginning stages of mania, I’m usually energetic and sociable. Sometimes I’m extremely irritable when manic; if I notice this happening, I’ll disconnect. I also go through periods where I experience extreme levels of confidence; this has caused me to feel like I’m superior to others and resulted in problems in my relationships. 

Once I started receiving proper treatment and became stable, I found it easier to speak up and ask for what I needed. I’ve realized there is no way I’d be able to survive this illness without my support system.

If you care about someone with bipolar disorder, you may struggle with knowing how to offer support. This mental health condition is not only difficult for the person living with it but also challenging for those who care about them.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to support your loved one with bipolar disorder. 

6 Ways to Support Someone With Bipolar Disorder

1. Accept Your Loved One’s Diagnosis

It’s crucial that you accept their diagnosis because it isn’t going to disappear. Even with treatment options such as medication and therapy, bipolar symptoms can still resurface. Individuals living with bipolar disorder have to work daily to ensure they’re managing the condition. 

Accepting this as a part of who they are is a great way to be supportive.

2. Educate Yourself 

When most people hear the word bipolar, they assume it’s just mood swings or being happy one moment and sad the next. However, this condition is much more complex than that.

Taking time to educate yourself on the different facets of bipolar disorder is vital to understanding what those of us struggling with it go through.

Developing an awareness of the complexities of bipolar will be helpful in trying to support your loved one. 

3. Encourage Them to Seek Treatment

The best thing an individual with bipolar disorder can do for themselves is seek treatment.

Treatment usually involves a combination of medications and therapy; however, some people try to treat themselves with natural remedies. These natural remedies may include certain herbal supplements.

It can be challenging for individuals experiencing recurring episodes to seek treatment because they may struggle with a lack of insight or the ability to understand and perceive their diagnosis. Some people also find issues with taking psychiatric medication for reasons such as terrible side effects or believing the medication is unnecessary.

The best thing you can do is talk to your loved one about different treatment options and let them know you are here to support them. Ultimately, the decision to seek help is up to them. 

4. Make a Crisis Plan

When your loved one is feeling well, sit down with them and devise a plan for how you can offer support during an episode. Planning for a crisis could include going over the signs of a crisis, how they’d like support, who to contact, and self-care/coping strategies. 

5. Communicate Your Concerns

If you’ve observed concerning behavior or warning signs, it’s ok to voice this. Stay calm and avoid being judgmental or critical. Approach the conversation with compassion and let them know you are there to support them. 

6. Take Care of Yourself

You can’t be of service to anyone else if you don’t take care of yourself. When supporting someone who lives with a mental health condition, self-care is imperative. In order to show up for others, you have to show up for yourself. It’s ok to prioritize self-care and take a break when needed. 

Showing Support

Living with bipolar disorder can be extremely difficult. Furthermore, supporting someone who lives with this condition can be frustrating and exhausting. You may feel torn between wanting to be supportive and empathetic and feeling upset over how the person’s behavior affects you when they’re experiencing an episode. While there’s no simple solution for how to offer support, these tips may help. 

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