Hey everyone,

My sister has type 1 bipolar rapid cycling with psychotic features. It’s a very rare and severe type of bipolar. Most bipolar people are type 2.

Recently I had to call the police on her. She freaked out at my brother for no reason. She screamed at him at the top of her lungs and kept trying to beat him up. She threw a chair at the wall and put holes in it. She was about to throw it at a window when the cops showed up. My dad had to pin her down and when she calmed down he let her go and that’s when she threw stuff. Meanwhile my brother ran out the building. I had locked myself in the bathroom with my baby and called the police and I didn’t get out till they got there.

When the cops showed up, she acted totally calm like everything was fine.

My stepmom thinks it’s because of the new medication she’s on. But my sister called to apologize to me and told me she could’ve stopped but she didn’t, and she doesn’t know why. She was crying and was disappointed in herself. And judging by how she changed her attitude when the cops arrived, she was in control in my view. She has been told she needs anger management before by her care team as well.

Does it sound like she could have stopped or do you think it was beyond her control? I’ve seen her in a psychotic mania and she’s never been violent like that, nowhere near it. It’s so hard to deal with her because I never know what’s her illness and what’s her personality or both anymore. All I do is forgive but it doesn’t mean I can trust her anymore.

Any insight or thoughts would be really appreciated. TIA