How serious is bipolar syndrome? Untreated

Question

My husbands mom is bipolar and I heard this straight from her mom (grandma). The mom refuses to believe this so its untreated and unmedicated. What kind of behavior should you expect and could this condition cause someone to be dangerous to be around?

Answer

Just because she’s bipolar and won’t treat it doesn’t mean she’s dangerous. Don’t jump to conclusions because people on the internet get you worked up about your MIL.
A considerable amount of people with Bipolar genuinely believe they’ve been wrongfully diagnosed, so I’m not surprised that’s how she feels.
You should talk to your husband about what his mother is like when she’s in a down period and what she’s like when she’s in an up period. He’ll probably know better than anyone and he should be able to tell you if it’s a safe situation for everyone involved!

Answer

Really depends on the person. I know someone who just retreats and locks themselves in their house and doesn’t answer calls or texts for a week and I know someone who didn’t think they needed meds who is now in prison for violent crimes. Definitely depends on the person.

Answer

I was diagnosed at 21 and I didn’t want to be chained to a pill bottle for the rest of my life. When I was 24 I started working with a dr to figure out my medication and it’s a night and day difference and I can never imagine going back and I know that I can never stop taking my meds no matter what. My husband also has a power of attorney paper on me so that if I do go off my meds he can get me the help I need. For someone unmedicated (depending on what kind of bipolar type) she will feel highs and lows. She could be extremely happy and energetic then the next day she can be depressed and not getting out of bed. She will seem “stuck in her ways” but her emotions just don’t work the same as a “normal” person. I’m not going to say she’s dangerous or not. If she’s unmedicated and in denial it’s not going to be easy but know that we don’t mean to be “different” we just feel things so intensely and we don’t know how to cope in the healthiest ways

Answer

Depends. I know people with bipolar that are violent and aggressive and some that are just depressed some days and other days completely manic. There are also different types of bipolar disorder and varying degrees of each.

Answer

It depends on the person. My mom is bipolar with schizophrenic tendencies when she’s in a manic episode. Before she was diagnosed she’d hear things, imagine some crazy stuff (like my brother in law who was in the Airforce flying above our house spying on her) and not remembering if she left us kids in the pool alone (thank god we were all fine and inside) 
My mom HAS to be medicated or she would legitimately go overboard. I’ve seen her go overboard even with taking medication if she needs them adjusted. 
You can google “symptoms” and different things to look for but it varies from everyone. For my mom, she gets really distant, starts thinking nobody loves her and her go-to is to take off and drive across the country (although she’s usually disorientated and thankfully never makes it far). She was also drinking heavily for a while as well. 
Some go on shopping sprees, disregarding that they have bills to pay or appointments, missing work, just having a “screw it all” attitude.
I love my mom and I’m still close with her... as close as I can get. But I have been hurt a lot as a daughter in the process of handling her during her episodes. Just try not to take it personally if anything happens or is said that feels like a personal attack. My mom turns into a really nasty person.

Answer

They’re usually not dangerous.
My aunt is bipolar, and I have two male friends who are bipolar.
My aunt tends to be in the depressive phase more often and my two buddies more manic.
Mania makes them not sleep, do impulsive things... big things like quit job, get married on a whim, buy a video game console + 25 games even if money’s tight, talk a LOT like a lot lot. But there’s varying degrees and everyone can experience a manic or depressive state and not be bipolar.
One of my friends got 5150’d for getting undressed at the airport because he thought God told him to. He didn’t hurt anyone. 
It’s serious enough that if I suspected a friend or loved one to have it, I would do anything I can to have them see the proper psychiatrist so they can get proper medication for it. The meds absolutely suck, but they help from getting really bad episodes.

Answer

It depends on the person. There are 2 types of bipolar also. Bipolar type 1 is more severe and the highs and lows can be difficult to deal with, it could be dangerous if left unmedicated. Bipolar type 2 (i personally have this diagnoses and have been unmedicated for years) is less severe and the highs and lows aren't as intense, they are hard to deal with but not impossible.

Answer

Yes it can! It all depends on the person I know some people who have bipolar who aren’t violent, and some who are🤷🏻‍♂️ it’s all on the person.

Answer

I just think of Monica on Shameless 😳 I think it can be pretty serious!

How serious is bipolar syndrome? Untreated

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