Lets see...I don't even know where to start, so please bear with me.

I guess for about the last ten days my Mom has started to rapidly change her behavior. She is acting like she has increased energy followed by the idea that she doesn't have time to sleep to random impulsiveness. Then within the last 3 or 4 days she has began to talk rapidly, more loudly and even occasionally in the 3rd person. At first I thought this was all just kinda annoying behavior and that I was acting like a typical teenager being embarrassed by my mom, but then this past Saturday she basically broke down in front of a bunch of people at a meeting and was asked to leave (wouldn't stop talking- just acting irrational) my dad immediately took her to the hospital and she was diagnosed with having a bipolar episode.

This has taken my family and close friends quite by surprise because she has always been the type of person that is all and all very put together and organized. I believe it is important to note that for the last year or so she has been somewhat depressed (not major and not constant, but still enough to make her sad) due to the loss of both her parents in a short period of time and some financial struggles my family has had to deal with. The thing that I don’t understand is that with the research I have done and information I have found on the internet it seems that to be bipolar you have to show extreme signs of depression along with the extreme highs. While she has had a tuff time dealing with these tragic events (as it has been for the rest of my family) she has never shown anything extreme. Her behavior I think has always been that of a normal person until these manic actions started to appear.

It is so incredibly hard for me to put into words how I’m feeling. I guess it’s just that I’m very scared and I don’t want to lose the mom that myself and family have always known and loved. I want to hear that everything will be ok and that things will fall back into place, but that just seems so far away. I mean, two weeks ago she was advising me with college decisions and then today when I went to visit her it was almost like she was a little kid, the fast talking and being very animated…I dunno, it’s just really hard for me to see my steady mom acting like this.

I suppose what I’m looking for is advice on how my Dad, younger brother (17), and myself (19) should handle this. Like how do we make the move back home as normal as possible for her, what do we tell her friends that she embarrassed herself in front of, what should we expect, and how do we help her? Please respond with any tips on what we should do or even stories of your experience. Thank you so much and sorry if my story was a little hard to understand.

A lot of times bipolar disorder is set off by a significant event like a death or even a financial break down. I have been bi-polar so long I don't remember if I started out manic or depressed. I have made some scenes in the past some very embarrasing, but bipolar disorder is a disease. All you can do is show her love and educate friends and family about the disorder. Information on the internet is not always correct, so get a book on bipolar disorder and check the date of pulishment because there is more information now as apposed to 1995.
I don't know if this helps but when I am delisional my husband just goes with it. And if I am freaking out he helps to calm me down.
Good Luck to you and your family. She needs all the love and help she can get. :angel:

I have to echo that the loss of her parents could be the trigger that set off her episode. As far as when she comes back home, just let her know--a lot--that you'll continue to be there for her, that you love her, and that it's alright for her to go easy on herself. For example, if she doesn't feel up to cooking, take her out to eat or get something delivered. Don't worry if the housework goes down the crapper for a while. Allow her to talk about her experiences--many times if necessary. She needs to focus on getting better one step at a time. This is the way my family helped me make the transition from the hospital back to the outside world.
I hope your mom's recovery goes smoothly and she's feeling better soon.

one of my pdocs told me "what goes up must come down". I've learn this is basically true with bipolar disorder. keep in mind that after a manic phase, it is very likely that the depressed phase will follow as the serotonin is depleted in the brain (that's how bipolar people get so "high" so to speak). I was dx'd after an acute manic phase that lasted about 2-4 weeks and then was in the psych ward for 1 week and then severely depressed for about a year. it can be very tough and it's good that you're very concerned for your mom and taking this very seriously. read as much as you can about it (see below for references).

that being said, also keep in mind AT ALL TIMES that major stress like losing loved ones or financial problems or drug/alcohol problems can trigger an episode. We bipolars have a hard time dealing with stress.

Also, if indeed your mother really is bipolar there are 2 types of bipolar disorder. Type I is more severe than type II in which the person's manic phases may be described as "hypomanic" which is less acute than full blown mania.

read up on Kay Redfield Jamison's books as well as Patty Duke's books.

You will need to learn how to identify the symptoms of bipolar disorder (mania or depression) and the cycles they come in in order to get your mother help before it gets out of hand.

keep an eye on her actually taking her meds, her diet and exercise. these all matter very much in stabilization of a bipolar patient.

take care and good luck.

Hey Guys
Thanks for the answering; you are really shedding light onto all of this.

Does anyone else have any stories or suggestions? With someone who has been diagnosed with bipolar how long does it on average take for them to start back into their normal lifestyles once on meds?

Rabiesjoy- Do you happen to know what the titles were for the authors you suggested.

Thanks again- Just trying to find as much info as I can and what my family should be prepared for.

First of all, there is no straightforward answer to "how long does it take to get back to normal?". It took me about a year of severe depression during which I worked only about 3 weeks. Pretty sad and hard. I think it really depends on the person, how bad the manic episode was, family support, stress, etc. Lots of factors. Realistically, don't expect a quick recovery. There are issues here like "what's wrong with me?" and "why did this happen to me?" and "why don't these meds work?" and other negativities in general. Adjusting to the aftermath is difficult for all. But there is hope out there. I'm very functional and pretty happy nowadays.

But I did notice that if you can work or volunteer to keep your mind off the depression it will help a lot. Along with proper diet and exercise.

Patty Duke: A Brilliant Madness

Kay Redfield Jamison: An Unquiet Mind (and she has another one I think it's called "Touched with Fire" was very good too)

Andrew Solomon: The Noonday Demon, An Atlas of Depression

All of these books are national bestsellers. Search {website deleted} for how to cope with bipolar as well. but these are a good start.

good questions. keep up the good work. your whole family will appreciate it. it's your duty honestly...