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Originally Posted by Elf_Ears  One of my relatives, not my sister - who obviously has un-dx mental illness - has been rather hard on me. She says things like, "I have all those same symptoms too, but I control it, keep myself in check. You don't really need medication." This really hurts, as I know I needs meds. I cannot imagine living w/o them. But this person seems to think I'm a hypochonriac. The worst part is, they usually very nice, easy to be with. Except for this issue.
It's very painful.  |
I'm sorry one of your family members is treating you this way.
You might want to have her read "Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder" by Julie Fast.
You may also want to inform her about the way you function with meds as opposed to without.
Another suggestion is to print out websites which discuss meds and why they are necessary for treating bipolar.
Having said that, don't be confrontational since that will only make her more defensive and resistant to what you are trying to teach her.
It may take some time for this person to accept the fact that you need meds to function, but if you politely and consistently explain why they are necessary, sooner or later she will come around.
As far as her comments regarding keeping herself in check and controlling her behavior/emotions, this indicates to me that she does not have bipolar or has a very mild form of it known as cyclothymia.
More often than not, when someone has BPI or BPII, they cannot control their mood swings without the help of meds.
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