A friend of mine recently confided in me that he is Bipolar. He has often admitted that his difficulties at work and difficulties with relationships have always been his own fault. He realizes that he "derails his own train" so to speak and has admitted this often. He also often refers to himself as being "crazy". I don't know much about the disorder, but I am wondering whether most people with Bipolar realize that their illness causes them difficulties? I was always under the impression that most people with mental illness do not realize that they are mentally ill...Any thoughts on this are appreciated
He was diagnosed in his 20s and has been taking medications for Bipolar. The meds do not seem to be helping him. He takes Seroquel, Lamictal, and Cymbalta. Throughout the months I've known him, I have seen him exhibit manic-like symptoms and he has had difficulties at work. He did confide in me once that his mom was always a proponent of medication and since he was a little boy, she would always challenge the doctor and try to convince the doctor to provide him with stronger meds (for pain due to sports injuries, etc).
I am just having a hard time believing he is Bipolar after reading about this disorder on the web. He seems to have a real conscience and knows he is to blame for things that have gone wrong. I know that every case is different, but is this typical of people with this disorder?
Thanks in advance for your help and sorry this is so long!
