How do you get someone who is bipolar to recognize his illness, and not be in denial?
Friday, September 3rd, 2010 at
8:48 am
My brother was diagnosed with bipolar disorder over a year ago, and still fails to accept it. He’s been hospitalized twice, and is currently in a hospital. He won’t take his medication, because he does not think he needs it. What can my parents or me do to help him realize that he truly has bipolar?
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Nothing really. I have bipolar and I am proactive in my attitude towards my own health, but I know other people who are not quite as responsible.
He won’t accept treatment because in his mind there is nothing wrong with him, and while he refuses to acknowledge he is mentally ill/sick, he will not be compliant in taking medication and help himself.
If he is underage, your parents could probably keep him in hospital involuntarily where he will have no choice to receive treatment. But if he is legally an adult, you’d have to convince a court that he was in immediate crisis, incapable of making a decision because he wasn’t in a sound state of mind and in danger of hurting himself or someone else and required involuntary hospitalization.
Hi hon.
Sometimes people live in denial about themselves and the real world in general.
I’d like to say that bipolar disorder is a manageable illness, but your brother needs more than medication alone. Therapy is normally a very necessary element in treatment, especially for someone who has just found out they have the illness.
You can’t force pills down your brother’s throat or pull him out of his denial. He will have to come to terms with that himself.
I have bipolar disorder, and it’s tough to deal with, especially when untreated. Hopefully your brother will get sick and tired of the hospital, his mood swings and do something about it.
take care of YOU in the meantime.
sadly, there is nothing you can do. he has to admit it before anyone can really help him.
Tell him that if he was healthy he would be in total peace but because he has reactions that causes him to be uncomfortable he should have this problem.