Question.

[Yuri De Lima]

How do you deal with someone that is bipolar?

[shoreliner]

seriously?

[clown-lover]

Seriously.. Get them to a Dr. and get their lithium adjusted to where they can function in society.

[shoreliner]

and be supportive through the swings.

[mellowvision]

some days be nice, others be mean.

[magakitty]

Honestly, my professional advice is this:
If you can get them to go to a mental health professional, please do. There are a lot of new medictions that do wonders for bi-polar disorder. Lithium is not the only option

If they are already on medication and are still experiencing symptoms, please notify their dr. They may not be being honest with the dr.

If they are experiencing negative side effects and refuse to take their meds, try to get the to talk to their dr about it. Meds can be changed. Not all meds work for all people.

if they pose a threat to themselves or others, or are unable to meet their daily needs (eating, bathing, etc.) they can be 51-50'ed (committed for 72 hours for observation and medication stabilization.) To do this either take them to the emergency room, the mental health crisis unit, or call 911.

If you could provide more information about the kind of advice you want I can be more specific.

[steve p]

Shotgun

[magakitty]

Way to be supportive guys :wall:

[steve p]

Way to be supportive guys :wall:
Ok then how about a chainsaw:devil:

[Rbishop]

Wish you luck. I agree with getting them to a Doctor. There might even be some support groups available for those family and friends that deal with people affected.

For some of the other posters, it is sometimes best not to post.

[judgemax]

I am a bipolar, and I can offer you some advice from the "other side" . Pm if you need to talk, julz

[magakitty]

Check with your county mental health department. I am sure that they have support groups for friends and family. Bi-Polar disorder can be a serious illness, but many people who have this disorder function quite well in society when properly treated.

Also, Severe depression and anxiety are often misdiagnosed as Bi-polar.

[nickmcmechan]

someone who worked for me was bi-polar

i had to be extremely careful how i communicated with him

i found that a very small negative comment or feedback was mega to him and the positive were tiny no matter how huge they were

when he made a bolls up as he often did, i has to tell him, but shower him with praise

i found him to be intelligent so false praise or praise for the sake of it was obvious and therefore dismissed by him, which could make him reject genuine praise

this guy was hard work

[magakitty]

He should probably be on SSDI (Social Security disability). some people don't respond to medications, or refuse to take medications. Many of my clients come to the shelter because their emotional disorder or mental illness has made it impossible for them to hold a job. I work very closely with county Mental Health. some of my clients stabilize and return to mainstream society, but others I help get on SSDI and into low income housing.

As an employer it is not your responsibility to keep an employee who is that unstable, even though, as a nice guy you want to help the guy out. Most people with mental and emotional disorders are extremely intellegent people. Perhaps, if faced with this situation again, you can have a private conversation with the person and ask if they are having problems getting their medication, or something along that line so that you can figure out why they are so unstable. If it is something as simple as needing meds, or medication adjustment, and if you speak to the person gently and in a caring manner, you may be able to help the person keep their job.

do you have an EAP (Employee Assistance Program)? If you do, you should be able to call them for advice. If not, try calling your county mental health unit. Usually if you tell them what the situation is, without disclosing a name, a trained professional will be glad to offer you advice on handling the situation.

[nickmcmechan]

hi magakitty, i had weekly communication with him about his medication

over here, he was protected by DDA (Disability Discrimintion Act) and an employer has a duty of care where reasonable adjustments to the workplace can be made...it was reasonable for me to spend an hour with him a week as i probably would have done the same thing for someone without a disability who was having issues, where reasonable and necessary

btw, soory to call it a disability, its how the law over here describes such conditions

[magakitty]

I understand this. Here we have the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and we have to be very careful. I have to be careful about how I phrase a refusal to allow certain disabilities in the shelter and rehab. My building is not set up for wheelchairs, and my staff is not trained to care for the severely mentally ill.

Reasonable adjustment have to be made, but if the disability precludes the person doing the job properly they can be laid off here, but you have to be very careful how you do it.

And btw, it is a disability for some. no need to appologize.

[nickmcmechan]

thank you, i'm happy with what i did for the guy, when i moved on the manager who moved in treated him like s@@t and i saw what it did to the guy

[magakitty]

I'm glad you took the time to try to help him. I deal with this on a daily basis, since my clientele are either homeless, addicts and alcoholics or both. I have seem the devistation that can be caused by uncaring and callus people. In fact my first assistant was fired because of the way she treated the clients