All the validation I don't get from my friends and family I get from your videos and I'm so grateful for that. Bipolar people need to stick together. My biggest desire in life right now is for someone who will listen to me talk about bipolar for days and not get annoyed or try and "solve" it.
GreatestSociety That makes me SO happy!! I really really wish people in your life would listen and know how to be there for you and I hope for your future, you'll get that! Love you! ❤️
Thanks for being brave enough to put this out there, Lizzie! I love someone w bipolar and I don’t know what to do. But I myself have major depression and it comes in episodes but I’ve been in like one drawn out episode for years now since my son became suicidal. Now he’s gone, but I met this amazing man and felt I fell quickly in love. He’s super funny, smart and talented.. and he helped me feel alive again. He said he was bipolar but doesn’t take meds for them. But I don’t think he wants to talk about being bipolar at all. He can get very angry sometimes and it seems out of proportion to whatever he’s angry about (often at me or about something I said or did). What do you think I should do? I’ve been just leaving the argument (usually by hanging up the phone) and the next day we act like it didn’t happen. :/ Thanks for any advice! I look forward to more of your videos! :). Julia
I have a Bipolar boyfriend, I really want to understand and love him for who he is. I’ve been watching personal bipolar stories to get what he goes through. I honestly loved your video so much because it really helped me learn a insider on what to do.
You have a gift. I am 38 years old and was diagnosed with Bipolar I when I was 22. Watching this video I felt, for the 1st time in those 16 years, that someone out there might actually understand how I feel. Thank you.
My gf has recently diagnosed bipolar (1yr) and I definitely notice some of the things talked about in these videos sometimes. It’s actually such a relief to hear a lot of it, I always worry that her behaviour and distancing/temper is because of something I’ve done. I know I could have handled many situations much better so I’m addressing that about myself but I also know I need to learn as much as I can at the moment to support her the best way possible. I love her so much, she is honestly the most incredible person I’ve ever met and want to be with her forever. She isn’t very vocal about it at the moment it’s hard to know what to do to get to a point where we are completely open about it. All these videos exclaim how important it is to communicate and be very open about it, so I need to get this across to her and let her do it in her own time/way. If anyone can help me with the best way to approach talking about it I’d really appreciate it. I’ll do anything to support her and make her feel loved so any help would be amazing, thanks everyone!
I could do with some ideas for this as well, my friend told me he doesn't like talking about it and that was that.. but I really think he should. I always says I'm here if he wants to talk, but he never does and just brushes it off
its really validating scrolling through the comments and reading about everyone else's experiences loving a bipolar person. makes me feel much less alone
LizziesAnswers Thanks for your reply, I was wondering if you could also give me some pointers on some things. I am long distance dating someone with bipolar disorder and she’s coming to visit me next year. Should we try and time her visit for when she’s likely to be hypomanic? And secondly do you need to be careful with big romantic gestures for a bipolar person, can it throw them off? I am neurotypical, have no childhood trauma, had a very stable upbringing - but I am effusively romantic. I made a secret full-colour sketchbook for her, of fantasy drawings of us exploring different sexual and romantic scenarios that she can take home as a gift. When she first arrives in my city, we planned that she will stay in a nearby hostel for the first night or two. I imagine calling them up and asking them to put a bouquet of roses on her bed. Then I think, her favourite colours are black and red, can you get roses that colour? Should I hand paint them so some of them are black? Should I leave a note? Should I wax lyrical about her soft lips being the rose petals, her teeth desirously biting her lips as the thorns, her moans being an undulating zephyr that gently sways the rose?
I was married for 28 years to the love of my life. He understood me sooo well and just listened to my ranting with such kindness and compassion. I’m not sure if he inwardly thought I was crazy but I know that he loved me and put up with my craziness. He passed away five years ago after a 3 month battle with a rare horrible cancer. Losing him has completely changed my life and I’m struggling to hard to go on without him in my life. No one gets it but I feel like you guys might get how hard it is to lose someone who loves you so much even though you are flawed
Thank you so much for your videos. I am 41 I have 10 and a half years in prison, I got out, got in a relationship right away and had no idea I have bi polar disorder. I stayed with her for 6 years we had 2 kids my son is bipolar I destroyed my family and left them to save them. I got in another relationship and we too have made it 6 years and now I have destroyed this relationship but I finally realize! My eyes are open now! She is going to stand by me as I go through recovery and she is willing to learn how to deal with me then she will let me back in the family. Your videos are so beautiful because they say the things I struggle to. since I was in prison for so long I have ptsd and my emotions are all messed up. These videos are so healing to me and my family that I am trying to save. Thank you so much!
you have brought to light so many things in understanding my gf and her disorder. you've clarified so many things and gave me so many tools to use. you're awesome and please keep up the videos. it was very difficult dealing with her before I watched your videos but now I understand it's out of her control and it makes me a lot easier on her and calmer towards her when she is angry and manic. now I understand her more... Thank you!
I truly appreciate Lizzie and these videos. I don't know anyone else in my life that has Bipolar Disorder. I just really wish that I had people that actually just listened to me and actually understand. I have people who treat me like I am just this person that "needs to snap out of this", and that I am "Being ridiculous". These videos make me feel like someone does understand, and that I am not alone
This is amazing. I've gotten really close to one of my friends in the past 2 months and yesterday I just found out he is Bipolar. I know very little, only basic, general things. I really wanted to know more and this video, I feel, really helped me understand a little bit more about what he may go through, as everyone is different. Thank you so much. I am definitely watching more of your videos. Both of us are Christians and I literally sat up in my chair when I heard you say that you are too. I took 2.5 pages of notes. I just want to be able to be the best I can for him. Thank you SO much.
I just loved the way you describe our feelings and the way our brain see, understand and feel a situation, when we have bipolar. That’s the first time I listen to somebody who REALLY KNOWS how it is to be on my shoes!!!! OMG!!! It was MAGICAL
The part where you said when you're in a relationship ans they push you away, lose interest, ignore you etc, want out of the relationship... Sometimes it's better advice to take those actions seriously... Leave them be. When you push harder, they just abuse you, they make yor life hell, they block you, its a losing battle. I just feel telling people that no matter what, to keep trying and showing you care... Is just carelss advice. It's not respecting the other person's wishes or boundaries... And it's just pushing yourself onto them. Guess who learned that the hard way.... ? Guess who made a fool of themself for caring too much, too hard, always trying to help them. Etc... Yeah I'm sorry but... Don't generalize everyone with bipolar in that category of "just keep trying... ". Cos chances are they really don't care about you at all and you're just a pawn in their sick little world. As someone who was recently diagnosed as bipolar... There are certain people who I would not want to keep trying to be there for me because chances are they get on my nerves. Or I just don't like them. Some, yeah, I wish would have tried more... But they didn't... So there ya go. Bipolar isn't a one size fits all.
Well, that's kind of helpful and kind of not. When do we know to stop trying when sometimes they want people to try harder and sometimes they don't. My person is my child's father, so it's difficult to simply stop trying unless he directly states that.
Lizzie. You are an amazing person. I am not bipolar but am a bipolar partner. I came across your video at 1:00am in the morning trying to research ways that I could use to make my bipolar partners day better, not life but each day. The feeling that there is nothing I can do at times brings on a tremendous amount of guilt to me and thus adds more stress to my partner. Hearing you explain your struggles and tools to help with it is a great blessing to me. Thank you. You have a new subscriber..
Carleton Corley Please don't feel guilty if you think you can't help your partner. Sometimes the very smallest acts of kindness can mean so much to those of us who have bipolar. Just sitting with us, holding us, fixing us something to eat, a smile, or a kind word can go a very long way. My boyfriend will go on walks with me when I am feeling depressed or tries to get me up and moving. He never forces me to do something if I don't want to. And one thing you have to remember is take care of yourself! Don't let your partner drag you down or you won't be able to help at all. I wish you the best! And thank you for caring enough to try and learn how to help someone with bipolar. I wish there were more people like you in this world.
@@angelabarrera24 My girlfriend and I had a fun weekend a couple weeks ago. Our relaitonship is over 2 months. She told me she was going to cook me dinner the next day. She texted me later that night and I asked her what time she wanted me over for the next day and she never replied. I got ignored. Basically it boiled down to me reaching out a few days later checking on up her, she says things are great and when I tried getting her on the phone, ignored. She reached out a few days later to update me on a matter and when I responded to it, I also tried changing the subject to something positive like our fun weekend, and she ignores. I gave her flowers and a card a few days later and she later thanks me for them and I told her to let me know if she needs anything or wants to hangout and I sent her a meme (she would send me memes all the time) and nothing. She basically cut contact with me and I'm not sure what to do. Is this a depressive episode?
My bf told me he has bipolar depression but I never understood why his moods would change or he would push me away even act a certain way. Thank you for these videos now I understand so much more about his disorder thank you 🙏🏼 I never loved him any less but now I love him even more💕
Man, this so so so so so helpful, i've met a girl that has the bipolar(and several other diagnoses that follow it) and i really wanted to help her because of all the stories she told of how confused she was and how much pain it caused in her life, im glad i found your video, it helps me understand her a lot
I'm bipolar too and for this being so new to me, it's hard to deal with this alone. no one really cares and I feel so unstable sometimes...this video made my day and gave me the strength to say im NOT ALONE. im glad im not, because if I was, I wouldn't know how to go through it. and the racing thoughts are the worst thing along with the mania I have. the fast speech and irritable mood like ALL the time. it sucks. but I am glad for you helping me and for everyone in the comments staying strong.
i felt the pressure of the anger within. anger that felt like a soaring wind swept past, and had become my aura. again and again i had tried, hoping to burry all the emotions i'd felt aside. i felt both pain and rage, and i usually never mix the 2 but tonight i am not the 1, to play games... i was another being, my aim just was not the same. my mood switched and switched like a driver switching lanes,with drunken actions, looking out the rear window and not the front for a change. my brain felt, just this once , it couldn't handle 1 more feather to the load. people asked about me, "eh, its nothing they were told" but there where things unexplained, a piece of me had fallen from the mold. i tried to hop back on my shit, emotions tried to toad. though i never had the force to make emotions flow in cold, the need for someone else to come in and crack the code. all for a fight no one else will ever know.. i paused the video and write this once i heard you mention people doing this during the imbalance, my was just coming to its ending point which is actually the only reason it was able to be written. i had a tone of fixing to do as well, because the emotions made me scrabble the words incorrectly at times.
Thank you SO MUCH for this video. My older sister has had bipolar since I was very young and as a kid I never understood what she was going through or why she did certain things. There have been times that I have been SO hurt by the things she has said and done, and from this deep place of hurt I really struggle not to demonize or even hate her. Know that I am growing up, I am beginning to understand her. I'm a Highly Sensitive Person - and so sometimes when she has manic episodes I JUST WANT TO RUN AWAY and ISOLATE myself from that intensity. I am praying that God would help me to love her like He does even when it feels so confusing, because I really want to. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
don't give up on your sister; i am bipolar and my sisters and parents don't talk to me anymore. it's devastating. sometimes we hurt people and we can't help it or know what we're doing, it's like an out of body experience. we are super empathetic and feel so badly about the people we hurt when we're "out of control" please have forgiveness and empathy and patience :)
Right…got it… Don't expect me to pick up my room, clean up after myself, wake up to my alarms, or apologize when I'm mean. Basically just do everything for me, and give me everything I want, and all the affirmation I could ever dream of, and that will help me be more healthy… Thanks
Thank you for sharing this information. I've been living with my girlfriend that is dealing with bipolar disorder for just over six months and I really didn't understand how to deal with the realies of what she goes through until I decided to start researching what bipolar disorder is and how to be more involved rather than just giving up on her and our relationship , because I really care about her and find myself worrying about her especially after she opened up about how she really wishes that she could just die and end it all sometimes. I really needed to hear everything that you have said in this video/blog...
You are such a gem for real😭😭😭 I'm bipolar and I've never identified with someone as much I have with you. I'm just from watching your dating video and I'm just... No words😭😭😭😭 First time btw, subscribed even😭😭😭 just God bless you👑👑💎😭😭😭 I can't stop crying🙌 from Kenya💜 And you're so lucky to have such amazing friends, so lucky... God bless them too😊
This helped so damn much, I need to have g my boyfriend and tell him I’m not going anywhere and I’m always gonna be there, I wanna thank you so much I love him
This is so inspiring... I believe my BF Has bipolar disorder... Not sure if he knows I know but he just broke up with me last week. I refuse to let him go through this alone because it seems like he's pushed everyone prior to me away. My family thinks that I'm crazy to want to even deal with this. But I don't see myself walking away because of something he can't control. I'm going to try and reach out to him again when he calms down.
Eh, be careful with that, though. If he's oblivious to whether or not he has a problem, it won't work to make him see that, and you may end up hurting yourself. It's lovely that you're trying to be compassionate, but respect his boundaries, and also create some for yourself. :)
My boyfriend has bipolar yes he does come and go its very hard to let them go because u still love them my Family thinks iam crazy to go back and forth its hard for me i always know he cant help it
I absolutely feel all the things you mention in this video. I was recently diagnosed with bipolar type two and had a friend/ partner of 6 years leave me because they didn’t understand and thought I was dangerous. Thank you so much for validating how I am feeling at the moment. I am going through a massive identity crisis because of this. I am trying to document my progress on my own channel and I found it relieving even if no one really watches it haha. Thank you so much!
Sorry you had to deal with that "friend" they sound like an "A-hole" to me but I like to say I have NO FRIENDS. To count someone as a friend I'd have to be able to depend on them and there is no one I can so that leaves me. Like that "Team" Iggy Izalea song only one I need is someone one like me..... My ex husband is probably my only friend. Even so there are MONTHS we go without speaking. I'm considering moving to be closer to him. The city will be bigger I will have more of a chance to MEET other people. Here, there are meth addicts, drunks and users!!!
At the risk of sounding harsh or selfish, this is a lot to ask. To be super considerate, observant, helpful, and available at all times... potentially for the rest of your life. Not that it's not fair or deserved, but it seems better if you have a few friends/loved ones who can help and support you as a team, along with your therapist and psychiatrist. I don't think one person can be all of these things at all times. Additionally, I think it would be interesting to hear from the other perspective. How can the bipolar person be a good friend , family member, or partner despite their illness/symptoms. How can someone work with/around their symptoms to still be considerate, observant, available, etc for their loved ones (those people that support them the most). Many parts of bipolar mean that the person with bipolar needs extra support, but what about when his/her loved ones need the person with bipolar to be there for them and he/she can't be? Even though it's not personal, it's still difficult to deal with and accept. Any tips?
Very well put👍 I'm the "carer" in a 6yr bipolar marriage. I love my wife more than I can put into words, but it's an incredibly isolating path I choose to walk. Emotional support flows one way and that's very difficult cope with at times. I can't have a bad day, be upset, need empathy or emotional support. Not because my wife can't offer this to a degree, but because of how that then affects her mental wellbeing. She's unable to process "stress", at least not in a healthy way. Stress makes her unwell and exasperates her BP. Example: I'll be undertaking several medical procedures in a few months time, not life threatening (🤞) but physically life changing. I'm nervous, frightened and worried about the changes to my physical appearance and general health. A time in a person's life where emotional support is essential. After much deliberation I decided to tell my wife and her response was predictable. She didn't really wish to talk about the procedure and became uncomfortable when I described my feelings about it. Finally I got a pat on the arm and we've not spoken about it since. Her health has begun to deteriorate, her immune system seems to collapse under such pressures and she can get quite poorly. I have no family or friends to turn to, so much of the time I just keep stuff to myself... Some days we just need a hug too😢
iloveladiesman217 And even then its a not good enough and they will blame you lile this girl has memory loss so even if you work it out they forget its mission impossible trust me spaeking from the heart
I think this would make a GREAT non profit!!! I've been told by the suicide hotline that I was "wasting time." Since I wasn't going to immediately kill myself, I learned what NOT to say so I don't get a trip to the Hospital. Why not have people around to talk to? Believe it or not there are people around who WILL talk to you at 3 a.m. if you need it, ME! Why can't I expect the same? Only the truth is I don't talk about this to people........
Read Wess Burges book "Bipolar Handbook" I think I have his name right! I'm slightly offended that you say a person with bipolar needs extra support. I've NEVER had any extra support in fact I've had NO support!!! I don't have people I'd call "friends." If you saw me in my home town you'd think I were the mayor. I'd get tons of hugs and people asking how I am, maybe or maybe not. I was also raised in super fucked up interracial family. My diagnosis of Bipolar has helped me know what's going on with me AND here is where the "extra support" comes in. I am certifiably "disabled." I qualify for benefits which I take. I don't plan in "working off the system." Even my psychiatrist told me that I probably wouldn't get the benefits. I was at the bar (I'm not a drinker) this woman I know was telling me her story and listening to me she at one point said "You're not on disability!! You've dealt with so much on your own you're entitled to it!!" She happened to have been married to my ex apartment manager. Which was INSANE because I've known the manager since I was 9....I didn't know he got married. Some extra help I could use is knowing my RIGHTS!!! Our apartment manager thinks everyone who lives on Section 8 is stupid...one man runs a literal store out of his apartment yet I get threatened with eviction due to having "paper" on my bookshelf. Those papers are in order.....she also threatened that I may have to be responsible for buying a new toilet due to calcium deposits......now i KNOW that crap is a lie!!! We all have hard water! This has pushed me to attempt suicide.....or more like drive to the place where I would do it..obviously I didn't. I spoke to my ex and told him if I got thrown from here I'd have no place to go and I'd rather die. God led me to know that there are other places to move to even near my ex so I am looking into that AND looking into getting my own house. To come here, I had to lose my house, felt forced to give up my animals so when I got my lump sum the LAST thing I wanted to do was to "buy a house" I had no idea if I could even maintain it. Now after having to deal with this ASS manager letting people into my apartment AFTER I signed the lease......see like I said she assumes "disabled" means stupid....anyway...... I, personally, have 1 person I consider a friend and they are a fake ass back stabber..... I am my OWN best friend. So no, if you can't support someone who is bi polar best to not even try. I am the one people go to for rides, etc. I went so long without a car when I bought my Mercedes, with CASH from my money I said I will help people in a way I wish I had been helped. I don't know what else to say. I find it sad that you feel it's "too much" to be that supportive to another person but I understand it. I was adopted and the woman who adopted me has no contact with me yet she has her biological son living with her stealing from her.
Thank you so much Lizzie, Im going to watch this again. Never knowing that my husband was bipolar. Were a year/ half into our marriage and Im just finding out. I want to have a better understanding. This helped alot
I am from old school . I graduated from high school in 1997. I learned a lot from older adults, and it does a lot of help 🙏. It's nothing wrong with prayers. All are helping me, and it's helped a lot too.
What if you bipolar friend has scared off everyone close in their life? You're the only one left and you're trying your best but now you feel incapable of helping them (physically, mentally, and emotionally). What if it starts to affect your health? I need sleep, I need peace and quiet, I need positivity. With TV drama, I can simply turn it off and move on. A bipolar friend requires so much of one person.
My last girlfriend is bipolar and that put stress on me. She ended the relationship suddenly, but I felt relieved that it ended. Being in a relationship with someone who is bipolar isn't for everybody. The good thing is that we are still friends.
Thank you for having the courage to share your story and for offering insight into the thoughts and emotions someone with this condition might be experiencing. I recently started seeing and getting to know someone with bipolar who goes through rapid cycles of depression and manic episodes. It's been challenging to keep the faith in him when he's pushing me away or shutting me out. So when he's acting this way I drive into educating myself in order to avoid doing or saying things that could make things worse. It's hard trying to let him know he can trust in me because his last relationship was very damaging to his mental and emotional health. She used what she knew about his illness as a weapon to hurt him and mess with his head so now he doesn't trust anyone. He finds me easy to talk to but when he's transitioning he totally shuts me out and won't answer his phone or the door. I just keep trying to get as much information as I can to try to help.
It is impossible to receive true love from the people who knows what you have. Once you start to destroy yourself, when passing through a depressive episode, what you start to get, even from your family, is a feeling of commiseration that can't be hidden nor ignored. They feel pity about you and try to be overprotective, they call you every 4 hours to ensure themselves that you're ok and feel ok because they don't want to experience any kind of guilt if something undesirable happens to you. You stop feeling the warm of being honestly loved and start to realize that you are now a burden to be pampered. Other people, those who you once loved and felt close, just fade away because you start to scare them so they want to be far far away from you. It hurts in a manner unreachable for written words. I know that many of you guys, know how painful it is to discover that you are all alone and wish to be somebody else, wish to enjoy life as others do, to laugh with friends, you would kill to have an honest friendship but deep inside you, you know it won't occur so you trick your mind with phrases like "someday there will be a good person who really loves me as I am" but years and years pass and you're still feeling alone. It is my personal experience and, I have already learnt to live with it and don't expect anything good anymore
Thank you so much , I just started dating a amazing women who is bio polar , and this is really helping me understand how I can be the best supportive partner. Bless
I’m dating someone who is bipolar, AND, I was told when I was 13 that I was bipolar, but my parents refused to get me treatment. They always told me “bipolar is bullshit and it’s just an excuse to act out”. My girlfriend and I only recently started getting help. We broke up in 2019 when she had a manic episode and she got pregnant by someone we bother went to high school with. He ended up mistreating her very very badly and she ended up back with me, and I am now trying to adopt her daughter. I am very forgiving of the situation, and now we both try to step back and take a minute when we feel like we might make a decision that affects each other. I’ve been having some issues though and don’t really know what to do. Her episodes are kinda more extreme than mine, and I’m still trying to figure myself out, and I get lost at times trying to help her when I’m not even understanding myself. I honestly feel like it’s an ideal relationship because we DO understand each other more than most people because we share the same types of ups and downs. Also, out episodes tend to be opposite of each other, and when I’m depressed her manic helps pull me out while my depression keeps her focused on making me feel better rather than making mistakes she might regret later. When she is depressed though she tends to push me away and no matter how much I try to be there she wants to be alone. She usually snaps out of it in a week or two, it I’m always making sure she knows that I am here anytime she needs me. She usually shows up on my doorstep crying and apologizing after a little while. It’s been like this long enough that I even gave her a key to my house, so when she gets to that point she can just come in and lay down with me so we can just hold each other... and that’s the point when we know that no matter what we always have each other.
That's really sweet that you gave her a key to come back when she's ready, reading this made me little a bit tearful haha. I wish you two all the best, and hope you stay supporting each other through it all 💕
@@SakuraSpookyGames I’m pretty sure we will. I’ve known her for over 20 years and we just got engaged last night!! We came full circle to a realization that NOBODY truly understands us. Being friends for that long, then coming together so many years later, we realized that loving each other as much as we do is what gets each other through. We are finding out what it takes for me to adopt her youngest daughter, we will be looking for a house in the country, and we are going to try to make life as beautiful as we possibly can make it. We have been through a lot, both together and separately, and it’s all led to her saying yes last night. 😊
@@christopheravery5808 omg congratulations on your engagement, that's such great news! I've heard it quite a bit where two people come together at the wrong time and then find each other again later in life and things just click. Everyone always says you just KNOW when it's right, and I really hope I find that.. because it sounds amazing 😊 All the best to you! ❤️
@@SakuraSpookyGames There is someone out there for everybody, and I’m living proof for that. Sometimes the person you least expect ends up being the right person. Honestly, I think we are just so alike, and we have known each other for so long, that we just got closer and closer. I’ve loved her since high school, she just never knew it until a few years ago. I saw her through her “crazy” as she calls it, and I see her for who she really is. I’m starting to think she is seeing the same about me. Now, next step is planning a future and figuring out how I’m going to support my new extended family... there is 7 of us now 🤷🏼♂️
Im just getting to this now, you have put alot of things into words that I haven't been able to put into words for the longest time. Opening up and being vulnerable is such a strength and power. Thankyou for this. Right now, being recently diagnosed with bipolar, going through covid lockdown, and living alone for the first time. Ive been really feeling this. Because of this video, i feel a little less alone, a little less broken.
Lizzie-I've been diagnosed for over 15 years now and ive never fully understood what i was dealing with until this very moment. Ur very well spoken & ur doing this world a great services of bringing awareness. Tysm
My gf is bipolar and we’ve been dating for 7 months. The first 3-4 months it was amazing and now her personality has obviously changed (during the 3-4 months she had been wanting to get off her meds and her doctors began to limit them per her request) she asked me to tell her if she was changing. She has and when I would tell her about the change she would say that it’s not the meds changing her. I have no idea if the change on meds are changing her but there has been a big change in personality. We’ve had a lot of talks about her illness and a lot of fights. I’ve messed up a lot in trying to understand what she was going through and I guess gave her the wrong help. I really hope and pray that this video helps me understand her better but it’s been a really long and tough time for me doing so. I told her I would never give up and I mean it but it’s definitely affecting me. She basically doesn’t want me to care about how she is feeling but that’s impossible me to do. Of course I care about her feeling and I want to make her happy. No one can go through depression alone. I don’t think not caring will help her because it hasnt helped her in the past, from what she’s told me. I love her a lot and I wouldn’t be researching this if I didn’t. I hope this helps me to understand, love, and help her.
you are such an amazing girl..being so useful to me so far. my gf is wanting to break up with me and make a distance between us for while. but um really struggling and trying to educated myself enough to know how to make her comfy. she's the love of my life. and i really don't wanna lose her.. EVER. and um going to give her a real talk this night so wish me luck 🙂 and THANK YOU.🌹
Thanks for posting this. I’m in the process of determining whether I’m bipolar with a doctor, but regardless of if I am or not, great stuff to know. Definitely was able to relate to a lot that you were saying, though!
Thank you for posting this as I find your videos inspiring and as a bipolar person it’s nice to hear from someone else who also is bipolar and who explains it in a very personal way. So go on as you really are awesome!👌
Mania causes physical symptoms like powerful stimulant drugs. Wow. Very informative. Regarding the need to talk to someone that can hit occasionally, I'm in California. My phone ringer doesn't turn off until 1 AM Florida time. Someday if you find yourself needing to talk to just a fan, not family or friends, contact me anytime - like through Facebook messenger. Many, many people are rooting for you!
I understand what you said about mental illness being misunderstood. I have Schizophrenia which is rarer than Bipolar disorder. I know several people who have Bipolar disorder or appear to have it, so your videos are helpful. ☺️
I follow this lady on UA-cam that shares her journey with schizophrenia. She has short blond hair. I will try to find her name and share. She has great videos.
helped a lot trying to understand what my long distance girlfriend is going through. i love her very dearly more than willingly to learn more and as much as i can
Hi I’m really really trying here and I may come off as not understanding . You mentioned a lot of how someone can take care of a bipolar person and how you love when your friends didn’t take your irritability or your outburst or breaking plans but what if the person you love during an episode can be so incredibly verbally abusive and even almost physically abusive ( throwing things and screaming in your face so bad that even a person without bipolar is triggered to swing at them) that when do we have to respect ourselves and have personal boundaries when it comes to our bipolar loved one. I love this person with all my heart but I also have to love myself. Immediately after this person is perfectly fine and expects me to just forgive them just like that after basically telling me I’m worthless ect.
Well... now I’m crying at work after listening to this video. I am bipolar and have experienced everything you talked about. I think it’s so important to be understood and validated. For me, really, the most difficult thing about being bipolar is often feeling misunderstood. It can be hard to express yourself or say what you mean to say when it’s difficult to even process and understand what you’re feeling in the first place. Like you said, it can’t be overstated how important it is to have a support system or at least just one person who understands and cares. When I’m depressed, I isolate either intentionally or just by circumstance and that’s really not good. I want to keep myself away from people because I hate feeling like a burden or making my problem a problem for someone else. But people who really do love you and do care will break through that mental noise and let you know that you do matter. A few weeks ago I was going through what was the worst depressive episode of my life so far. I was suicidal and as close to acting on my feelings as I’ve ever been. I was literally holding a loaded gun and spent several hours thinking about how I wanted to shoot myself and where to do it. A friend of mine hadn’t seen or heard from me in several days, so he kept texting me. I ignored him at first, but he persisted. Then he started calling. And I finally answered. He talked to me and told me that he wanted to know if I was ok. He pulled me out of my own head and made me see that someone did care. I don’t think it’s any exaggeration to say he saved my life.
You put this video the day before my birthday, and I am watching this video the day after my birthday. Very informative. I will do my best to love someone if he or she has bipolar. Have a great evening, Liz. 🌇
Thank you so much for making this video. I care very much for someone whom I believe is bipolar. It answered so many questions to things that confused me. Thank you
Do you get visual changes in mania? I think mania is really like being enlightened in a world full of unenlightened people and then just slowly and naturally losing your mind from the kind of spiritual loneliness.
Gaige Clark I'm not really sure what you mean! Everything FEELS more intense and commanding like I notice details in everything around me when I'm manic. But the way you described that with feeling enlightened then isolated and slowly losing your mind... I relate so so much
Just wanted to say i just turned 48 & am married wth grown kids,ive done it all...i also agree 💯 about the weed n drugs, although i smoke weed. But i really enjoyed this. Im a backslidden preacher. Thanks 🙏 for your time sis!!! God bless you & really enjoyed the scripture. Sincerely,a bipolar brother.
I've been really struggling after being finally diagnosed adhd and bipolar at 29, I keep just looking back at all of the things they messed up in my life and thinking about the what ifs of had I been diagnosed as a teen. It caused me to get pretty suicidal so I tried to talk to my mom about it since she's the only person I have left in my life and she said "so go to the bathroom and kill yourself then". Never again will I talk to anyone about my issues, but your videos have helped me alot and helped me understand so much more about myself. Your voice alone calms me so sometimes I'll just listen to them for that aspect alone. Thanks for all you do for all of us
Your video made such a huge difference on my day today, thank you very much. it is so complete, sincere and thoughtful. I am going to share with my family and friends.
Much needed, I made my own video on this on my channel if anyone is interested in another perspective. It’s amazing how many people watched this and commented cause they care so much to care for us, warms my heart.
Thank you so much for this! My boyfriend is going through a manic episode right now and is about to go to the hospital and it’s so painful for me to see him like this know that he’s hurting inside.
I'm not too sure whether I have depression or bipolar and watching your videos is really helping me work it out and I feel like I'm on a path of self discovery :) at age 30 things a slowly making sense.
sazzlepop Both have the lows and awful days, with depression it's normal to have a good day sometimes. With bipolar it seems like someone has flipped a switch and you've just snapped out of depression and into a high. For me, I was told I had depression and wondered if that was it, but after I did more research I was able to recognize the behaviors and switches in myself. Keep searching and talking to doctors until you find what you need. Good luck!
My wife is bipolar. I've been struggling with this for the last 5 years. I can't take it anymore. I love her ,i did whatever is human possible to help her but I'm afraid of her behavior right now. I'm so close to have her sticking a knife in me... This is too much. We are going to end up dead myself and she is gonna go to a special institution jail forever. She used to be the most complete person i ever met but she failed when she lost trial against her first husband. I have no help from nobody, I've tried psychiatrist but most of them rejected me. I don't know how to make her understand that she needs professional help. I love her so much... I can't live like this we are going to end up bad.
I know this video is a year old but thank you for helping me further my knowledge on bipolar. I had books on them but I'm more of a audio visual person so this helped me alot to help my girlfriend that has bipolar and keep up spreading knowledge on this topic 👍
Thank you so very much for sharing. All these years I thought I did something wrong to push her away! I will be more forgiving/understanding next time. Your insight has taken a lot of guilt of my shoulders. Your amazing and your vids are incredibly helpful. Continue on in educating us.
God bless you Lizzie your a true Christian at heart. I can relate with you even tho I don't have bipolar but I have been at different ends of the spectrum for depression. God bless you and thank you for being so brave and courageous through it all.
Medication and psychotherapy are the only things that are going to help you. Friends will give you biased information that will hurt you in the long run. Example: A boy breaks up with you and your friend responds: "You don't need him you're AMAZING! you're way to good for him anyway" See.. While that helps your friend feel better, you're not helping them improve who they are. This cycle is just going to repeat over and over again, failed relationship after failed relationship if you follow that advice. A therapist has the background to be able to properly analyse the situation and give you unbiased advice, and even help you better yourself for the long run. To me this is the definition of emotional intelligence, the ability to become aware of your own emotions and change them for better of the future. Btw don't ever date a behavioral psychologist, we don't tend to have great relationships because we know we don't.. Lie to make people feel better. That's called weakness.
I thank you for all your videos as a bipolar myself sometimes I pray for someone to understand but I just put on the right face for the right occasion until then pray for me please and I'll pray for you God bless you 🙏
I've watched this but this person I care about won't open up at all. He says I know him better than anyone in his life but when I try to ask him questions he says he doesn't want to talk about it. So I'm stuck looking up everything I can. He says he needs space to take care of it himself. Also I've heard about so many bipolar people disappear on their spouses. I'm happy to hear how you love a great support system but what about the one's who don't how do we the ones who love them still be supportive?
I like the intimacy of your videos, I find myself watching these when im feeling down. Its not that I think im bipolar necessarily but I watch these because I always find that I can relate to certain things you say that I dont think I would hear elsewhere. One thing that made me actually consider that I might have had some "manic episodes" was that thing you said about pupils dialating, I remember a few times of being out with friends and them telling me how my pupils were crazy big, as if on drugs, and I remember thinking it was funny because I thought I felt so good I must be high or something, but it was never anything as extreme as what you have talked about as far as what I did then, though I mean im sure it would depend on the person.
My son just suffred 12 hours of verbal abuse baseless accusation and physical aggression as her brother traveled 800 miles to assist her with daily activities during a manic episode. I'm was afraid she's was developing a narcissistic personality disorder. I was depleted of energy and deeply stressed At the cruel things she would say....so number 2 suggestion in this video REALLY HELPED ME to help her.
NAMI has support groups to help families and friends. I find Al-anon daily reflections literature helpful. Some times it can be unsafe or abusive for you. Like a fire drill sometimes you got to know when to walk away or when to run. And sometimes I've had to call the police. My son 6'2 and has been diagnosed with bipolar for 10 years. He is a amazing person today! Life is not easy for him. To feel things so deeply is a blessing and a curse. And sometimes what feels like a regular everyday problem to me can be fatal to him.
This was actually a bit overwhelming. It’s a very “focus everything on that person” kind of disorder. Like…give ALL of yourself and when we pull away and give nothing…give even more…even if you have nothing left to give. Everyone has needs. We can love you to the end of the earth but everyone only has so much to give before they start losing their OWN identity. I was hoping to help my boyfriend but after watching three quarters of this, I’m exhausted just from listening to all of the things I “need to do” to help him. God bless all the completely selfless people in this world but I suppose I’m just not what he needs…because I…also have needs : /
I re-watched this recently and had a similar reaction as you, I was shocked how intense and complex it is. I filmed this when I was manic and newly diagnosed, so I would make a different video now, 4 years later. That being said, there are a lot of truths to what I said. Here is how to understand them: 1. Care for a bipolar person absolutely needs to be a group effort. You are right, 1 person CANNOT do it alone. It requires a community: the parents, siblings, significant other, several best friends, a therapist and psychiatrist. If you are the ONLY caretaker for a bipolar person, it will not work. You will not be strong enough and that says nothing about how selfless or loving you are. Recruit your boyfriend's parents, siblings and friends. They NEED to help. Ask his parents/siblings/friends to attend therapy appointments with him. Send them books and articles and youtube videos so they can educate themselves. They have known him much longer than you and need to be doing more than you are. 2. If someone in your life has bipolar (or any mental illness), you should go to regular therapy. Your needs absolutely need to be taken care of. It is overwhelming and takes a toll on you. A therapist will help you process everything and teach you how to practice self care and maintain your identity within it. 3. It will get better! The episodes and constant changing of meds is temporary. When bipolar first comes out, it is complete chaos. It is overwhelming for the bipolar person to process. Getting on the right meds could take many months, even up to a year. But this will NOT be forever. The "chaos stage" for me lasted a year and a half. I was not in a romantic relationship at the time, which looking back I'm grateful for. I would NOT have wanted to put that much pain and trauma on a romantic partner. Once the bipolar person is on the right meds and has gone to enough therapy and cried enough, it will be extremely chill. I forget I'm bipolar all the time, because I just take my meds at night and that's it. I don't have strong symptoms or episodes anymore. 4. It is a NON negotiable, that he has to stay on meds for you to be together. My fiancé told me this before we started dating. He said we will break up if I go off my meds. It is the most loving thing he has ever done for me, because that accountability of keeping me on meds has kept me happy & healthy. I did go off 1 of my meds eight months into our relationship and he told me I had to go back on. Because of his passion and intensity, I thankfully did. Currently, I haven't gone off for 4 years. I have changed my meds a few times through the year, but under the counsel of my psychiatrist. Going into our marriage, we both know that I will stay on meds. That's the ONLY way to maintain a healthy relationship with a bipolar person. 5. If your boyfriend is refusing treatment and you have tried to help him so many times for months but it isn't working, you need to walk away. There's NOTHING you can do to help him if he is refusing to go to therapy and refusing to be medicated by a psychiatrist. You are enabling an addiction (craving mania is a chemical addiction, it's why bipolar people go off meds) by staying with him. Imagine if he was an alcoholic or addicted to heroine and refusing treatment, would you stay with him? No. It would only make it worse. This is heartbreaking for partners of bipolar people to hear, but it's the truth. It is extremely common: most DMs and comments I get about bipolar from their boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife involve this: the bipolar person refuses to believe they're bipolar, will not go to therapy and will not stay on medication. Often they refuse to even talk about it. Definitely be persistent for a couple months, but if nothing is changing, the best thing to do (for you AND for him) is walk away and breakup with him. 6. Some people will not be a good partner to a bipolar person. Even with help from a community and therapy sessions for yourself and the bipolar person staying on meds to fully comply with treatment, there are very specific needs that a significant other will need to provide for the bipolar person and you might not be able to meet their needs. You might never be a person who can be with a bipolar significant other longterm and that says nothing about how selfless or loving you are. Everyone has different personality types and different dating preferences and that's normal! My fiancé is very intense emotionally and my huge emotions are not "too much" for him. He is fine with calling me many mornings to wake me up, doesn't get annoyed at reminding me take my meds or eat, and helps me with the logistics of my health insurance. He has known other bipolar people and so this isn't new to him. Hope this helps!! Much love to you 💛💛💛
@@LizziesAnswers Thank you for taking the time to write all of that out! Unfortunately, the man I’m with has been on medication for years. Some can manage it (so happy for you!) but sadly, some never get to that point. His family has also tried everything. He’s been hospitalized numerous times. I’m afraid this is the best it gets for him. Again though, thank you and best wishes!
@@LizziesAnswers My girlfriend and I had a fun weekend a couple weeks ago. Our relaitonship is over 2 months. She told me she was going to cook me dinner the next day. She texted me later that night and I asked her what time she wanted me over for the next day and she never replied. I got ignored. Basically it boiled down to me reaching out a few days later checking on up her, she says things are great and when I tried getting her on the phone, ignored. She reached out a few days later to update me on a matter and when I responded to it, I also tried changing the subject to something positive like our fun weekend, and she ignores. I gave her flowers and a card a few days later and she later thanks me for them and I told her to let me know if she needs anything or wants to hangout and I sent her a meme (she would send me memes all the time) and nothing. She basically cut contact with me and I'm not sure what to do. Is this a depressive episode? She mentioned before that whenever she feels depressed she'll let me know. There was times where she was in and out and she would flake but she'd let me know what was going on. She didn't this time around and I can't hold a conversation with her since
I'm trying to understand someone close to me I want them to always be happy I don't know what I'm doing wrong my problem is I have my own problems and they don't help with my emotions so I'm trying to help them when I'm down and sad it hurts me so much to see someone going through those lows and thinking that I'm being fake when I care so much for them
Am in a relationship with my lady who is bi it has been a wild ride all these past years. I can't stop loving her though I have walked away one or twice to cool my head. I appreciate the insite you give via these vids! BTW she is the only girlfriend I've ever had that makes me laugh! ( :
You might want to say bipolar... When you say Bi, someone like me thinks you're referring to bisexual. Because that's usually how we refer to ourselves sexuality wise. Just wanted to add this..
My dad had an episode last year. He went of med, about 10 years ago and said he was healed. He left my family and went to another women. When he came out of his mania I think he freaked out. However, he had already created so much damage (as well as over the 10 years... he still refuses to admit he has it)... that none of us know how to reconcile the relationship... and we all want to. However, he see’s himself as the victim. I love my dad so much... I’ve been in communication with him the most... but i don’t know how to talk to him anymore.
All the validation I don't get from my friends and family I get from your videos and I'm so grateful for that. Bipolar people need to stick together. My biggest desire in life right now is for someone who will listen to me talk about bipolar for days and not get annoyed or try and "solve" it.
GreatestSociety That makes me SO happy!! I really really wish people in your life would listen and know how to be there for you and I hope for your future, you'll get that! Love you! ❤️
You are right!!!! I'm here too SIs or Bro-whatever I'm here!!! The BP Army!!!
I love this love in these comments. You guys are great, wonderful, loving and understanding people and friends.
Thanks for being brave enough to put this out there, Lizzie! I love someone w bipolar and I don’t know what to do. But I myself have major depression and it comes in episodes but I’ve been in like one drawn out episode for years now since my son became suicidal.
Now he’s gone, but I met this amazing man and felt I fell quickly in love. He’s super funny, smart and talented.. and he helped me feel alive again. He said he was bipolar but doesn’t take meds for them. But I don’t think he wants to talk about being bipolar at all. He can get very angry sometimes and it seems out of proportion to whatever he’s angry about (often at me or about something I said or did).
What do you think I should do? I’ve been just leaving the argument (usually by hanging up the phone) and the next day we act like it didn’t happen. :/
Thanks for any advice! I look forward to more of your videos! :). Julia
I totally agree with you. Lizzie has helped me understand so much about my relationship with a bipolar person. Thank you Lizzie
I have a Bipolar boyfriend, I really want to understand and love him for who he is. I’ve been watching personal bipolar stories to get what he goes through. I honestly loved your video so much because it really helped me learn a insider on what to do.
audrey huggins Working to understand this is a huge thing, I'm sure they really appreciate the effort. Keep trying, good luck!!
Hang in there he needs you!!!! GOD BLESS!
Did it work out?
Goodluck! I've been trying for 5 1/2 months. I'm burned out!! Can't picture myself going thru this for YEARS to come.
I wish we could be in contact with a group or something for people who love someone with bipolar.
You have a gift. I am 38 years old and was diagnosed with Bipolar I when I was 22. Watching this video I felt, for the 1st time in those 16 years, that someone out there might actually understand how I feel. Thank you.
I'm watching this with tears streaming down my face. My love is bi-polar and I have no idea what to do.
My gf has recently diagnosed bipolar (1yr) and I definitely notice some of the things talked about in these videos sometimes. It’s actually such a relief to hear a lot of it, I always worry that her behaviour and distancing/temper is because of something I’ve done. I know I could have handled many situations much better so I’m addressing that about myself but I also know I need to learn as much as I can at the moment to support her the best way possible. I love her so much, she is honestly the most incredible person I’ve ever met and want to be with her forever. She isn’t very vocal about it at the moment it’s hard to know what to do to get to a point where we are completely open about it. All these videos exclaim how important it is to communicate and be very open about it, so I need to get this across to her and let her do it in her own time/way. If anyone can help me with the best way to approach talking about it I’d really appreciate it. I’ll do anything to support her and make her feel loved so any help would be amazing, thanks everyone!
I could do with some ideas for this as well, my friend told me he doesn't like talking about it and that was that.. but I really think he should. I always says I'm here if he wants to talk, but he never does and just brushes it off
I know what you feel
its really validating scrolling through the comments and reading about everyone else's experiences loving a bipolar person. makes me feel much less alone
SO validating to me too! You are never alone. 💛💛💛
LizziesAnswers Thanks for your reply, I was wondering if you could also give me some pointers on some things. I am long distance dating someone with bipolar disorder and she’s coming to visit me next year. Should we try and time her visit for when she’s likely to be hypomanic? And secondly do you need to be careful with big romantic gestures for a bipolar person, can it throw them off?
I am neurotypical, have no childhood trauma, had a very stable upbringing - but I am effusively romantic. I made a secret full-colour sketchbook for her, of fantasy drawings of us exploring different sexual and romantic scenarios that she can take home as a gift. When she first arrives in my city, we planned that she will stay in a nearby hostel for the first night or two. I imagine calling them up and asking them to put a bouquet of roses on her bed. Then I think, her favourite colours are black and red, can you get roses that colour? Should I hand paint them so some of them are black? Should I leave a note? Should I wax lyrical about her soft lips being the rose petals, her teeth desirously biting her lips as the thorns, her moans being an undulating zephyr that gently sways the rose?
Literally in tears watching this. Gf has bipolar, whether hyper or hypo manic … she’s destroying me. I guess I’m the one who needs a therapist forreal
I was married for 28 years to the love of my life. He understood me sooo well and just listened to my ranting with such kindness and compassion. I’m not sure if he inwardly thought I was crazy but I know that he loved me and put up with my craziness. He passed away five years ago after a 3 month battle with a rare horrible cancer. Losing him has completely changed my life and I’m struggling to hard to go on without him in my life. No one gets it but I feel like you guys might get how hard it is to lose someone who loves you so much even though you are flawed
Hoping you're doing ok Laura ❤️
Trust God. Have you been in a support group?
Thank you so much for your videos. I am 41 I have 10 and a half years in prison, I got out, got in a relationship right away and had no idea I have bi polar disorder. I stayed with her for 6 years we had 2 kids my son is bipolar I destroyed my family and left them to save them. I got in another relationship and we too have made it 6 years and now I have destroyed this relationship but I finally realize! My eyes are open now! She is going to stand by me as I go through recovery and she is willing to learn how to deal with me then she will let me back in the family. Your videos are so beautiful because they say the things I struggle to. since I was in prison for so long I have ptsd and my emotions are all messed up. These videos are so healing to me and my family that I am trying to save. Thank you so much!
you have brought to light so many things in understanding my gf and her disorder. you've clarified so many things and gave me so many tools to use. you're awesome and please keep up the videos. it was very difficult dealing with her before I watched your videos but now I understand it's out of her control and it makes me a lot easier on her and calmer towards her when she is angry and manic. now I understand her more... Thank you!
I truly appreciate Lizzie and these videos. I don't know anyone else in my life that has Bipolar Disorder. I just really wish that I had people that actually just listened to me and actually understand. I have people who treat me like I am just this person that "needs to snap out of this", and that I am "Being ridiculous". These videos make me feel like someone does understand, and that I am not alone
I seriously can't get over how relatable this is. Thank you.
This is amazing. I've gotten really close to one of my friends in the past 2 months and yesterday I just found out he is Bipolar. I know very little, only basic, general things. I really wanted to know more and this video, I feel, really helped me understand a little bit more about what he may go through, as everyone is different. Thank you so much. I am definitely watching more of your videos. Both of us are Christians and I literally sat up in my chair when I heard you say that you are too. I took 2.5 pages of notes. I just want to be able to be the best I can for him. Thank you SO much.
I just loved the way you describe our feelings and the way our brain see, understand and feel a situation, when we have bipolar. That’s the first time I listen to somebody who REALLY KNOWS how it is to be on my shoes!!!! OMG!!! It was MAGICAL
my love of my life was diagnose to have Bipolar and I am trying to help him. thank you for this vids Liz!
Nikki Caliao Keep trying, we're rooting for you!!!
It is helpful to attend him to counseling as well. Having my wife come to meetings, or private counseling has helped me and her.
The part where you said when you're in a relationship ans they push you away, lose interest, ignore you etc, want out of the relationship... Sometimes it's better advice to take those actions seriously... Leave them be. When you push harder, they just abuse you, they make yor life hell, they block you, its a losing battle. I just feel telling people that no matter what, to keep trying and showing you care... Is just carelss advice. It's not respecting the other person's wishes or boundaries... And it's just pushing yourself onto them. Guess who learned that the hard way.... ? Guess who made a fool of themself for caring too much, too hard, always trying to help them. Etc... Yeah I'm sorry but... Don't generalize everyone with bipolar in that category of "just keep trying... ". Cos chances are they really don't care about you at all and you're just a pawn in their sick little world. As someone who was recently diagnosed as bipolar... There are certain people who I would not want to keep trying to be there for me because chances are they get on my nerves. Or I just don't like them. Some, yeah, I wish would have tried more... But they didn't... So there ya go. Bipolar isn't a one size fits all.
🙌
Well, that's kind of helpful and kind of not. When do we know to stop trying when sometimes they want people to try harder and sometimes they don't. My person is my child's father, so it's difficult to simply stop trying unless he directly states that.
Lizzie. You are an amazing person. I am not bipolar but am a bipolar partner. I came across your video at 1:00am in the morning trying to research ways that I could use to make my bipolar partners day better, not life but each day. The feeling that there is nothing I can do at times brings on a tremendous amount of guilt to me and thus adds more stress to my partner. Hearing you explain your struggles and tools to help with it is a great blessing to me. Thank you. You have a new subscriber..
Carleton Corley Please don't feel guilty if you think you can't help your partner. Sometimes the very smallest acts of kindness can mean so much to those of us who have bipolar. Just sitting with us, holding us, fixing us something to eat, a smile, or a kind word can go a very long way. My boyfriend will go on walks with me when I am feeling depressed or tries to get me up and moving. He never forces me to do something if I don't want to. And one thing you have to remember is take care of yourself! Don't let your partner drag you down or you won't be able to help at all. I wish you the best! And thank you for caring enough to try and learn how to help someone with bipolar. I wish there were more people like you in this world.
Angela Barrera I’m exactly like the Original commenter. Here studying/ learning how to care for the woman of my life whom has bipolar illness
It’s really not fun at all
@@angelabarrera24 My girlfriend and I had a fun weekend a couple weeks ago. Our relaitonship is over 2 months. She told me she was going to cook me dinner the next day. She texted me later that night and I asked her what time she wanted me over for the next day and she never replied. I got ignored. Basically it boiled down to me reaching out a few days later checking on up her, she says things are great and when I tried getting her on the phone, ignored. She reached out a few days later to update me on a matter and when I responded to it, I also tried changing the subject to something positive like our fun weekend, and she ignores. I gave her flowers and a card a few days later and she later thanks me for them and I told her to let me know if she needs anything or wants to hangout and I sent her a meme (she would send me memes all the time) and nothing. She basically cut contact with me and I'm not sure what to do. Is this a depressive episode?
My bf told me he has bipolar depression but I never understood why his moods would change or he would push me away even act a certain way. Thank you for these videos now I understand so much more about his disorder thank you 🙏🏼 I never loved him any less but now I love him even more💕
I'm dealing with the same thing now. I hope we both can be strong for our partner
I get very argumentative, I
Talk louder than most..I can irritated some time agitated.
Man, this so so so so so helpful, i've met a girl that has the bipolar(and several other diagnoses that follow it) and i really wanted to help her because of all the stories she told of how confused she was and how much pain it caused in her life, im glad i found your video, it helps me understand her a lot
I'm bipolar too and for this being so new to me, it's hard to deal with this alone. no one really cares and I feel so unstable sometimes...this video made my day and gave me the strength to say im NOT ALONE. im glad im not, because if I was, I wouldn't know how to go through it. and the racing thoughts are the worst thing along with the mania I have. the fast speech and irritable mood like ALL the time. it sucks. but I am glad for you helping me and for everyone in the comments staying strong.
OUTSTANDING!
I wish I would've found this 4 months ago. I've learned alot from other videos.
But I have to say this is Tops!
Lizzie,
You're Amazing! Also, I feel indebted to you for getting me through this situation with a girl. ;)
True Inspiration.
i felt the pressure of the anger
within.
anger that felt like a soaring
wind swept past, and had become my
aura.
again and again i had tried,
hoping to burry all the emotions
i'd felt aside.
i felt both pain and rage, and i
usually never mix the 2 but
tonight i am not the 1, to play
games...
i was another being, my aim just
was not the same.
my mood switched and switched like
a driver switching lanes,with
drunken actions, looking out the
rear window and not the front for
a change.
my brain felt, just this once ,
it couldn't handle 1 more feather
to the load.
people asked about me, "eh, its
nothing they were told" but there
where things unexplained, a piece
of me had fallen from the mold.
i tried to hop back on my shit,
emotions tried to toad.
though i never had the force to
make emotions flow in cold, the
need for
someone else to come in and crack the
code.
all for a fight no one else will
ever know..
i paused the video and write this once i heard you mention people doing this during the imbalance, my was just coming to its ending point which is actually the only reason it was able to be written. i had a tone of fixing to do as well, because the emotions made me scrabble the words incorrectly at times.
Thank you SO MUCH for this video. My older sister has had bipolar since I was very young and as a kid I never understood what she was going through or why she did certain things. There have been times that I have been SO hurt by the things she has said and done, and from this deep place of hurt I really struggle not to demonize or even hate her. Know that I am growing up, I am beginning to understand her. I'm a Highly Sensitive Person - and so sometimes when she has manic episodes I JUST WANT TO RUN AWAY and ISOLATE myself from that intensity. I am praying that God would help me to love her like He does even when it feels so confusing, because I really want to. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
She also struggles with eating disorders, ocd and adhd, and anxiety.... And so there's a lot I still need to learn about loving her ❤❤
don't give up on your sister; i am bipolar and my sisters and parents don't talk to me anymore. it's devastating. sometimes we hurt people and we can't help it or know what we're doing, it's like an out of body experience. we are super empathetic and feel so badly about the people we hurt when we're "out of control" please have forgiveness and empathy and patience :)
Right…got it… Don't expect me to pick up my room, clean up after myself, wake up to my alarms, or apologize when I'm mean. Basically just do everything for me, and give me everything I want, and all the affirmation I could ever dream of, and that will help me be more healthy… Thanks
Thank you for sharing this information. I've been living with my girlfriend that is dealing with bipolar disorder for just over six months and I really didn't understand how to deal with the realies of what she goes through until I decided to start researching what bipolar disorder is and how to be more involved rather than just giving up on her and our relationship , because I really care about her and find myself worrying about her especially after she opened up about how she really wishes that she could just die and end it all sometimes. I really needed to hear everything that you have said in this video/blog...
hang in there with her, she needs support
Currently going through our first episode together and I knew NOTHING about Bipolar and this has SAVED me. Thank you
My boyfriend is bipolar, and this video helped so much. thank you so much you angel
Is he aggressive with you?
You are such a gem for real😭😭😭 I'm bipolar and I've never identified with someone as much I have with you. I'm just from watching your dating video and I'm just... No words😭😭😭😭 First time btw, subscribed even😭😭😭 just God bless you👑👑💎😭😭😭 I can't stop crying🙌 from Kenya💜 And you're so lucky to have such amazing friends, so lucky... God bless them too😊
This helped so damn much, I need to have g my boyfriend and tell him I’m not going anywhere and I’m always gonna be there, I wanna thank you so much I love him
Joe Coverage how did it work out, are you still together?
This is so inspiring... I believe my BF Has bipolar disorder... Not sure if he knows I know but he just broke up with me last week. I refuse to let him go through this alone because it seems like he's pushed everyone prior to me away.
My family thinks that I'm crazy to want to even deal with this. But I don't see myself walking away because of something he can't control. I'm going to try and reach out to him again when he calms down.
Eh, be careful with that, though. If he's oblivious to whether or not he has a problem, it won't work to make him see that, and you may end up hurting yourself. It's lovely that you're trying to be compassionate, but respect his boundaries, and also create some for yourself. :)
I’m living this right now. My bf moved out two weeks ago .. it’s so hard, but we did set boundaries.
Dii Dii i have the same thing with my boyfriend he just broke up with me dont feel bad its hard but still
My boyfriend has bipolar yes he does come and go its very hard to let them go because u still love them my Family thinks iam crazy to go back and forth its hard for me i always know he cant help it
Dii Dii can we talk privately .. its important ..
Thanks for helping me understand about Bi polar people. It is so hard to deal with my friend who is Bi polar.
I absolutely feel all the things you mention in this video. I was recently diagnosed with bipolar type two and had a friend/ partner of 6 years leave me because they didn’t understand and thought I was dangerous. Thank you so much for validating how I am feeling at the moment. I am going through a massive identity crisis because of this. I am trying to document my progress on my own channel and I found it relieving even if no one really watches it haha. Thank you so much!
Cat Teeps I'm sorry your partner didn't try harder to understand you. I hope you the best of luck in life and love!
Sorry you had to deal with that "friend" they sound like an "A-hole" to me but I like to say I have NO FRIENDS. To count someone as a friend I'd have to be able to depend on them and there is no one I can so that leaves me. Like that "Team" Iggy Izalea song
only one I need
is someone one like me.....
My ex husband is probably my only friend. Even so there are MONTHS we go without speaking. I'm considering moving to be closer to him. The city will be bigger I will have more of a chance to MEET other people. Here, there are meth addicts, drunks and users!!!
I am a mom that has a son with bi-polar. Your videos are so helpful. Thank you
At the risk of sounding harsh or selfish, this is a lot to ask. To be super considerate, observant, helpful, and available at all times... potentially for the rest of your life. Not that it's not fair or deserved, but it seems better if you have a few friends/loved ones who can help and support you as a team, along with your therapist and psychiatrist. I don't think one person can be all of these things at all times.
Additionally, I think it would be interesting to hear from the other perspective. How can the bipolar person be a good friend , family member, or partner despite their illness/symptoms. How can someone work with/around their symptoms to still be considerate, observant, available, etc for their loved ones (those people that support them the most).
Many parts of bipolar mean that the person with bipolar needs extra support, but what about when his/her loved ones need the person with bipolar to be there for them and he/she can't be? Even though it's not personal, it's still difficult to deal with and accept. Any tips?
Very well put👍
I'm the "carer" in a 6yr bipolar marriage.
I love my wife more than I can put into words, but it's an incredibly isolating path I choose to walk.
Emotional support flows one way and that's very difficult cope with at times.
I can't have a bad day, be upset, need empathy or emotional support. Not because my wife can't offer this to a degree, but because of how that then affects her mental wellbeing.
She's unable to process "stress", at least not in a healthy way. Stress makes her unwell and exasperates her BP.
Example: I'll be undertaking several medical procedures in a few months time, not life threatening (🤞) but physically life changing.
I'm nervous, frightened and worried about the changes to my physical appearance and general health.
A time in a person's life where emotional support is essential.
After much deliberation I decided to tell my wife and her response was predictable.
She didn't really wish to talk about the procedure and became uncomfortable when I described my feelings about it. Finally I got a pat on the arm and we've not spoken about it since.
Her health has begun to deteriorate, her immune system seems to collapse under such pressures and she can get quite poorly.
I have no family or friends to turn to, so much of the time I just keep stuff to myself... Some days we just need a hug too😢
I agree Andrew, it's like being a butler which has to also look out for emotional state..
iloveladiesman217
And even then its a not good enough and they will blame you lile this girl has memory loss so even if you work it out they forget its mission impossible trust me spaeking from the heart
I think this would make a GREAT non profit!!! I've been told by the suicide hotline that I was "wasting time." Since I wasn't going to immediately kill myself, I learned what NOT to say so I don't get a trip to the Hospital.
Why not have people around to talk to? Believe it or not there are people around who WILL talk to you at 3 a.m. if you need it, ME! Why can't I expect the same? Only the truth is I don't talk about this to people........
Read Wess Burges book "Bipolar Handbook" I think I have his name right! I'm slightly offended that you say a person with bipolar needs extra support. I've NEVER had any extra support in fact I've had NO support!!! I don't have people I'd call "friends." If you saw me in my home town you'd think I were the mayor. I'd get tons of hugs and people asking how I am, maybe or maybe not. I was also raised in super fucked up interracial family.
My diagnosis of Bipolar has helped me know what's going on with me AND here is where the "extra support" comes in. I am certifiably "disabled." I qualify for benefits which I take. I don't plan in "working off the system." Even my psychiatrist told me that I probably wouldn't get the benefits. I was at the bar (I'm not a drinker) this woman I know was telling me her story and listening to me she at one point said "You're not on disability!! You've dealt with so much on your own you're entitled to it!!" She happened to have been married to my ex apartment manager. Which was INSANE because I've known the manager since I was 9....I didn't know he got married.
Some extra help I could use is knowing my RIGHTS!!! Our apartment manager thinks everyone who lives on Section 8 is stupid...one man runs a literal store out of his apartment yet I get threatened with eviction due to having "paper" on my bookshelf. Those papers are in order.....she also threatened that I may have to be responsible for buying a new toilet due to calcium deposits......now i KNOW that crap is a lie!!! We all have hard water!
This has pushed me to attempt suicide.....or more like drive to the place where I would do it..obviously I didn't. I spoke to my ex and told him if I got thrown from here I'd have no place to go and I'd rather die. God led me to know that there are other places to move to even near my ex so I am looking into that AND looking into getting my own house.
To come here, I had to lose my house, felt forced to give up my animals so when I got my lump sum the LAST thing I wanted to do was to "buy a house" I had no idea if I could even maintain it. Now after having to deal with this ASS manager letting people into my apartment AFTER I signed the lease......see like I said she assumes "disabled" means stupid....anyway......
I, personally, have 1 person I consider a friend and they are a fake ass back stabber..... I am my OWN best friend. So no, if you can't support someone who is bi polar best to not even try. I am the one people go to for rides, etc. I went so long without a car when I bought my Mercedes, with CASH from my money I said I will help people in a way I wish I had been helped.
I don't know what else to say. I find it sad that you feel it's "too much" to be that supportive to another person but I understand it. I was adopted and the woman who adopted me has no contact with me yet she has her biological son living with her stealing from her.
I wish I had you as a friend Lizzie!
Audrey314123 Me too, add me on Instagram I'm looking for people to relate to @embelina18
❤❤❤❤ all of this genuine and caring support.
Thank you so much Lizzie, Im going to watch this again. Never knowing that my husband was bipolar. Were a year/ half into our marriage and Im just finding out. I want to have a better understanding. This helped alot
I am from old school . I graduated from high school in 1997. I learned a lot from older adults, and it does a lot of help 🙏. It's nothing wrong with prayers. All are helping me, and it's helped a lot too.
What if you bipolar friend has scared off everyone close in their life? You're the only one left and you're trying your best but now you feel incapable of helping them (physically, mentally, and emotionally). What if it starts to affect your health? I need sleep, I need peace and quiet, I need positivity. With TV drama, I can simply turn it off and move on. A bipolar friend requires so much of one person.
My ex is bipolar and she refuses to seek help or even talk about it. She always yells at me for even mentioning anything related to it
I send your videos to my sister. Your a light lizzie. Let your light shine.
My last girlfriend is bipolar and that put stress on me. She ended the relationship suddenly, but I felt relieved that it ended. Being in a relationship with someone who is bipolar isn't for everybody. The good thing is that we are still friends.
Thank you for having the courage to share your story and for offering insight into the thoughts and emotions someone with this condition might be experiencing. I recently started seeing and getting to know someone with bipolar who goes through rapid cycles of depression and manic episodes. It's been challenging to keep the faith in him when he's pushing me away or shutting me out. So when he's acting this way I drive into educating myself in order to avoid doing or saying things that could make things worse. It's hard trying to let him know he can trust in me because his last relationship was very damaging to his mental and emotional health. She used what she knew about his illness as a weapon to hurt him and mess with his head so now he doesn't trust anyone. He finds me easy to talk to but when he's transitioning he totally shuts me out and won't answer his phone or the door. I just keep trying to get as much information as I can to try to help.
It is impossible to receive true love from the people who knows what you have. Once you start to destroy yourself, when passing through a depressive episode, what you start to get, even from your family, is a feeling of commiseration that can't be hidden nor ignored. They feel pity about you and try to be overprotective, they call you every 4 hours to ensure themselves that you're ok and feel ok because they don't want to experience any kind of guilt if something undesirable happens to you. You stop feeling the warm of being honestly loved and start to realize that you are now a burden to be pampered. Other people, those who you once loved and felt close, just fade away because you start to scare them so they want to be far far away from you. It hurts in a manner unreachable for written words. I know that many of you guys, know how painful it is to discover that you are all alone and wish to be somebody else, wish to enjoy life as others do, to laugh with friends, you would kill to have an honest friendship but deep inside you, you know it won't occur so you trick your mind with phrases like "someday there will be a good person who really loves me as I am" but years and years pass and you're still feeling alone. It is my personal experience and, I have already learnt to live with it and don't expect anything good anymore
Thank you so much , I just started dating a amazing women who is bio polar , and this is really helping me understand how I can be the best supportive partner. Bless
Celtic Pride
How is that relationship going?
Haha
I’m dating someone who is bipolar, AND, I was told when I was 13 that I was bipolar, but my parents refused to get me treatment. They always told me “bipolar is bullshit and it’s just an excuse to act out”. My girlfriend and I only recently started getting help. We broke up in 2019 when she had a manic episode and she got pregnant by someone we bother went to high school with. He ended up mistreating her very very badly and she ended up back with me, and I am now trying to adopt her daughter. I am very forgiving of the situation, and now we both try to step back and take a minute when we feel like we might make a decision that affects each other. I’ve been having some issues though and don’t really know what to do. Her episodes are kinda more extreme than mine, and I’m still trying to figure myself out, and I get lost at times trying to help her when I’m not even understanding myself. I honestly feel like it’s an ideal relationship because we DO understand each other more than most people because we share the same types of ups and downs. Also, out episodes tend to be opposite of each other, and when I’m depressed her manic helps pull me out while my depression keeps her focused on making me feel better rather than making mistakes she might regret later. When she is depressed though she tends to push me away and no matter how much I try to be there she wants to be alone. She usually snaps out of it in a week or two, it I’m always making sure she knows that I am here anytime she needs me. She usually shows up on my doorstep crying and apologizing after a little while. It’s been like this long enough that I even gave her a key to my house, so when she gets to that point she can just come in and lay down with me so we can just hold each other... and that’s the point when we know that no matter what we always have each other.
That's really sweet that you gave her a key to come back when she's ready, reading this made me little a bit tearful haha. I wish you two all the best, and hope you stay supporting each other through it all 💕
@@SakuraSpookyGames I’m pretty sure we will. I’ve known her for over 20 years and we just got engaged last night!! We came full circle to a realization that NOBODY truly understands us. Being friends for that long, then coming together so many years later, we realized that loving each other as much as we do is what gets each other through. We are finding out what it takes for me to adopt her youngest daughter, we will be looking for a house in the country, and we are going to try to make life as beautiful as we possibly can make it. We have been through a lot, both together and separately, and it’s all led to her saying yes last night. 😊
@@christopheravery5808 omg congratulations on your engagement, that's such great news! I've heard it quite a bit where two people come together at the wrong time and then find each other again later in life and things just click. Everyone always says you just KNOW when it's right, and I really hope I find that.. because it sounds amazing 😊
All the best to you! ❤️
@@SakuraSpookyGames There is someone out there for everybody, and I’m living proof for that. Sometimes the person you least expect ends up being the right person. Honestly, I think we are just so alike, and we have known each other for so long, that we just got closer and closer. I’ve loved her since high school, she just never knew it until a few years ago. I saw her through her “crazy” as she calls it, and I see her for who she really is. I’m starting to think she is seeing the same about me. Now, next step is planning a future and figuring out how I’m going to support my new extended family... there is 7 of us now 🤷🏼♂️
Im just getting to this now, you have put alot of things into words that I haven't been able to put into words for the longest time.
Opening up and being vulnerable is such a strength and power. Thankyou for this.
Right now, being recently diagnosed with bipolar, going through covid lockdown, and living alone for the first time. Ive been really feeling this.
Because of this video, i feel a little less alone, a little less broken.
Lizzie-I've been diagnosed for over 15 years now and ive never fully understood what i was dealing with until this very moment. Ur very well spoken & ur doing this world a great services of bringing awareness. Tysm
Thank you for this, my bf is bipolar and this has helped me understand him a lot :)
I have a friend with bipolar and this video really helps me to understand everything, and to knowing what to do. Thank you so much
My gf is bipolar and we’ve been dating for 7 months. The first 3-4 months it was amazing and now her personality has obviously changed (during the 3-4 months she had been wanting to get off her meds and her doctors began to limit them per her request) she asked me to tell her if she was changing. She has and when I would tell her about the change she would say that it’s not the meds changing her. I have no idea if the change on meds are changing her but there has been a big change in personality. We’ve had a lot of talks about her illness and a lot of fights. I’ve messed up a lot in trying to understand what she was going through and I guess gave her the wrong help. I really hope and pray that this video helps me understand her better but it’s been a really long and tough time for me doing so. I told her I would never give up and I mean it but it’s definitely affecting me. She basically doesn’t want me to care about how she is feeling but that’s impossible me to do. Of course I care about her feeling and I want to make her happy. No one can go through depression alone. I don’t think not caring will help her because it hasnt helped her in the past, from what she’s told me. I love her a lot and I wouldn’t be researching this if I didn’t. I hope this helps me to understand, love, and help her.
What ended up happening?
you are such an amazing girl..being so useful to me so far. my gf is wanting to break up with me and make a distance between us for while. but um really struggling and trying to educated myself enough to know how to make her comfy. she's the love of my life. and i really don't wanna lose her.. EVER. and um going to give her a real talk this night so wish me luck 🙂 and THANK YOU.🌹
ahmed ali Good luck, keep trying and education yourself!
Stay by her regardless of how she feels she needs u, she is isolating herself from you and many others thinking thaat she could be toxic to you
Thanks for posting this. I’m in the process of determining whether I’m bipolar with a doctor, but regardless of if I am or not, great stuff to know. Definitely was able to relate to a lot that you were saying, though!
Alykhan Visram Good luck, I hope things are going well for you!
This helped me so much trying to understand bipolar. It hurts me to know how clueless I was. Thank you so much!
Trying to understand someone who is bi polar is like trying to understand your young child's art project like it was a Picasso
Paul Miletch oh yeah?
Art critic, eh?
My partner just broke up with me out of the blue. I am broken hearted and they are bipolar. Had just made dinner and we had 0 issues :(
I’ve been through that many times with my partner. It’s so hard to go back and forth
Thank you for posting this as I find your videos inspiring and as a bipolar person it’s nice to hear from someone else who also is bipolar and who explains it in a very personal way. So go on as you really are awesome!👌
you're extremely organized
Thanks Lizzie for the book recommendation of Dear Fang with Love! I burned through the whole book in a single session :).
Mania causes physical symptoms like powerful stimulant drugs. Wow. Very informative. Regarding the need to talk to someone that can hit occasionally, I'm in California. My phone ringer doesn't turn off until 1 AM Florida time. Someday if you find yourself needing to talk to just a fan, not family or friends, contact me anytime - like through Facebook messenger. Many, many people are rooting for you!
Strat58cat i
I understand what you said about mental illness being misunderstood. I have Schizophrenia which is rarer than Bipolar disorder. I know several people who have Bipolar disorder or appear to have it, so your videos are helpful. ☺️
I follow this lady on UA-cam that shares her journey with schizophrenia. She has short blond hair. I will try to find her name and share. She has great videos.
The channel is called living well with schizophrenia. The lady is name Laura. Hope it helps.
i’ve been in a relationship for over 3 yrs on and off. how would i know if the person that i’m with isn’t just liking me based off of manic episodes ?
helped a lot trying to understand what my long distance girlfriend is going through. i love her very dearly more than willingly to learn more and as much as i can
Hi I’m really really trying here and I may come off as not understanding . You mentioned a lot of how someone can take care of a bipolar person and how you love when your friends didn’t take your irritability or your outburst or breaking plans but what if the person you love during an episode can be so incredibly verbally abusive and even almost physically abusive ( throwing things and screaming in your face so bad that even a person without bipolar is triggered to swing at them) that when do we have to respect ourselves and have personal boundaries when it comes to our bipolar loved one. I love this person with all my heart but I also have to love myself. Immediately after this person is perfectly fine and expects me to just forgive them just like that after basically telling me I’m worthless ect.
Please! Forgive us as we feel so unforgiven.
Well... now I’m crying at work after listening to this video. I am bipolar and have experienced everything you talked about.
I think it’s so important to be understood and validated. For me, really, the most difficult thing about being bipolar is often feeling misunderstood. It can be hard to express yourself or say what you mean to say when it’s difficult to even process and understand what you’re feeling in the first place.
Like you said, it can’t be overstated how important it is to have a support system or at least just one person who understands and cares.
When I’m depressed, I isolate either intentionally or just by circumstance and that’s really not good. I want to keep myself away from people because I hate feeling like a burden or making my problem a problem for someone else. But people who really do love you and do care will break through that mental noise and let you know that you do matter.
A few weeks ago I was going through what was the worst depressive episode of my life so far. I was suicidal and as close to acting on my feelings as I’ve ever been. I was literally holding a loaded gun and spent several hours thinking about how I wanted to shoot myself and where to do it.
A friend of mine hadn’t seen or heard from me in several days, so he kept texting me. I ignored him at first, but he persisted. Then he started calling. And I finally answered. He talked to me and told me that he wanted to know if I was ok. He pulled me out of my own head and made me see that someone did care. I don’t think it’s any exaggeration to say he saved my life.
hug
You put this video the day before my birthday, and I am watching this video the day after my birthday. Very informative. I will do my best to love someone if he or she has bipolar. Have a great evening, Liz. 🌇
Thank you so much for making this video. I care very much for someone whom I believe is bipolar. It answered so many questions to things that confused me. Thank you
You're amazing, thank you for making these videos❤
Thank you. As someone with bipolar1 I've watched lots of your videos, but this is the best one in so many ways.
Do you get visual changes in mania? I think mania is really like being enlightened in a world full of unenlightened people and then just slowly and naturally losing your mind from the kind of spiritual loneliness.
Gaige Clark I'm not really sure what you mean! Everything FEELS more intense and commanding like I notice details in everything around me when I'm manic. But the way you described that with feeling enlightened then isolated and slowly losing your mind... I relate so so much
YES!!!! That's EXACTLY how it feels! Well, at least I agree with you.
For me things feel like a movie. Or like I'm watching one? Clean, clear crisp and always exciting.
Love it when I'm manic I make people laugh
Just wanted to say i just turned 48 & am married wth grown kids,ive done it all...i also agree 💯 about the weed n drugs, although i smoke weed. But i really enjoyed this. Im a backslidden preacher. Thanks 🙏 for your time sis!!! God bless you & really enjoyed the scripture. Sincerely,a bipolar brother.
I've been really struggling after being finally diagnosed adhd and bipolar at 29, I keep just looking back at all of the things they messed up in my life and thinking about the what ifs of had I been diagnosed as a teen. It caused me to get pretty suicidal so I tried to talk to my mom about it since she's the only person I have left in my life and she said "so go to the bathroom and kill yourself then". Never again will I talk to anyone about my issues, but your videos have helped me alot and helped me understand so much more about myself. Your voice alone calms me so sometimes I'll just listen to them for that aspect alone. Thanks for all you do for all of us
Your video made such a huge difference on my day today, thank you very much. it is so complete, sincere and thoughtful. I am going to share with my family and friends.
Much needed, I made my own video on this on my channel if anyone is interested in another perspective. It’s amazing how many people watched this and commented cause they care so much to care for us, warms my heart.
Thank you so much for this! My boyfriend is going through a manic episode right now and is about to go to the hospital and it’s so painful for me to see him like this know that he’s hurting inside.
I'm not too sure whether I have depression or bipolar and watching your videos is really helping me work it out and I feel like I'm on a path of self discovery :) at age 30 things a slowly making sense.
sazzlepop Both have the lows and awful days, with depression it's normal to have a good day sometimes. With bipolar it seems like someone has flipped a switch and you've just snapped out of depression and into a high. For me, I was told I had depression and wondered if that was it, but after I did more research I was able to recognize the behaviors and switches in myself. Keep searching and talking to doctors until you find what you need. Good luck!
sazzlepop o
My wife is bipolar. I've been struggling with this for the last 5 years. I can't take it anymore.
I love her ,i did whatever is human possible to help her but I'm afraid of her behavior right now.
I'm so close to have her sticking a knife in me...
This is too much. We are going to end up dead myself and she is gonna go to a special institution jail forever. She used to be the most complete person i ever met but she failed when she lost trial against her first husband.
I have no help from nobody, I've tried psychiatrist but most of them rejected me.
I don't know how to make her understand that she needs professional help.
I love her so much...
I can't live like this we are going to end up bad.
I know this video is a year old but thank you for helping me further my knowledge on bipolar. I had books on them but I'm more of a audio visual person so this helped me alot to help my girlfriend that has bipolar and keep up spreading knowledge on this topic 👍
Thank you so very much for sharing. All these years I thought I did something wrong to push her away! I will be more forgiving/understanding next time. Your insight has taken a lot of guilt of my shoulders. Your amazing and your vids are incredibly helpful. Continue on in educating us.
Thank you for being here. You’re an Angel!
I'm in a new relationship and I think we're both bipolar and I've learned so much about myself and him ty
I wish you both lots of love and success
It didn't work out, did it?
God bless you Lizzie your a true Christian at heart. I can relate with you even tho I don't have bipolar but I have been at different ends of the spectrum for depression. God bless you and thank you for being so brave and courageous through it all.
You are so lucky to have friends that love you. I have no one. :(
Aww, i'll be your friend :) Whenever you need to talk.
Im here for u
Thanks for this. You make me informed more about Bi Polar depression. I can finally understand what am going through I can finally give it a name..
I cant help but to cry hearing that im not alone that I can hear someone I can relate to and validate my emotions thank you for this :(
This is absolutely the best information on the web about bipolar. Thanks Lizzie!
Medication and psychotherapy are the only things that are going to help you. Friends will give you biased information that will hurt you in the long run. Example: A boy breaks up with you and your friend responds: "You don't need him you're AMAZING! you're way to good for him anyway" See.. While that helps your friend feel better, you're not helping them improve who they are. This cycle is just going to repeat over and over again, failed relationship after failed relationship if you follow that advice. A therapist has the background to be able to properly analyse the situation and give you unbiased advice, and even help you better yourself for the long run. To me this is the definition of emotional intelligence, the ability to become aware of your own emotions and change them for better of the future. Btw don't ever date a behavioral psychologist, we don't tend to have great relationships because we know we don't.. Lie to make people feel better. That's called weakness.
I thank you for all your videos as a bipolar myself sometimes I pray for someone to understand but I just put on the right face for the right occasion until then pray for me please and I'll pray for you God bless you 🙏
I've watched this but this person I care about won't open up at all. He says I know him better than anyone in his life but when I try to ask him questions he says he doesn't want to talk about it. So I'm stuck looking up everything I can. He says he needs space to take care of it himself. Also I've heard about so many bipolar people disappear on their spouses. I'm happy to hear how you love a great support system but what about the one's who don't how do we the ones who love them still be supportive?
You are correct im bipolar you' know the symptoms we are not alone thank you Dana Rowe
Another incredible video! You're my favorite UA-camr.
Thank you sooooooo much for sharing this! It has been an eye opener for me.
I like the intimacy of your videos, I find myself watching these when im feeling down. Its not that I think im bipolar necessarily but I watch these because I always find that I can relate to certain things you say that I dont think I would hear elsewhere. One thing that made me actually consider that I might have had some "manic episodes" was that thing you said about pupils dialating, I remember a few times of being out with friends and them telling me how my pupils were crazy big, as if on drugs, and I remember thinking it was funny because I thought I felt so good I must be high or something, but it was never anything as extreme as what you have talked about as far as what I did then, though I mean im sure it would depend on the person.
My son just suffred 12 hours of verbal abuse baseless accusation and physical aggression as her brother traveled 800 miles to assist her with daily activities during a manic episode. I'm was afraid she's was developing a narcissistic personality disorder. I was depleted of energy and deeply stressed At the cruel things she would say....so number 2 suggestion in this video REALLY HELPED ME to help her.
NAMI has support groups to help families and friends. I find Al-anon daily reflections literature helpful.
Some times it can be unsafe or abusive for you. Like a fire drill sometimes you got to know when to walk away or when to run. And sometimes I've had to call the police. My son 6'2 and has been diagnosed with bipolar for 10 years. He is a amazing person today!
Life is not easy for him. To feel things so deeply is a blessing and a curse. And sometimes what feels like a regular everyday problem to me can be fatal to him.
how is this entire video on point, its very relatable
This was actually a bit overwhelming. It’s a very “focus everything on that person” kind of disorder.
Like…give ALL of yourself and when we pull away and give nothing…give even more…even if you have nothing left to give.
Everyone has needs. We can love you to the end of the earth but everyone only has so much to give before they start losing their OWN identity.
I was hoping to help my boyfriend but after watching three quarters of this, I’m exhausted just from listening to all of the things I “need to do” to help him.
God bless all the completely selfless people in this world but I suppose I’m just not what he needs…because I…also have needs : /
I re-watched this recently and had a similar reaction as you, I was shocked how intense and complex it is. I filmed this when I was manic and newly diagnosed, so I would make a different video now, 4 years later.
That being said, there are a lot of truths to what I said. Here is how to understand them:
1. Care for a bipolar person absolutely needs to be a group effort. You are right, 1 person CANNOT do it alone. It requires a community: the parents, siblings, significant other, several best friends, a therapist and psychiatrist. If you are the ONLY caretaker for a bipolar person, it will not work. You will not be strong enough and that says nothing about how selfless or loving you are. Recruit your boyfriend's parents, siblings and friends. They NEED to help. Ask his parents/siblings/friends to attend therapy appointments with him. Send them books and articles and youtube videos so they can educate themselves. They have known him much longer than you and need to be doing more than you are.
2. If someone in your life has bipolar (or any mental illness), you should go to regular therapy. Your needs absolutely need to be taken care of. It is overwhelming and takes a toll on you. A therapist will help you process everything and teach you how to practice self care and maintain your identity within it.
3. It will get better! The episodes and constant changing of meds is temporary. When bipolar first comes out, it is complete chaos. It is overwhelming for the bipolar person to process. Getting on the right meds could take many months, even up to a year. But this will NOT be forever. The "chaos stage" for me lasted a year and a half. I was not in a romantic relationship at the time, which looking back I'm grateful for. I would NOT have wanted to put that much pain and trauma on a romantic partner. Once the bipolar person is on the right meds and has gone to enough therapy and cried enough, it will be extremely chill. I forget I'm bipolar all the time, because I just take my meds at night and that's it. I don't have strong symptoms or episodes anymore.
4. It is a NON negotiable, that he has to stay on meds for you to be together. My fiancé told me this before we started dating. He said we will break up if I go off my meds. It is the most loving thing he has ever done for me, because that accountability of keeping me on meds has kept me happy & healthy. I did go off 1 of my meds eight months into our relationship and he told me I had to go back on. Because of his passion and intensity, I thankfully did. Currently, I haven't gone off for 4 years. I have changed my meds a few times through the year, but under the counsel of my psychiatrist. Going into our marriage, we both know that I will stay on meds. That's the ONLY way to maintain a healthy relationship with a bipolar person.
5. If your boyfriend is refusing treatment and you have tried to help him so many times for months but it isn't working, you need to walk away. There's NOTHING you can do to help him if he is refusing to go to therapy and refusing to be medicated by a psychiatrist. You are enabling an addiction (craving mania is a chemical addiction, it's why bipolar people go off meds) by staying with him. Imagine if he was an alcoholic or addicted to heroine and refusing treatment, would you stay with him? No. It would only make it worse. This is heartbreaking for partners of bipolar people to hear, but it's the truth. It is extremely common: most DMs and comments I get about bipolar from their boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife involve this: the bipolar person refuses to believe they're bipolar, will not go to therapy and will not stay on medication. Often they refuse to even talk about it. Definitely be persistent for a couple months, but if nothing is changing, the best thing to do (for you AND for him) is walk away and breakup with him.
6. Some people will not be a good partner to a bipolar person. Even with help from a community and therapy sessions for yourself and the bipolar person staying on meds to fully comply with treatment, there are very specific needs that a significant other will need to provide for the bipolar person and you might not be able to meet their needs. You might never be a person who can be with a bipolar significant other longterm and that says nothing about how selfless or loving you are. Everyone has different personality types and different dating preferences and that's normal! My fiancé is very intense emotionally and my huge emotions are not "too much" for him. He is fine with calling me many mornings to wake me up, doesn't get annoyed at reminding me take my meds or eat, and helps me with the logistics of my health insurance. He has known other bipolar people and so this isn't new to him.
Hope this helps!! Much love to you 💛💛💛
@@LizziesAnswers Thank you for taking the time to write all of that out!
Unfortunately, the man I’m with has been on medication for years. Some can manage it (so happy for you!) but sadly, some never get to that point.
His family has also tried everything. He’s been hospitalized numerous times. I’m afraid this is the best it gets for him.
Again though, thank you and best wishes!
@@LizziesAnswers My girlfriend and I had a fun weekend a couple weeks ago. Our relaitonship is over 2 months. She told me she was going to cook me dinner the next day. She texted me later that night and I asked her what time she wanted me over for the next day and she never replied. I got ignored. Basically it boiled down to me reaching out a few days later checking on up her, she says things are great and when I tried getting her on the phone, ignored. She reached out a few days later to update me on a matter and when I responded to it, I also tried changing the subject to something positive like our fun weekend, and she ignores. I gave her flowers and a card a few days later and she later thanks me for them and I told her to let me know if she needs anything or wants to hangout and I sent her a meme (she would send me memes all the time) and nothing. She basically cut contact with me and I'm not sure what to do. Is this a depressive episode?
She mentioned before that whenever she feels depressed she'll let me know. There was times where she was in and out and she would flake but she'd let me know what was going on. She didn't this time around and I can't hold a conversation with her since
I'm trying to understand someone close to me I want them to always be happy I don't know what I'm doing wrong my problem is I have my own problems and they don't help with my emotions so I'm trying to help them when I'm down and sad it hurts me so much to see someone going through those lows and thinking that I'm being fake when I care so much for them
Am in a relationship with my lady who is bi it has been a wild ride all these past years. I can't stop loving her though I have walked away one or twice to cool my head. I appreciate the insite you give via these vids! BTW she is the only girlfriend I've ever had that makes me laugh! ( :
You might want to say bipolar... When you say Bi, someone like me thinks you're referring to bisexual. Because that's usually how we refer to ourselves sexuality wise. Just wanted to add this..
You leaving her once or twice must have triggered her or left scars, so dont do it and please dont cheat on her or she might kill you
My dad had an episode last year. He went of med, about 10 years ago and said he was healed. He left my family and went to another women. When he came out of his mania I think he freaked out. However, he had already created so much damage (as well as over the 10 years... he still refuses to admit he has it)... that none of us know how to reconcile the relationship... and we all want to. However, he see’s himself as the victim. I love my dad so much... I’ve been in communication with him the most... but i don’t know how to talk to him anymore.