HOW TO TREAT AND HELP A BIPOLAR PERSON: 10 TIPS - ARTE - 2025

Knowing how to treat and help a bipolar person is important if you have to live with them, they are your partner, mother, father, son or brother. Even more so if she is aggressive, enters a crisis or even if you have to see her constantly at work.

Bipolar disorder is undoubtedly a disease that can be very difficult to live with, since it usually produces a large number of alterations in the functioning of the person who suffers from it.

However, it is a disorder that can be managed, and a person with this disease can achieve optimal functioning if they manage to control their symptoms and disorders well.

The best way you can treat these people is to put yourself in their shoes. Without empathy it is difficult to handle the situation well and it is much easier for conflicts to arise. For this, I have thought that I will give you advice as if you were that bipolar person yourself, so you can put yourself in their place and use those same advice to treat them.

For example, if I say "explain your disorder to whom you should tell", it is understood that the advice is that you have a disposition to listen to the bipolar person.

10 Tips to Treat and Help a Bipolar Person

1. Explain the disorder to the right people

If you have a family member with bipolar disorder, it is very likely that this is an issue that has you at least worried or restless.

Bipolar disorder is a disease, yes, but do you know someone who presents itself in the following way: "Hi, I'm José and I have an irritable bowel."

Surely not, and it is that sometimes explaining to everyone that the relative has a disease can be irrelevant or even inappropriate.

In general, it is convenient to tell it to those people with whom you have a good relationship and sufficient trust: family, friends, partners, etc. If they know it, well they will understand it and can help a lot.

2. Help you remember your medication

Taking medication is possibly the most important action to take to control the disease.

Unfortunately, today psychotropic drugs are the only way to mitigate and fully control bipolar disorder, so if the patient does not take it, his condition will worsen and possibly end up requiring hospitalization.

3. Beware of antidepressants

It is true that in bipolar disorder you can suffer depressive episodes, which are usually treated with antidepressants, since they increase mood.

However, you should avoid having your family member take antidepressants if they have not been previously prescribed by their psychiatrist.

If you are in a depressive phase and your doctor has not prescribed antidepressants, do not think that he has made a mistake, the way to improve is to take these types of drugs.

Antidepressants can be very dangerous in bipolar disorder, as they can easily induce episodes of mania, especially if you do not take a mood stabilizer such as lithium to counteract its effect.

4. Don't miss your doctor's visits

It is very important that the treatment is controlled and decided by a psychiatrist, so your family member should never miss scheduled visits.

The doctor who treats your bipolar disorder will be in charge of finding the best treatment for your family member, and will be an indispensable tool so that you can successfully control the disease.

5. Avoid drugs completely

Drugs are harmful to anyone, and the advice to quit is not only helpful for people with bipolar disorder, but for all people in general.

Using drugs (including alcohol) can be especially dangerous if you have bipolar disorder.

6. Do physical activity with your family member

The practice of moderate physical exercise is highly recommended for the mental and physical health of any person.

In bipolar disorder, playing sports can help you be less tense, less anxious, feel more energetic, and increase well-being.

However, it is not recommended to do it at the end of the day, as it can prevent you from falling asleep properly, so it is more beneficial to practice it in the morning or early in the afternoon.

7. Watch out for stress

Try that your family member does not have very high levels of stress in his life, as this can make it difficult to control bipolar disorder.

You can do the same things as a person who does not suffer from bipolar disorder as long as you are aware of your limits and do not overload your schedule.

8. Control coffee consumption

Coffee is a stimulating drink that contains caffeine, so it activates the nervous system and can cause anxiety or decrease sleep.

In this way, it is not advisable to drink coffee when you suspect that you are starting a manic, hypomanic or mixed episode, since in those cases caffeine can become the worst enemy.

9. Benefit from associations

Getting in touch with other people who suffer from the same disease can be the ultimate key to achieving stability in life.

If you encourage your family member to do so, they will feel supported and understood, and will see first-hand that they are not the only ones with bipolar disorder, as there are many people who suffer from this disease.

10. Make it easy

The first step to take is the one you are already beginning to do if you have read this article, inform yourself about the disease, which will allow you to overcome many damages that you may have about the disorder.

Subsequently, you must understand that when a person with bipolar disorder is treated correctly and without symptoms, nothing differentiates him from other people, so you should not treat him in a special way.

At times when you are depressed, it is advisable to avoid phrases such as "cheer up" or "make that face happy", since even if said with good intention, it can be counterproductive.

Similarly, comments like "you're lazy" or "you're weak" should be avoided, and you should understand that he is really having a hard time. The main goal should be to get you involved in some activity or to get you to do something.

When he is in a manic phase, try not to argue with him and try to make him see, without irritating him excessively, that he is having a manic episode. If the family member admits his illness, offer him support and go with him to visit a psychiatrist.

References

1. Akiskal H. Towards a new classification of bipolar disorders. In: Vieta E. Bipolar disorders. Clinical and therapeutic advances. Ed. Médica Panamericana SA. Madrid, 2001.
2. Barlow D. and Nathan, P. (2010) The Oxford Handbook of Clinical Psychology. Oxford University Press.
3. Crespo JM, Colom F. Treatment of bipolar disorders. In: Vallejo J, Leal C. Treaty of Psychiatry. Volume II. Ars Medica. Barcelona, ​​2010.
4. González-Pinto A, López P, García G. Course and prognosis of bipolar disorders. In: Vallejo J, Leal C. Treaty of Psychiatry. Volume II. Ars Medica. Barcelona, ​​2010.
5. Vieta E, Reinares M, Franco C. Etiopathogenesis of bipolar disorders. In: Vallejo J, Leal C. Treaty of Psychiatry. Volume II. Ars Medica. Barcelona, ​​2010.
6. Vieta E, Reinares M, Colom F. Clinic of bipolar disorders. In: Vallejo J, Leal C. Treaty of Psychiatry. Volume II. Ars Medica. Barcelona, ​​2010.
7. Vieta E, Colom, F. Living with Bipolar Disorder. Ars Medica. Madrid, 2014.