Messages to Family Members: How You Can Help

We received an email from someone who has two bipolar family members. The writer had noticed how often bipolar people on our forum stated that a loved one's behavior was not helpful or even created more problems. The reader asked, "What IS helpful behavior? What does 'be supportive' really mean?"

So we asked our community for their views on this important subject. Some of the common threads in their answers include:

• Believe that we are ill
• Learn about bipolar disorder
• Respect us
• Love us
• Don't make fun of us

Read forum members' messages to family members.

_{Graphic from Echo's WebGraphics, by Marcia Purse}