When Do You Ask Someone if They Need Help?
She advocated opening a dialog by offering to help your friend or loved-one make a doctor’s appointment. This is a very sensitive issue to bring up and it has a pretty good probability of not ending well. Maybe your brother has never been diagnosed and has no clue about the disorder. Maybe your friend is well aware of her diagnosis, but isn’t ready to share. There is, of course, the chance that your mother desperately wants someone to reach out a helping hand and offer some guidance.
So how do we know when or if we should offer our opinion or advice? Marcy brought up trust, which I agree is very important. What are your thoughts? Would you or have you initiated this kind of discussion? How did it go? What do you think helped or hurt your effort? ~Kimberly
Comments
Being the one that suffers with bipolar, I would say bring it up to the person. Yes you may get their anger but it is kinda like that question”do you bring up suicide, for fear you will give them the idea” if you have been sick for while you may kinda know you need to see the doc but dont have the where withall to make that decision. Plus, even with all the HIPA stuff I have had a friend call my doctor and tell him i was struggling and then he called me…so there were times i may not have gone through with some of the stuff i did if i had been told i was heading or in an episode.of course we all know nothing is guaranteed. Bless all of you who do take care of us.
Another question may be getting the person to open and perhaps push them to get help, short of involving the authorities. (That was me. My family was quite forceful in getting me help, thank God)
I have a new acquaintance who has been having a lot of mania symptoms and I asked her if this has happened before. She said she had.
I reminded her that I had BPII and that if she would consider that I was maybe contagious as a light hearted way to say that her behavior sounded like mine.
I didn’t think a confrontation was appropriate, but thought a little something to think about would be a chance to open the door some day.
This is one of the few times that disclosure can be helpful. Many of the behaviors those of us with bipolar illness experience are puzzling and uncomfortable. Sharing my own experience with someone I know well enough to talk with about their own behavior or their own expressions of confusion and discomfort with their behavior has often permitted them to seek assistance because someone they like and feel close to is coping and not appearing to be “crazy” (the dread stigma). Intervening with someone who may be obviously in need of help but does not express it in any way is a lot trickier.