29 year old dd's baby just turned 2 weeks old. She always said she didn't want to be with or marry her husband when she was pregnant, but she stayed and married him. Now she wants to divorce him. She said he always lies and is now watching porn. She feaked out last night because baby wouldn't stop crying. Dropped baby off with me for a few hours. Baby slept good for me. Text me early in the morning saying baby hadn't slept since she picked her up from me and she was going to let her cry it out. I told her that was neglectful because baby was so young. I've tried talking to her over the years about trying to see if she is bipolar. She won't listen. Tried telling her to talk to doctor about postpartum. Who knows if she will? She's always had extreme highs and lows. I feel for baby, but I can't be her mom. I'm going through a lot in my life, and looking for a job. She also puts all her crap on Facebook. It's so embarrassing. God, I pray for her and her child. Dd and her dh are also both

The seizure medication makes a lot of sense. Many people with bipolar disorder take anti-seizure drugs because, to put it very simply, their brainwaves follow the same patterns as someone with a seizure disorder. It's absolutely a "physical" condition, that can't be primarily treated with cbt. Of course, cbt is helpful, but without the correct meds, it's pointless. I wonder if there are any clinical studies for someone with your condition.

Are you unemployed, OP? Just wondering because no way would I be able to spend that much time in bed if I weren't employed. I almost wonder if that lack of routine can be fueling your depression? My DH has bipolar disorder and when he has no routine, he can get very depressed and will sleep almost all day with limited amounts of waking up and he feels awful about being such a blob. If you can do your stretching and maybe make yourself a little schedule, that might help you feel more like you have a purpose each day. Good luck!

I have PTO that I have to use for both vacation and sick time. I'm supposed get any time off pre-approved by my supervisor but if I'm sick, I just call her to let her know and I fill out my PTO slip afterwards. Our policy is that you can call in sick for one day, but after that, you need doctor's notes. Most companies do require a doctor's note, and I'm guessing that's why the OP who called in so often is getting reprimanded. If you really do have a medical issue, you should apply to get FMLA--your doctor will have to sign off on it and it's unpaid. My DH has bipolar disorder and his doctor approves him for 5 days of FMLA that he can use if he has a day where he's too manic or depressed to make it to work.

I get it. My beloved father died suddenly of a brain aneurysm at 46. He was an award-winning artist, but worked with disadvantaged teens/young adults in the Job Corps program by day. Lines out the door and students literally screaming and collapsing at the funeral. My grandmother (his mother) was a bipolar, abusive, mean SOB. So mean that pretty much everyone stopped speaking to her at some point or another - her kids, grandkids, siblings, nieces and nephews. That old bat survived cancer FOUR times (didn't even lose a hair on her head through chemo and radiation!) and ended up dying of frigging food poisoning in her 70s.

My friend has baby fever. She is newly married and has bipolar disorder. She is talking about how great having a baby will be even though she can barely take care of the two dogs she adopted. She claims her DH will do "most of the day to day stuff when I'm depressed". That won't set her up for him being resentful or anything. I think she's delusional about what motherhood will be like, but hey, whatever. I can't live her life for her.

Honestly, I wouldn't judge my friend for wanting to work part time if I knew they could afford it. Her DH is also a friend of mine and one of my clients. He is very stressed out about the situation because he knows they won't be able to afford it unless he gets the big promotion. I worked part time while my DH worked full time for a while and I felt guilty for not contributing as much as I should. Also--her DH does like, all the house chores. She has bipolar disorder and often sleeps a lot and doesn't do much housekeeping so he does all the dishes, laundry, etc. He's a nice guy and I love my friend, but I think she's just being a bit short-sighted about this whole thing. It could just be her bipolar too--she sometimes gets cockamamie ideas that she doesn't go through with when she's more manic.

I'm terrified of ever becoming disabled. Even if it's through no fault of my own, I feel like I'll be resented because I can't do as much for myself. My mother in law is like, the exact opposite and LOVES being disabled because it means she can get everyone to do everything for her and it's always "poor me" whenever you talk to her. BTW, her disability is having bipolar disorder and she basically just doesn't do much around the house and gets FIL to do it all because she's always "too tired" or "too unmotivated" to do anything. I know people say they don't resent their relatives or friends who are disabled, but I think deep down they get frustrated that they have to do everything for them.

I'm trying so hard to be cordial to dh while we live together and go through a divorce. It's hard because he's an alcoholic. One minute he's sorry, the next minute I'm a bitch and whore. When I filed for divorce I was serious. I'm done. I've been done. I have tried and tried for years. Currently Mr. Bipolar is giving me the silent treatment. He won't even talk to me about our son. Grow up! You did this dh! Ahole!

Go to a psychiatrist. Get the diagnosis (or not). Psych records are considered to be even more sensitive than normal medical records. Unless you're a cop, or something along those lines, it should never even come into question. In a typical work situation, you should never have to answer a question about any diagnoses. I'm a nurse and am diagnosed as bipolar. I have human lives in my hands everyday. I am not my diagnosis. Also, if a patient has psych records in their chart, I can't even click on them without it notifying my employer, because I have no reason to access them. Don't be afraid to get help. It's worth it.