What Do I Do If A Friend Or Family Member Appears To Have Bipolar Disorder?

— -- Question: What do I do if a friend or family member appears to have bipolar disorder?

Answer: So what you would do in a situation where your friend or family member has symptoms of bipolar disorder, certainly the most important thing to do would be to ask them about what's going on in their life and see if they're aware of what's going on, to point out your concern and -- most importantly -- to be able to listen to them and what the thoughts and feelings that they have at that particular time.

Certainly, to provide some advice and some guidance if the need for treatment occurs, so that you could be a gentle guide to help make sure that they actually get the treatment that they need.

Oftentimes when someone is going through the symptoms of bipolar disorder, they oftentimes don't realize that they need that extra help, and so someone calling attention to it and saying, hey you look a little bit more depressed, or you seem like you've got a lot more energy, or you're having mood swings can be an important point for them to be able to say that I need to get treatment.

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