A Personal Post from Karen

I have a cousin by marriage — we’ll call her Mary for the sake of this post, not her real name.  She has lots of health issues, though the most dire one is bipolar disorder.  It keeps her from holding down any sort of job.  She’s married to a guy who has troubles of his own, and is often on disability.  Family members say he’s amazingly lazy; I only met him once, at their wedding, so I can’t say.   But they definitely have trouble making the rent AND eating.

I suggested she put up a web page (another relative, who runs a small ISP, will host one for free), explain the situation, and put up a Paypal donate button.  I, and I suspect many of her friends, would be glad to sign up for small Paypal subscriptions.  I got no response.  Perhaps she’s having a “down” episode.

I want to help Mary help herself, but I don’t know how.  She does fantastic things when she’s “up”,  and struggles mightily when she’s “down”.  She does take meds, but they don’t seem to help much.

So I ask you, readers of this fine blog, for suggestions.

Thanks, Karen

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A Personal Post from Karen
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3 thoughts on “A Personal Post from Karen

  1. 1

    my husband is very bipolar. If the meds aren’t working, then she needs new meds or another type of therapy; and of course both are hard to get if you are poor. My husband went through a bunch of meds until he found the set that worked, zyprexa and prozac. If this hadn’t worked, he was considering electro-convulsive therapy.

    The problem with bipolar that I’ve found is that the person who is bipolar has to want the help, be it money or the therapy. My husband was very addicted to his “highs” and fought the idea of losing them. There is the unfortunate truth that there are some people that it is nigh impossible to help.

  2. 2

    I wish I had good advice. This is a horrible situation and it can be nearly impossible to do anything to help. Depending on the state, there may be additional programs that can help. The mental health professionals treating her may have good ideas on where to turn. She also may be overwhelmed by the idea of setting up a website – is there someone who could help her do it?

    One thing I know for certain: it’s important to take care of yourself. Make sure you don’t hurt yourself trying to help others. You can’t help anyone by destroying yourself.

    Hugs, and good luck!

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