A conference call focusing on bipolar disorder was held during the week, hosted by Tim McCann from Revolution Health. It is available as a podcast from the Revolution Health website.
It is an interesting, wide-ranging discussion on bipolar disorder, that touches on many subjects that are worth pursuing. There is a small section at about the 45 minute mark, on being a caregiver of someone with a mental illness, which ties in nicely with our current series of posts.
In response to a question by Therese Borchard about being a caregiver, Stephen Propst from the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance made some excellent points.
- There is no substitute for education about the illness. This is critical for the caregiver, in order for their subjectivity about the person to be replaced by objectivity about the illness. Understanding the illness and the behavior it causes helps the caregiver to separate it from the person.
- Mental illnesses are not solved in the short term; they present a long term problem. A caregiver has to have patience to stay with it over the long term.
- Caregivers need to look after their own well-being, to remain effective and minimize their own difficulties. They need to set boundaries with the ill person, and enforce them.
- Caregivers should never give up hope.
Anna’s next post is on recognizing and reducing the triggers that affect the person you are caring for.
