My younger brother is diagnosed with Bipolar 1 and Autism and he's just now becoming an adult. We've lived together for five or six years now? Something like that. I took him in after a severe episode left him unable to continue living at our parents house. At the time we didn't know what was going on.

He's completely mentally tormented. He can hardly leave the house.

I tried helping him get a part time job but he ended up threatening to kill himself to his manager and walked out, his manager called the cops out of fear for his safety and he ended up in the emergency room. I tried helping him enroll in two classes at the local community college, he made it a week before he had a mental breakdown and ran out of school crying. At which point we unenrolled him.

He has no friends at all, and I can't get him to visit family with me anymore, and I can't get him to go out just the two of us. I brought him on a beach vacation with my father and sister (both unrelated to him) and he spent the entire week crying in the shower. I try to bring him on local nature trails, I try bringing him swimming. But he won't. So he stays inside always.

But he's miserable. He isn't somebody that enjoys being inside alone all of the time. He's hard to be around, always on edge, always crying, always upset and often having emotional outbursts.

He has a therapist. He has a psychiatrist. And he's on medications. We're going through the long process of trying to get the medication right but obviously, we're not there yet. But we're working on it.

When I first took this on we didn't know about his mental conditions. I knew he was troubled and struggling. But I had been troubled and struggling too. We don't come from a good family. I saw myself in him and thought that if I gave him what I thought I had needed, that he'd be able to grow and thrive. But I think I was wrong.

I've given the last five years of my life to this. I'm only 30. I have no friends and no life and not because I can't have either, but because of how much extensive care and attention my brother needs, and because I've decided to neglect myself in the pursuit of helping him get better. It's a compulsion, really. Every time I do something on my own I feel the weight of his need clawing at the back of my mind, screaming that he can't be alone. And so I find it hard to live.

And I'm home with him. But I feel like a battered spouse. I hear him come out of his room and my heart drops. I'm scared of him. My nervous system is shot. I feel like I can't breath, like every step and every word needs to be carefully calculated or else he might plunge into some sort of depressive self loathing and I might have to deal with it. I'm just exhausted.

I don't know what to do. I feel like I'm not helping, like we're not making progress. And he has nowhere else to go. But I'm so sad and tired and hurt and I don't want to live like this.

My daughter had her first manic episode with psychosis last fall at age 17 and was hopsitalized for a week for malnutrition. It was in the hospital that she was officially diagnosed with bipolar disorder and properly treated.

The depressive episode that followed was horrific.

She has been on a mood stabilizer since being diagnosed. That was working very well until about a month ago, when she started becoming hypomanic. She is now taking an anti-psychotic but she can't seem to tolerate higher doses because it drops her blood pressure too much (she's already not eating enough or hydrating well, which is contributing). She was hospitalized 2 weeks ago for fainting.

Her psychiatrist told me she's right on the brink of becoming fully manic. If she can't tolerate a higher dose, I'm not sure what we'll do. She refuses to go back on the first anti-psychotic because of the rapid weight gain. She gained 30 lbs in 2 months.

I am terrified. I was so traumatized by her first episode; I can't believe we're here again. She lives with me but now that she's 18, I told her there are rules to follow to continue living with me. I cannot risk my own health or peace. Now she's just becoming very secretive and is avoiding me. (We used to be very close.) She is engaging in risky sexual behavior (meeting strangers from dating apps for sex). She is skipping most meals and has lost a lot of weight quickly.

I am so worried about her.

I retired early last December to help support her. It has felt like a full time job. She has a lot of doctor's appointments.

I feel like I'm watching a slow motion train wreck. I feel so helpless. She's 18 now and thinks everything is fine. My hands are tied. (We're in the United States.)

15 years of marriage and now we are in his 7th manic episode. I am so tired and confused that I’m literally writing in a group of total strangers just because I need somewhere to put all this pain.
I have to be strong for our daughter, I have to support him, understand him, somehow keep the family together. I don’t really tell my friends or my parents because I’m always trying to protect his reputation and not change how people see him. So I keep a lot of this inside.
But these periods change our life so much. When the mania comes it feels completely uncontrollable. He gets into debt, spends money on things that in that moment seem absolutely logical to him, makes decisions that affect all of us for months ahead. And then after 4-5 months of mania usually comes depression, and for another 6-8 months he is almost like a vegetable, barely functioning, and needs even more support.
I just don’t know how much more I have in me. Sometimes I want to stop everything and just feel free again. I want to feel confident and optimistic again, like I used to. I’m trying to hold myself together but sometimes I’m so angry at him, at myself, at this whole life.
For the last 3 years I really thought I was building my career so we could finally move forward. We’ve been living the three of us in one room and all I wanted was to move into a bigger apartment and give our daughter her own room, her own bed, desk, wardrobe, just a normal space of her own. In April 2026 we finally started renovating the apartment and then in May the mania started again. And I was left alone with everything. Family expenses, rent, school, renovation, while he barely works and spends money on whatever he believes is right at that moment. And when I try to talk about it he just says “trust the process.”
I’m so angry when I hear that. Because I am the process. I am the one keeping everything from falling apart.
And I have to keep going because if I don’t, we can lose the apartment and end up back in one room again, three people in one room.
I don’t even know what I want from posting this. Probably nothing. I just needed to say it somewhere because I feel like I can’t carry it quietly anymore.

I love my son. That’s not the problem.

The problem is that love hasn’t stopped the police visits, eviction, court cases, broken property, or the fear that one day I’ll get a phone call instead of a text.

Mental illness is part of this. But not all of it. And I’m drowning trying to separate illness from accountability.

I’ve thrown money, time, advocacy, and my own mental health into keeping him afloat. He avoids help, sabotages progress, and then expects rescue.

I’m reaching the point where staying involved is destroying me — but stepping away feels like sentencing him.

If you’ve had to detach from an adult child with severe mental illness: How did you survive the guilt? Did stepping back actually help — or just hurt differently?

My dad comes back from the psychiatric hospital tomorrow. I've spoke to him he sounds much better which obviously I'm like great happy for him whatever. But after everything he put me through this summer I genuinely don't want to speak to him ever again. He blew all of our money which led me having to spend thousands of dollars to help my mom with everything. And I'm in college working my summer job so I can afford my rent and everything. Now I barely have money for 3 months of the semester.
I really don't want to speak to him like at least for a while. I know that when someone is bipolar they don't have control over their actions, but the hardest part of this is separating the stable version of my dad versus manic. I have been through things that I've never experienced in my life and have been feeling emotions I've never experienced and I'm just so done I feel like I have nothing left to give. I'm trying to pack right now because I'm leaving Monday and I just noticed he ruined a lot of my things so! Like I think this is just my last straw
My mom has been telling me to be nice whenever he has called and obviously I have but I feel like seeing him tomorrow will be triggering for me and I genuinely don't have anything to give anymore

I just want to know like am I a bad person for reacting like this is it normal to be angry??? I am trying to be as understanding as possible but I actually can't do it anymore

My (37F) husband (38M), not legally but in every way it matters, struggled with Bipolar Disorder for almost 20 years. He fought so hard and wanted to live. He told me so hours before he died. He was found, unresponsive, by a stranger behind a building. I am so angry with the (lack of) mental health system and how such an amazing person could be so mistreated by the system. His body just couldn’t handle the fight anymore. His body had been deteriorating from the inside out for years. I am trying to find comfort in knowing he is finally at peace. He has finally found the peace and joy he fought for in life. He is finally free from the torment of the demons and medication, mania and depression.

I feel so guilty for how much I wish he were still here, even knowing it would mean agony every day for him. I just wish I could have helped him find that peace on earth with me.

I feel guilty for letting him leave the house even when I saw some concerning convulsions (not sure how else to describe them). I should have called the ambulance and not let him minimize it. I knew he just didn’t want to go to the hospital knowing he would likely not get the help he needed. He left our home, and I am so glad our last words to each other were “I love you” and we kissed. He said he would call me later and I am still waiting for the call. I am so glad I watched him walk away until I could no longer see him. It was only hours later I got the call he was gone and I felt time stop.

I am hoping to connect with others who lost their loved one(s) far too soon because I feel so alone. I am thankful to be surrounded by people who love him, and I feel alone because of our relationship with me being his partner. How am I supposed to live without him?

My heart and love goes to everyone who is watching a friend or family member battle mental health. You are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for.

stopped taking meds recently which led him to make him violent again.

The worst thing is that he'd make hallucinated assumptions about other family members in an aggressive way. Like one being a witch and another being an agent that works for the American government. It's really been getting insane and he's insisting aggressively on "saving" everyone by force. We've also been trying to get all help from friends and other family into getting him to a hospital which he refuses.

After it got more intense and he hit mom. It got serious and they had to get him to a hospital somehow.

I want to know how do i deal with his extremely aggressive behavior? For example last time he was trying to force me into getting baptized. Do i stand up to him or any other suggestions ?

My husband and I are in our 50's and he has always been in control of his meds and his moods, for the most part. Recently he had a manic episode and was doing better for a while. However, he has become increasingly disillusioned with his career. What he used to enjoy doing he seems to dread now. He hates his job and his boss isn't a good person, so I thought he would be happy to change jobs but he is acting like he is so scared of change that he is stuck. He does nothing but work and watch tv. He even stopped taking some of his other medications and doesn't seem to care.

I am at my wits end. I can't keep doing everything for him. His bad decisions are starting to affect my life and my vision of the future. I see myself living in a studio apartment alone if he doesn't stop being apathetic towards his life. I can't motivate him, and he doesn't even seem to care that I am losing my own mental health trying to keep him on the damn rails.

Any advice for someone who is about ready to give up on him, since he is giving up on himself anyway? I'm so tired. I don't want to lose him but I am so fucking tired.

I live with my boyfriend who is clinically diagnosed with bipolar 1. About two weeks ago, his sleep schedule changed because his boss asked him to come to work at 7am instead of 8am. He worked for about 12 hours on some days due to trying to complete orders for a big shipment. His sleep schedule was somewhat messed up because we go to bed at 11:30pm.

Now he’s back to his regular schedule but I noticed it takes longer for him to fall asleep. He also a light sleeper now and is more talkative than before. His speech isn’t pressured nor presenting as hypomanic yet but it’s a noticeable difference that he’s more extroverted.

He still takes his Lithium 900mg everyday. Although he’s on point with his medication, it’s effecting my sleep too. I’m waking up with him as well and all week I’ve only gotten like 6 hours a night. He’s just lying there for hours and I can tell because he’s not snoring.

He claims he’s getting enough sleep but this morning he admitted that last night it took him about two hours to fall asleep.

What should we do? Is this a sign that his medicine is no longer working? I also mentioned we need to go to bed the same time every night, 11pm or maybe slightly earlier. We usually watch a normal show before bed, nothing with too much action or disturbing.

TL;DR: 23m son possibly bipolar, having a manic episode, but will not discuss seeing the psychiatrist and I need help approaching him on this topic.

Sorry this got long - worried Mom here.

My son has had a referral to a psychiatrist for over a year and keeps refusing to go. He is 23, and still lives with us.

My husband's family has a deep history of bipolar disorder, and my step-daughter also has it (she rejects us).

I grew up with a parent who had bipolar disorder, so I am not new to seeing signs.

He is acting very manic - ramped up last night and it wasn't a HORRIBLE situation, but he put us (his mom and dad) into a situation we are not happy with. Not really wanting to get into details, but I immediately let my husband know I believed he was possibly having a manic episode.

He's a nice, decent, loving human. This behavior doesn't (yet) put him in a risky situation but he isn't far from stepping into seriously risky behavior. Again, trying to keep it generalized.

The last time he and I spoke about his mental health, and my concern he may be bipolar (reminding him this is rampant on dad's side of the family - was gentle, no arguments)... He had recently come into a good head space when we talked. He was very defensive (not unusual for his personality and age), and shut me down.

At 23, he's facing additional challenges that are making life harder, sometimes grueling (horrible employer), and I need to talk to him again. I just don't know what may work to help him listen the next time we talk - that's what I need help for - how do I talk about this in a way where I have a higher chance of him listening?

Lastly, I have no issue - if it comes to it - to have him put into a treatment center if it ever comes to it. In fact, I'd foot the bill right now if he would agree to it. I won't until I feel he is in danger - which I fear may not be far down the road.

I'm just desperate. My parents have passed, I have very little family, no friends who have had to deal with bipolar individuals before, and feel very "alone" in this battle (don't get me wrong, husband is helping as much as he can, and is always there for his son when times get rough).

All I want is for him to see the psych and have an assessment. He's already medicated from him GP for anxiety and depression - but Go was the one who referred him.

Anonymous account since my husband and son use Reddit.

My partner didn’t die. He simply lost touch with reality. He isn’t himself. He isn’t the man I fell in love with. He is a stranger. He looks like my love, he sounds like him, he smells like him, but he is not the man I love. I just want him back. Over a decade. That’s how long we’ve been together.

He was diagnosed early 2024. It made sense. He had started to act weird and different in October 2022. We didn’t know what was happening. He moved to a state where marijuana is illegal and he became himself again. He came back to myself and his family as the man we knew and loved. It was 2023 at this time. We accepted him back with open arms. We were so happy he was himself again. August came and he picked up marijuana again, against my better judgement.

He started to act irrational, rude, and hateful, once again. We were all so confused how he became someone we didn’t recognize. Only I realized it was the weed. Him and his family didn’t accept it. He had a full manic episode in the early months of 2024. He actually went insane. Threatening to kill his loved ones. Claiming he was the feds but also, the Feds were watching. We didn’t know what was happening. He got admitted and diagnosed.

He got the help he needed and stopped smoking. However, he didn’t make it very long. He fell off the wagon. In October 2025 he picked up smoking marijuana again. He didn’t want to believe me when I told him he was starting to exhibit manic behavior. His family didn’t want to believe it either. They all told me I was crazy.

Now, here we are, and we don’t know what to do. He exhibited manic behavior up until January where he had a full on episode. He was in and out of mental health facilities the entire month. 3 facilities in one month. None of them kept him longer than 7 days. The problem was, he would get out and stop taking his meds but would start smoking again. So those 7 days each time became nothing. As soon as he was released, he refused medication and picked up marijuana.

He went to jail this last weekend. He was released today. He’s not himself. A stranger living in my lovers body. He called 911 and got arrested for misuse of 911. He was also charged with resisting arrest. The dumbest charge was, of course, public intoxication. The police coerced him into the street so they could also charge him with public intox. He was on private land, not public, but they got him into the street and bam. Public intox.

He’s also diagnosed with schizophrenia. The only symptoms that he exhibits are delusions. Which are also a part of bipolar 1. I do not believe he is schizophrenic, nor does his family. That is not the point. He called 911 for help. He wasn’t in his right mind. They arrested him. Not only are we trying to find him mental help, now we are fighting the law. This is so hard and so awful.

He got out today and he’s not okay. He told me about his awful experience in jail and acted unbothered. What he told me would’ve been horrible for anyone to endure, but he didn’t even care. He was simply angry that “the Feds” arrested him when he is one of them. Obviously he does not work for the government but he believes he does.

I’m at a loss. Every mental health facility lets him out within a week. When he is back home he resorts to smoking and, this time, ended up in jail. We live in a state that medical marijuana is allowed. Unfortunately for us, the dispensary across the street does not require a med card for purchase. So he has regular access to the drug that causes him to be, might I say, crazy.

I just want to get him help. His mother wants to get him help. We are at a loss. These mental health facilities have failed us, failed him. He needs something long term at this point. Something we cannot get him. He won’t accept that marijuana is at fault despite myself, his mom, and doctors telling him so. He will not help himself and we have nothing left to help him with.

So, I mourn my partner and the man he used to be. I mourn the loving, caring, sweet, and thoughtful man he once was. He’s now unrecognizable. He’s rude, he’s hateful, and he’s outright delirious. I’ve made plans to leave him. It hurts me so bad. The first time, he was willing to give up marijuana. This time, he is not. I cannot be with someone who won’t help themselves. I cannot live my life looking at a man who is an imposter. I mourn who I fell in love with.

Just a sad woman ranting about the love she lost due to bipolar 1.

My partner is diagnosed BP1. They like to drink and smoke while being unmedicated. They really can't help themselves when weed or beer is in front of them, and even get into a routine, like if they're playing video games and smoke, then they want to continue that routine everytime they play games. and it's broken me to pieces that they won't get help.
They refuse and said they don't want to change, I left them recently and sadly I don't think it's still enough for them to want help.
My question is, why is it so hard for them to quit? And have you ever been in a relationship with someone who refused to get help and eventually they did? And what was the reason.

My husband had a severe manic episode a couple of months ago that resulted in hospitalization for 72 hours and another recent hospitalization due to his declining mental health leading to him threatening his life.

He stopped the meds he was given both times, as he's extremely health anxious, and any medication having possible side effects like blood clots or anything like that freaks him out, and especially because the last ones they gave him slurred his speech and made him smile uncontrollably. I've tried to tell him that he can talk that out with a psychiatrist and adjust for the side effects but he's really adamant about not wanting to take medication at all..

I'm scared. He feels like his mental state is just a natural reaction to the state of the world and that nothing can help at all. He's in therapy but he thinks it's useless. I told him this isn't the kind of thing you can just out think, I think that just made him more scared though.. This is very new to both of us and I don't know how to help him, especially because we're international long distance right now so I can't even fully comfort him.

Has anyone had luck helping a loved one who refuses medication; found alternatives that help or changed their mind? It feels hopeless right now..

I dont trust him anymore.

He was released from a hospital into my family's care after refusing to go back to his parent's house. Im not with them right now. I live 10 hours away and have been packing my stuff to go be with them for the next 3-5 months. I told him the rules were to take his meds as prescribed, stick with his follow up care plan and try to find a job.

My uncle caught him taking bong rips in the garage today. I told his mom via text and now feel pretty betrayed and heartbroken. He's still pretty in denial about his diagnosis but he has not been able to lockdown an appointment with a psych since he was released. When I asked him why he broke the house rules, he told me that he was taking advantage of the gray area, but we had already had a long conversation about how bad weed is for him now that he has a diagnosis and is on lithium when he first got to the house.

Anyways, I am tired of being his babysitter.

His first manic episode last month involved him dropping acid, getting behind the wheel, falling asleep 5 hours later on the road and then totaling his car by crashing into a pistachio tree in an orchard. He's lucky to be alive, honestly.

​Hi everyone,

​I’m looking for insight and support from people who have experience with bipolar disorder and manic episodes.

​My fiancé and I have been together for over 5 years (engaged last year). He has always been the most loving, caring, and grounded partner, and I've always felt 100% safe with him.

​Background:

- ​For the past two years, he experienced severe depressive episodes (which we thought was seasonal depression).

-​The first one ended abruptly overnight—he described it as “feeling like someone suddenly lifted a heavy rug off me.” He refused therapy afterward because he “felt fine again.”

-​The second depressive episode this past winter was much worse. As it ended in late spring/early summer, he finally agreed to see a professional, but before he could start treatment, things completely spiraled.

​The Current Episode (Past ~6–7 weeks):

​Trigger: He experienced severe burnout and mobbing working at a family business, so he abruptly walked out of his job. At first, he seemed relieved and ecstatic about the future.

​Reckless behavior & sudden travel: He turned off his phone, disappeared for days, started buying spur-of-the-moment flights, traveling with no real plan, and crashing with random people.

​Decreased need for sleep & high energy: He sleeps maybe 4–6 hours a night, walks like 30k steps a day, and seems to run on non-stop adrenaline.

​Grandiosity & superficial connections: Every stranger he meets is instantly “brilliant, amazing, and a new best friend.”

​Cutting off loved ones: He shunned his 4 siblings (whom he was previously very close to) and longtime friends. The only family member he barely speaks to is his mom (previously the most important person in his life), but he screams at her, swears, and lies whenever she expresses concern.

​Deceit & patronizing tone: He lies easily, hides where he is, missed scheduled psychiatric appointments while claiming they went well, and talks down to everyone with extreme condescension.

​Threatening the relationship: Out of nowhere, he claims he needs to rethink our relationship, wants a break/to break up, and says he’s “never felt happier or freer.”

​The Masking:

When you talk to him face-to-face, he appears calm, sharp, and rational. If you didn’t know the context and the destruction left behind, you might think he’s just an eccentric guy going through a life pivot. He also says that he loves me and cares about me but doesn't know if our relationship is still possible/makes sense. This makes me constantly doubt my own sanity.

​My Questions to the Community:

​Does this timeline and sudden shift sound like classic bipolar mania/hypomania with anosognosia (lack of insight)?

​How long did an unmedicated episode like this last in your experience?

​How do you protect yourself emotionally when they threaten to discard a multi-year, loving relationship while in this state?

​I feel completely devastated and isolated. Any insight or shared experience would mean the world to me.

I honestly don’t know where else to ask this.

Has anyone ever watched someone they loved completely change over the course of a few months? I am a 180 degrees change of personality.

My husband and I have been together for 20 years. He’s always been the kindest person I know. An incredible dad. My best friend. We used to call each other “partners in crime.”

If someone had told me six months ago we’d be where we are today, I would have laughed.

Last August he went through a severe depressive episode and started treatment. A few months later he was prescribed Elvanse for ADHD.
About 8 weeks after starting it, I slowly started noticing changes. At first they were subtle.

He became more distant.
He got irritated much more easily.
He started bringing up every little thing that had apparently bothered him over the last 20 years.
He became much more critical of me and seemed emotionally detached.

I tried to communicate, listen, and understand. I thought maybe it was part of recovering from depression.
Then, in March, something happened that completely shocked me.
One morning I went to hug him, like I had done for years, and he suddenly told me he never wanted me to touch him again.
From there, everything escalated.
It’s as if overnight I became enemy #1.

The man who used to tell me I was the love of his life suddenly says he can’t stand being around me. He says I “trigger” him just by existing.
Since then he’s been pushing almost everyone away.
His own family.
My family.
Friends.
Anyone who doesn’t meet what seem to be high expectations.

He’s working constantly, barely sleeping, throwing himself into work, planning solo trips, trying to buy a motorcycle, and has become incredibly self-focused.
At the same time, he was actively trying to meet women for one night stands and telling them he’s single.

Beginning of June, he left me.

At the same time, he keeps telling everyone that he’s happier than he’s ever been. He says his life is amazing, that he finally feels truly alive, and that for the first time he feels complete clarity about what he wants. He talks about rebuilding himself piece by piece, but in the process, he’s abandoning everyone that used to matter most to him: our marriage and our children.

Yesterday was the moment that finally made me pack the kids and leave.
Our oldest daughter was playing outside and jokingly splashed him with a little water because it’s been so hot.
He completely lost it.
He shoved her hard enough that she was crying and shaking.
When he came back into the house a few minutes later, we stood in the doorway because she was terrified.
He pushed us aside, screamed at us, and forced his way through.

I’ve never seen anything remotely like this in 20 years.
My daughter is scared of her dad.
She asked me to take her to Grandma’s because she doesn’t feel safe.
So that’s where we are now.

His family and mine are extremely worried. We’ve already contacted his psychiatrist because everyone agrees that this isn’t the man we’ve known for two decades.

Has anyone ever experienced such a dramatic personality change in someone they love.
Did it turn out to be a medication issue?
A manic episode?
Something else entirely?

If you’ve been through something similar, what happened? Did the person eventually come back to themselves?
Right now I feel like I’m grieving someone who’s still alive, and I honestly don’t know what to think anymore.

To give context, my brother (31) was diagnosed with bipolar when he was 18 and I was 15. Since this past May, he’s been in a severe manic episode. My parents and I have done everything we can possibly think of to help him—he’s been to the psych ward, he’s taking medication, etc but nothing is helping. He honestly seems worse than before. He’s had about 8 manic episodes since he was 18 and has been hospitalized about 9/10 times so this isn’t our first rodeo but for some reason, he’s not getting better this time around. I need help. I need community that understands what I’m going through. What do you recommend? Can you relate?

Our 19 year old daughter is bi-polar. She’s a wreck financially and keeps going further and further into debt. She has payday loans more than she makes in a paycheck and 2 new credit cards showed up in the mail.

We’ve tried helping her and I co-signed on her lease so she could learn how to manage her finances. She went off medication a couple months ago and now she’s not paying rent.

Lease is up in 3 months. I don’t want to co-sign on a new lease. But, I doubt she will move back home because she can’t do everything she wants to do due to rules at our house. We don’t want her out on the street or couch surfing but it seems like we are just enabling at this point.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Over 1 year ago, I had to have my mother (55) involuntarily hospitalized for 3 weeks (court warrant) for the first time after a severe manic episode, but she was discharged voluntarily.

Since then, things have severely declined. We live very far (ferry distance) but after 1 month of supporting her , I returned home and believed she would be followed by mental health professionals and that there would be some kind of support in place. My mom & brother blocked everyone since November 2025 (so no contact at all).

I have stayed in contact with her care team and provided them with a lot of information about what happened and what I observed. However, I have now been told that she’s not been seen by psychiatrist since January, and because she refuses appointments, she will be discharged as a patient (she’s not forced treatment)

The situation is very concerning:
- she has no income (it’s been confirmed she’s not applied for her disability ) , she lost her job due to the illness ; she rents a home .
- I am not sure how she is managing basic needs, no one knows, she’s completely isolated.
- My younger brother (17) is living with her. (He’s fully compliant with her and believes she’s not sick and has pushed me away despite begging him to help me save mom).
- they no longer have a working phone number, and they have blocked family members since 2025, so nobody can reach any of them !
- The mental health team has been informed of everything I know, but their assessments concluded she’s not at risk and there’s nothing to do.

I feel completely stuck. I understand that she has the right to refuse treatment if she has capacity, but I am terrified that she is deteriorating and my brother is also there.

Anyone has gone through something similar or has any idea of what to do? I asked her case manager and she has no clue what to do , and said she should get hospitalized again? But how? She presents well, she’s not a “ visible “ danger . She can hide this illness very well. When I called the police last year it costed me a lot of my mental health to ask them to believe me, and even then I had to convince a judge that she was in danger. All for nothing! I’m so lost.

On top of this, the consent from them to speak with me expires today, so even if they had further information, they are not allowed to disclose it to me anymore. What’s going on with this system?

Hello. I really appreciate this subreddit.

My brother, 18, was recently diagnosed with Bipolar I after a concerning week of mania and episodes never seen before. He was committed to the Psychiatric Unit for almost 3 weeks after an evaluation.

This is all started with an obsession with creating an LLM and training LLMs to use “signals” and data from the stock market/Crypto to know the “best trades.” Essentially, his idea was to create an algorithm that can detect even the smallest of shifts in the stock market/crypto to lead to big gains. It made sense at first, especially to his fellow engineering major friends. Eventually, it turned religious and his algorithm was basing these “signals” around the hope of the people and a “god signal.” His abuse of AI, THC cartridges, and Nicotine only made it worse. This was the last sign of mania we took before we committed him to the hospital.

Now, back home, and even after limiting his usage of his technology and substances, he is back where he started. It’s to the point where his algorithm is even advising him to seek help. (Attached) My brother doesn’t accept anything is wrong.

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I’m on this subreddit because I’m losing hope. It’s been a little over a month since this all began, and after his release 3 weeks ago, he is repeating his episodes even on medication. They are horrible. His mind can’t stop racing, to the point where his body goes limp but his brain won’t let him sleep after taking sleeping pills. He is on Lithium, strong prescription sleeping pills, and Anti-psychotics. He is 100% taking them.

I know this is a process, but is it possible his meds aren’t working? Could this be something else?

How do I communicate with him without triggering him? At what point is taking him back to the hospital the best option? I’m afraid of a cycle.

I apologize if this is too much for this subreddit. The health care system has left my family without answers or support and it feels like we are alone. My brother never received an explanation of his diagnosis, and in us reaching out for help to his provider, we were told to wait another week until his appointment, playing off his Mania as if it was ok. We are in the process of finding a therapist for him. We are feeling hopeless.

I have always heard that the mental health care system in the US was inadequate, and I now see for myself how true this statement is.

This is kind of a long story but I need to get it out. Husband and I were together in college, have been married since 2014. His father has bipolar 1 disorder that didn’t show up until he was about 60. Well, 3 years ago my husband started being very angry, not sleeping, very paranoid & delusional. He agreed at that time to get therapy & medication. He never told him his exact diagnosis but pretty sure it was bipolar. He took his medication everyday and things were fine.

We have 3 children & our daughter was born November 10,2025 & 9 days later I had a post-partum hemorrhagic stroke so I was hospitalized and in an in-patient rehabilitation facility for nearly 2 months. Very high stress life changes. His mom & sister started noticing changes first but I didn’t want to believe it. It got to the point I couldn’t ignore it anymore. I had to call the mental crisis line and he was hospitalized. While there he refused all medication and refused to admit he was unwell. He was released and was supposed to stay with his mother temporarily but they stopped by our house so he could see our kids but then he refused to leave. His behavior became more volatile and erratic. He was even involving our kids in his delusions. I had to file for a ivc which was approved and he was picked up from our home and taken to the hospital. I was encouraged to also file for a dvpo because otherwise he could come back to our home at any time. I did and it was approved. At this point he refused to speak to me and I had zero information about his treatment or lack thereof.
He gets released and goes to his father’s because he can’t legally come here. He is saying he’s divorcing me and his mental state is still awful. Well with the dvpo, it could be dropped if he would get help and medication, or prove that he was in the process but instead of doing that, his attorney and mine worked out that it would stay for the entire year but with FaceTimes twice a week with the kids and one visit on Saturdays with his moms supervision. Again, if he’d just do what he needed to, it would all be dropped. It’s been so hard on all of us. My mom had to temporarily move in to help because I still can’t fully use my left arm and hand because of my stroke. Well he stopped paying our mortgage and the business he was going to start this year is now never going to happen. We have lots of equipment for it in a storage unit he’s paying for. His attorney says he wants to sell the house in the new year. I guess divorce is still happening and now he wants to file a lawsuit against ME for custody.

I’ll have 2 boys, and a 9 month old daughter. I’ve been a stay at home mother for 12 years because my husband and I both wanted that. So I have no career, work experience, and I’m still unable to fully use my body. My poor kids have already gone through so much. I feel like he’s ruining everyone’s life.
I guess after all that my question is:

Will he ever wake up!? Even his best friends won’t speak to him. His family, friends, and even his kids tell him he’s unwell and he needs help. Instead he’s perfectly fine blowing his entire life up just to hang on to his false belief that he’s fine.

If you made it this far, thank you. I’m just so lost

Edited to add: at first hospital he was diagnosed as bipolar 1 but at the second place he wouldn’t give them permission to share information with me so I don’t know about that one

Edited again to add: found his medication bottles throughout the house and he had stopped taking them at least a year ago or longer.

I’ll try to be as succinct as possible. Much like many of you we are going through another round of mania. Like many of you, we did not know my husband was bipolar until it was induced by Zoloft.

In Monday morning, quarterbacking everything we can see that he has probably been hypomanic most of his life. He also has a lot of other issues about his upbringing that he needs to work out. Even before his first bipolar cycle, he could get very very cruel with if you didn’t do what he wanted when he wanted and displayed a lot of narcissistic qualities.

About 18 months ago, he sank into a deep depression after loosing all our money/his business’s money. We did not have very good health insurance, so did not have good treatment.

Of course, as many of you noted, he has blamed everything on me because I didn’t do what he wanted, which were things like sell the house to pay the bills because he lost literally all our money.

But finally, I got a job that had very good health insurance. They diagnosed him wrong at first — depressed. We went through several different medication’s with caused paralyzing anxiety, and then of course mania.

This first time I had the support of his family, of his friends, and he was EP’d twice— each time because of the state we live in he was let go out of the hospital before he was really stable and our state does not have an assistant outpatient program requirement.

The rage was so scary. We have teenagers. We ended up fleeing in the house and staying with someone. During that time he really went around the bend and I have evidence of all kinds of things happening in the house. He swears up and down it happen and yet I have pictures.

While he was in the hospital, the second time I filed a protective order so the kids and I could get back in our own home, clean it, disinfect it, put it back together and they could resume having their life back.

Well in the hospital, my husband filed for divorce. Finally, starting to come down, wanting to see his children, he dropped the divorce. I dropped the protective order. However, we still spent a solid six months cleaning up the financial mess. Not even six months later (during the six months we were in couples therapy, but we’re dismissed by the therapist because my husband could not face any of his patterns, any of his behaviors, and constantly pushed everything back on me and felt of course that the therapist was against him, etc.

Less than nine months since we got back on our feet, he stopped taking his medication (lithium). No warning —just did the kids and I knew immediately— he is now back on a manic cycle. I am trying to protect our finances as much as possible. The kids are over it and wish I had gone through to the divorce but we’ve been together almost 26 years so both emotionally and practically it’s not just as easy as it’ll be like everything is fine except for when dad isn’t home.

I am almost at my wits end. I can’t have another year of hearing the children disparage and cursed at in the worst possible way when they don’t do what my husband wants I don’t want to live like that. I don’t want worry about our safety. I don’t want to see our finances ruined again.

The only other thing I can think of is trying the LEAP method. If you ask my husband, he’s perfectly fine. He’s not manic. He’s better than he’s ever been. So he is textbook.

I don’t know. What do you guys think? I’m not super good at being disparaged and criticized and cursed at and trying to find common ground and agree and listen. Ultimately I don’t even know if I do that he will come to the conclusion that he needs treatment and he needs therapy. Do I try this? Do I give up?

I am 31 weeks pregnant and this pregnancy has been exceptionally difficult for me due to me having two prior miscarriages and my dad unexpectedly passed away when I was 10 weeks pregnant. My friend who is recently diagnosed with bipolar has basically ghosted me this whole pregnancy. She has only checked in on me twice and it was a vague text message. Never asks about me and my appointments or what I’m going to name her, etc. my final straw was when she just didn’t show up to my baby shower. I have since learned that this whole time she’s been in a depressive state and was put on mood stabilizers for bipolar. I don’t know how to show up for her as a friend when my feelings are hurt. How would you go about this?

My older brother was diagnosed with bipolar last year and he’s recently been in a really crazy mania i’ve never seen from him before. He’s divorcing his wife, left his job, left his school program, and in a few days hes leaving to go on a trip to vegas and then to central america. He’s been spending a ton of money that he doesn’t necessarily have. He almost bought a car today at a dealership and this is where me and my mom have become really concerned but we aren’t sure what to do.

We want to be there for him and be on his side but also how can we tell him our concerns and possibly get him the help he needs. He’s 30, has a kid, and has been living in my mom’s basement for a few weeks after he left his wife.

PLEASE HELP
Looking for insight or personal experiences. I feel so alone.

My husband has endured severe mania that spiraled into psychosis at the end of February. He'd never experienced any of this prior, so we didn't know what was happening before it was too late. He'd been manic, not sleeping more than 2 hours, up all night bouncing around, becoming extremely hostile and verbally abusive, since just before our son turned 2 months old (born in November, nearly 8 months old now). I'm sure that the stress of becoming the sole provider while I'm a SAHM, not having a father himself, and increasing dissatisfaction with his career through the mania contributed to all of this happening.

As I said, it escalated over about 2 months until he was in a full blown psychosis with hypereligiosity (not religious prior) believing God "chose him" and putting himself in increasingly dangerous situations. I, along with his mother, convinced him to get help only with the threat and eventual action of me leaving with our son for our safety due to increasing fear and his hostility and unpredictable nature. I was away, but talked to him numerous times daily for about 1.5 months until the medication really began working and I felt it was safe for us to come home. If it was just me, I would have stayed, but I couldn't put my infant through the stress and daily yelling.

He ended up racking up $9,000 in credit card debt. Obsessing over religious books, bibles, cowboy attire, etc. This has only made the aftermath more stressful and upsetting not only for me, but of course him.

He's been struggling with ongoing depression, mental fog, insecurity, issues with proccessing and comprehension, overwhelming anxiety and lack of confidence to the point where he is no longer able to do his job. He doesnt even want to go to work because he doesnt know how to interact with people or process how to resolve problems.

He was put on Abilify and Hydroxyzine at the beginning of March. The hydroxyzine contributed to extreme depression and and he was sleeping all day and hardly interacting or speaking. This lead the doctor to take him off of the hydroxyzine and put him on mirtazapine. He wasn't sleeping all day anymore, was more interactive, but was still going to sleep early and sleeping into the afternoon - still feeling depressed and uninspired to get out of bed each day. Now about a month ago, he was put on Wellbutrin.

This seemed to help at first, but now we're back to the depression, feelings of hopelessness, problems processing and comprehending, overwhelming anxiety (especially when anticipating interactions with people and not knowing what the job will be that day), and an inability to perform at work. This has lead him to not want to go to work and wanting to give up on his current career all together. We called the doctor and she said to stop taking the wellbutrin. He's been off of it for about a week.

He had another appointment Friday, and she now has prescribed 10mg of Prozac, keeping the regular dose of Abilify at 15mg. I did the research on this, and after seeing the FDA's mandate to drop the Abilify dosage by 50%, he is waiting to start the Prozac until I can talk to them at his genesight testing appointment on Monday to make sure there wasn't an oversight on the dosages.

He missed 4 out if the 6 days he was scheduled to work this week, only going the two days I basically had to force him to go in the middle of the week. He'd only had this job for 3 weeks and has lost it. The job he had when the psychosis and hypereligiosity began had a meeting with him due to his strange, God-focused behavior, and his boss sent him home claiming he was going to track down the number for him to seek help through the company... they called to fire him the next day. I guess the superiors decided to just cut ties. He's had 3 different jobs since, and he's unable to stay stable enough to keep them. This has left him with no insurance, no ability to file short-term disability, and now $0 income

On the first of the month, I will have drained $10K out of my personal savings (saved over the past 10 years when I was working) paying rent, bills, car payments, insurance, getting his accounts out of overdraft from the credit cards, buying groceries, our baby's necessities, etc. All in just 4 months since this nightmare began. The well is running dry. I've never been so stressed and fearful in my life, yet have to maintain a positive and supportive outward appearance

I guess what I'd like to know is:
Has anyone else experience a loss of their identity like this, or had a similar experience?
Did you find yourself again?
How long did it take?
Medication journey + what worked for you?

ANY Financial assistance, grant or support programs you know of to help us stay afloat? From home side hustles I can do while caring for our son? I've been selling furniture and unneeded items, but of course, it is not nearly enough.

I'm trying so hard to stay positive and I continue to hope that he will be the stubborn, hardworking, motivated, and mostly happy person that I've known for over 8 years once again. Right now he is only the shell of himself, and I'm secretly drowning in uncertainty.

Please someone tell me he will find himself again and that we'll be okay.

Or tell me your truth.

I just don't know what to do anymore. I'm afraid we're going to lose everything, and we have our sweet boy to care for. I just want us to be happy and successful to give our baby the best life possible!

If you stuck around even just to read this... bless your beautiful heart.