Be patient and give lots of support. There will be many ups and downs that are not in his control. Be understanding and not accusing. These are just things that I wish for in my own support circle. It may take a while before he has found meds that will work with him personally.

I know alot of books that talk about the illness itself, but I cannot recall any that talk about dealing with a loved one with Bipolar. Admittingly, I have not looked for any, as I am the one with the illness.

Buy a house owned by a former paranoiaed schizophrenic that has a padded room for him to live in. (That's a Daria joke.. trying to lighten the mood...)

Just be there for him through the ups and downs and realize that he cannot control his moods or just snap out of something. It's just like having cancer or a thyroid problem you have to take medicine for the rest of your life for it to make the symptoms lessen. It cannot be cured and try not to let it consume his life. Mood charts and journals will really help his psychiatrist, especially down the road if he has to file to disability or SSI because when it comes to that I don't think there is a thing as too much information for them to have!

((((HUGS))))
Ryan

I think you'll find more similar situations in the family and friends of bipolar group, but I don't think there's anything wrong with being here and asking people that are experiencing bipolar firsthand. It gives you a different kind of insight into your son's moods and behaviors. The same goes with books. The more research you do, the more you'll be able to understand the diagnosis and everything that comes with it. Honestly, if I saw a family member or friend purchase a book on bipolar and read it, I'd probably cry (and not from a mood swing either). That's the kind of support that's rare. I fully recommend doing any and everything you can for him. Luckily, you've obviously got the internet. There's more on mental illnesses on the internet than we could probably ever read.

Kudos to you coming here and asking in the first place, though.

Taking such a proactive approach to educate yourself on bp and asking lots of questions is the key and clearly you are doing just that. It took my family years to come to a place of acceptance and a willingness to learn how to support me. Your son is fortunate to have a mom like you.

Thanks to all of you who responded to my postl I didn't know there was another group and I apologize for bothering you all, I will go to the family and friends of BP support group. Many (((HUGS))),. Lynne

I would get him to join DS. My 35 year old son was just diagnosed, and I've been bipolar for as long as I can remember. The good thing is it opened up the door to talk. So I would say don't be afraid to love and support, to research and to find out about the ins and outs, and the treatment for this disease. It is very hard to accept for me him being diagnosed, even though it makes sense genetically.