well cat, you've got it.

If you are on meds then the only time you are "different" is when you are having an episode which if you are on meds will hopefully not be too often.

A quick look round the communities here and you'll realise many people could have equal rights to exempt themselves from common decency..but on the whole they don't. And indeed the vast majority of people on the Bipolar board don't either otherwise DS bans them the same as anyone else.

If someone is generally abusive, agressive and controlling it's something else. A quick read through the break up and divorce community tells you that virtually all of the things that come up here are common generally in society.

You can be bipolar and a bad person, or you can be bipolar and a good person.

The key thing to return to is, again, you've got it that the key with your son will be to get the right meds for him. That will make the world of difference. Good luck.

He hates the way he is so he is letting you drag him to a hospital so he can become who he wants to be. Who does he want to be.? Maybe he wants to be like you, strong and loved (read your profile). For your question on giving up, you get to give up when you stop careing, but you can't stop careing, can you, and you must not and you know it. With your continued strength I sense a very positive outcome here. Thank you for sharing your experiences, I find it most motivational to my own situation.

Since I made my comment about BP's being responsible for their diseases, my son admitted himself to the hopital for medication revalueastions. On Friday night he totaled our car. He doesn't remeber anything that happended execept that he had been drinking and taking his lithium. Bad choices almost killed him. He was not harmed in the accident, not even a scratch, but when I saw the car in the salvage yard I vomited. Theres a hole in the windshield the size of his head, the car is mangled from the engine to the trunck. He hit a parked car, going at least 60 miles an hour in town. Not only could he have killled himself or ended up paralized he could have KILLED some one else. He hasn't seen the photos yet. He says he knows he made some bad choices, but I don't think he believes how bad it really could have been. When he gets out of the hospital he will probly go to jail. Leaving his 2 year old with me (I should say us but I am the main care giver) He begged me to please not give up on him. I told him that I loved him and I would never give up on him, but for his childs sake and for the sake of the rest of my family I will not put up with his disregard for our concerns and fears. I hope this is his rock bottom, I don't know how much more I can take before he sees the damage he has done to us all. I do know that in his heart he wants to manage his BP, it's his strenght of will that is in doubt.
I'm sorry to any BP sufferers that may feel insulted by what I say, I can only see my side of the situation. But he is slowly killing me. I won't be around forever, I know none of us will, but he has cost me my life savings, my health and my trust. I think the loss of trust is the worst, I don't believe anything any one tells me any more. I've become so cold and hard hearted. I never wanted to be mean. But I am a stone cold *itch now. I don't like it at all. I used to be very honest, trusting and happy. Now I can't remeber what that's like.
Sorry ranting and feeling sorry for my self.