I am a 30 year old female, and my mother was recently diagnosed with manic-depression last year after she had a severe manic episode and ended up walking out of the house in the middle of winter with no shoes on, and going to a nightclub to tell people she was speaking to Jesus. It sounds humorous, but she started dancing on broken glass and cut her feel up horribly. This incident subsequently landed her in the mental wing for a few weeks, while she could be properly medicated and supported.

Things aren't getting much better though.
For instance,yesterday she saw a photograph of her that I'd posted on my Facebook page that she didn't like (we felt it was good for her to socialize through social media...) and she wrote the words "slut" over and over again on my wall ( and if you knew me, I'm anything but) I burst into tears, and cried for a few hours, and after talking to my brother got some perspective on it, and replaced the hurt with compassion for her. I'm just so sad that the mother I knew seems to be completely gone, and I don't even know this woman anymore. Has anyone else seen their loved ones slip away like this?

It's Christmas time and my dad just told me not to bother coming back because it's only going to hurt me, as she's going through severe depression, which I understand... it's just so hard.