My father is Dx bipolar and ptsd. He has been affected by it in waves for as long as I have known him. When he start's feeling "off" or is triggered by a traumatic event he becomes manic and begins drinking to "cope" with his mental state. He veers on and off his meds at this point and is very unpredictable and prone to outbursts and mood swings all over the map. It has been difficult dealing with his personality throughout my life. He has had pockets of stability that last years only to succumb to another episode which can last a year, two or more at a time. As a kid I always just wanted the "normal" 9-5 TV dad and used to tell grand stories about my absentee father.... Now that I have a family of my own I am unable to excuse or tolerate his erratic behavior, outbursts and unpredictability around my home. I have tried to get him help through the VA hospital and have appealed to him to do whatever it takes to get back"on track" so he can be a part of his family's life again. ( before this last episode began back in Feb. 06 he was a loving, doting grandfather and a big part of everyone's life for 6 years straight.) He refuses to accept his condition and does nothing but revert all conversations back to a sum of money that is contested between us from some old utility bills. I tried to straighten out those bills last year and was in the final stage of doing so and he instructed me NOT to do so'"that the VA was going to clean them up ... " Soon after he came into some $$ and stayed out of touch for almost 5 mos.
He has torn through over$15,000 of an inheritance this past summer gambling and drinking and the like and now that these funds have been exhausted he is once again surfacing and looking to "get what he has coming."
I refuse to provide any financial fuel to enable him to propel himself further down his road to ruin. His health is in the toilet and he refuses to see a correlation between his life of excess and his failing health.
If it were I alone I could deal with this man, as I have known this "character" my whole life. But it has impacted my family and at times terrorized them and my neighbors, and for that reason he has been instructed by myself and the authorities to stay away from my home.
I bumped into him at the store today and after a "hello and howyadoin " the conversation deteriorated into the usual arguements about $ and my appeals for him to seek and FOLLOW THROUGH with whatever treatment that will get him well.

As this once well groomed, meticulous, detail oriented man rode away disheveled and unshaven on his hand-me-down old style bicycle, his pockets stuffed with random papers and notes with wild agendas, all I could do was call out " hope you have a decent holiday, whatever you do, and I love you." I parked my vehicle, and shed some tears, then dried them and drove home to my family... the same family who shared the holidays with smiles this time last year with this same man.

Goodnight all.