Hi all,

I know someone suffering from bipolarism, and I have spent several years researching it, but I find that the information is often conflicting. I was wondering if anybody could help with some questions? I have suffered from several bouts of depression but never bipolarism, btw, so I have some amount of empathy but I would like to know more.

1) Can your environment trigger an episode of depression? ( I have read that it doesn't).
Yes you can have situational/environmental depression. Say for example you live in a mouldy apartment with an abusive person and you are struggling for money etc.

2) Can your environment make your depressive phrase worse? (I have read that it doesn't).
See above. If the environment and situation continued then yes your depression would continue. That's why advice might be to suggest moving away from the abusive person, moving out of the apartment.

3) Are you much worse around some people than you are around others during the same depressive phrase?
See above. Yes, say for example you lived with an abusive person or someone that winds you up.

4) At what age did your symptoms start?
I have know teenagers to be diagnosed with bipolar.

5) What do you do when your bipolar episode affects others who care about you? How do you handle it? Do you separate yourself from others, do you apologize, do you expect others to tolerate it no matter what, because bipolarism should be treated like a physical disease?
I think that really depends on the people around you and how supportive they are. With medication and psychotherapy bipolar can be helped greatly. Therapy can help you to recognise the triggers and learn how to cope with it better. I do think we need to take some ownership for our mental health and learn coping strategies so that it is not like a time bomb for everyone else that lives around you. Behaviour can be helped to some extent, yes.

Let me answer qu (5) about my experience with *depression*.
I believe that mental disorders should be treated the same as dying of cancer. If I was dying of cancer, I would not act all entitled expecting someone to ignore their needs and attend only to mine all the time. I would hope for a ton of emotional and physical support, but I am aware that the other person has their own physical and emotional needs, too. Also whenever I see that someone is affected emotionally by my behavior, I apologize. I try not to be selfish.

Thank you in advance.