How should we deal with this???

My adult daughter was just discharged yesterday from the hospital. She was admitted a week ago during a manic episode of bipolar disorder. I was hoping I could see more improvement when she came home. She has calmed down but is still somewhat delusional. She is taking zoloft and geodon. I'm afraid she won't take her meds or keep her dr appts. She lives an hour away from me and I can't be with her at all times. How should friends and family handle the delusions? Do you explain they're not really true or go along with it? We didn't receive any family counseling before she left the hospital because she didn't think it was necessary. She just wanted to get out. Any advice on dealing with this disorder would be greatly appreciated. I want to help her!!!

Go with her to a pdoc and they can probably give you some answers.

Thats really a tough one. First, does she live alone? I would notify her Dr, the police dept. etc that she is home and a little delusional..her friends...etc.....They should be aware of and change in behavior that could hurt her or others. Its hard when they live away and are adults. Trouble is notifying friends can be bad as she might not want people to know......it really is a very tough spot you are in.I hope she has added you to any Dr etc as a person that can receive information. If something does happen you will be aware. It may come to the fact she cannot reside alone etc, and needs a more structured setting if she is not already in one.
Re: the delusions....she might get upset if you tell her they are delusions or she realizes they are part of her illness. You will have to determine that.

I now, would contact the Social worker at the hospital she was in and see if you are on the list to get info on her. Then you can talk with the Social worker about your concerns re: her. I have been in a situation like that with my bipolar daughter. If you do not have insurance they kick you out of the hospital long before ready!!!

Try also contacting NAMI which is the association of mental heath awareness.(www.nami.org) They are in every state, and can help you more re: her and your concerns!. Note there is also DBSA(www.dbsalliance.org) which is a depression and bi-polar support alliance that you can contact.Also here is a good place and you might want to read the posts and hopefully will also get a lot more imput on how to deal with your adult daughter.

I am so sorry you are going through this. Please feel free to post me with any other matters!

Hugs;

You might also benefit from a support group for yourself - there are support groups for friends and family of people with mental illness, definitely check NAMI and DBSA as missbelle suggests.

I'd also recommend going out to your local bookstore or Amazon and looking for books for family members of bipolars. There are a couple of really good highly-rated titles that should pop right up. I have really liked Julie Fast's books, since they have real insider's insight (Julie has BP). This might help you to better help her, maybe not as immediately as the questions you pose here, but for the longer term. Knowledge is power and all that, right? One of the things that Julie Fast points out in her book on managing bipolar disorder is that it can take awhile to recover after a hospital visit - up to a year. It's a very traumatic experience on multiple levels, and bipolar is a serious illness that requires daily management, so it's a lot to adjust to and that's going to take some time. That book might be really helpful to you as it actually goes into some detail on how to have a conversation with someone who is manic, depressed, psychotic, etc.

After you find out if you're on the HIPAA release form, you'll have a better idea of where you can look for help. Unfortunately if you're not on that form, the medical professionals can't talk to you about your daughter's medical records. If they can, then you can start to get more information that will help you find answers from them. Otherwise, you will have to get your daughter to open up to you - no easy task, perhaps, but a good option to pursue to the best of your abilities. It can be really hard to deal with bipolars when we're sick, so it's impossible to advise "do this" or "don't do that."

Why do you think your daughter won't comply with meds? Is this the first time she's had serious symptoms or meds? Have they not really kicked in yet, or maybe need adjustment to have the desired effect? Do you think she's in denial? It's not an easy diagnosis to accept, even if you're feeling relatively "normal," much less recently checked out of the psych ward!

If she agrees, I would accompany her to a P-doc ASAP. I was hospitalized for delusional mania, medicated and released after 7 days with a follow-up at P-doc one week later. The delusions were calmed at the hospital, but I was still manic. I actually was manic for several weeks after release. Eventually, the meds (in the right combination) kicked in but it really took time. I'm sure it's obvious that just because she was released she's not all better. Keep in close contact with her and observe her closely. I don't mean to frighten you but more acute intervention might be necessary.

I'm sorry I don't have a ton of advice. But I do have some advice, at least what works with me and I have seen work with others about the delusions or psychosis. When I am talking to someone (family, or bf) while having psychosis, the more they try to tell me is it not real the more agitated and confused I become. I have found it helpful if someone listens to me, hears what I am saying, acknowledges that it scary, distressful ect and then distracts me away from these thoughts or subject matter. Unless of coarse she is in danger.

It's just helpful to have someone talk you down from your delusions in a more indirect way then out right telling me it isn't real. Because although on some level I know it isn't real, it feels real.