Does having BP interfere with your family life? Does your family suck?

My family sucks. They're not understanding of mental illness at all.

My paternal grandma has dementia (yes, technically a neurological condition, not MI), and all my dad does is yell at her. He tells her to stop talking and to "go sit somewhere". He's rather mean to her and she gets very, very upset, often to the brink of crying. He's not understanding at all, and he seems to treat her worse now that he knows she has dementia.

Together, my parents make fun of MI and anyone who has to go to therapy. They think "therapy is for nut jobs". Then they laugh about it. My dad even made some horrible comments about schizophrenics and people with BP. "Bunch of nut jobs... This is why we have criminals out running on the streets. They're all schizophrenics and bipolars. They pull the disability card to get out of jail." And he continued to repeat the same things over and over, as if he didn't get his point across already.

I get to look forward to listening to this during X-Mas. So yes, BP does interfere with my family life in the sense that I get insulted and don't want anything to do with them. But also, sometimes when I get depressed, my parents give me a hard time and tell me to "stop sleeping so much".

I'm in the process of moving out because I can't take it anymore

[Ocean Swimmer]

Hi. Yes bipolar effects all parts of life.
I tend to isolate when depressed.
Seek out too many people when manic.

[leejosepho]

None of my family ever gave me grief over whatever problems I have had or even still have, but they have given me grief (and some still do) over things I have done along the line of getting well...and I am quite certain that is because all of the apples in our family basket came from the same grove and they do not want to admit any one of us might now know something the others do not.

[ComfortablyNumb5]

I could of made this same post myself. I'm terrified for xmas at my dads after he made fun of my MI (what he called laziness) in front of the whole family on thanksgiving. Then just yesterday my sister said "there's nothing wrong with you. You just need a job". So I don't want to see her either. I plan on hogging the wine for sure.

Some of my family is understanding, some not. My sister Mickey is really snobby and thinks she knows everything about everything. She doesn't. She has no clue about mi. She put my son down recently and we got in a big fight. She was drunk. She favors my sister Kim's kids. My sister Lisa and Kathy don't know anything about mi either. They just think I'm lazy etc...

I just learned not to talk to them about it. My sister Mickey and Lisa are here right now for Christmas. I've barely talked to them since they've been here. I don't talk to them about what's going on with my son. They live together and make good money but are both severe alcoholics. Just high functioning. It's hard not having their support. They treat me like I'm way below them.

But my sisters Kim and Heather are understanding. That's who I go to for support.

I'm the youngest too btw and both my parents have passed.

[Unrigged64072835]

Most of my family is dead. What I consider family now--my daughter and my husband--are very supportive. And I try to support them as much as possible. But yes, when I'm really depressed and suicidal it does put a strain.

[wildflowerchild25]

I'm lucky to have a very supportive family, even if they don't understand. My mom does occasionally tell me that if I just accepted Jesus into my heart I would be fine but she supports my treatment whole heartedly. When I was feeling bad about having to spend $150 on meds over the summer she told me I need my meds just like a cancer patient needs meds. I appreciated that.

My mom and my brother are the most supportive. The rest of my family just pretends nothing is wrong. But at least they never say anything mean about it. They all have no room to talk anyway, everyone in my family is ****ed up in some way.

[Victoria'smom]

It's just a taboo topic in my family.

[Moose72]

My mom and I got into a fight several years ago when I was living with her and she called me a "bipolar b****"