Bi polar - advice

Good evening,
My name is Jen, my brother is bipolar schizo effective.
He went manic recently and got into some trouble. I hired and attorney. He’s currently in jail awaiting a court date.

Heheh attorney said we have to get him on a plan. Outpatient/ inpatient care. Get him in group - get him a therapist.

My parents are older and have been trying to help him but he is hard to talk to sometimes he doesn’t like to talk about it…. But also my parents kinda brush off a lot / can’t handle it sometimes. My parents are also older and in their mid to late 60s. Sometimes it’s really to much stress for them.

Im 26, Im his twin sister and I want to stand up and be a better advocate and help him if I can.

He tends to go manic in stressful situations/ change.every year on his friends memorial he usually goes manic. Loss of a job or anything hard he usually does. It’s hard for him really to hold down any job, they end up being a lot.

I would appreciate any help or advice,
Looking into NAMI and DBSA.

Thanks so much -Jen

Hi Jen, Welcome to the forum


Good for you for doing what you can to help out your brother. It sounds like you have your hands full.

I fully agree with your attorney. In my experience structure is helpful for anyone with a mental illness. By "structure" I mean therapy, a supportive community (such as a group - NAMI is an excellent resource), therapy, and possibly medication (so a medical professional who prescribes meds).

Has the attorney mentioned applying for disability for your brother?

@Jentwin I admire your desire to help your brother. The problem with people in manic state is they can lose touch with all conventional behavior and either go on spending spree or do illegal activities.

If your brother will stay on medication they may stay more stable. Then supporting them could be easier. DBSA has programs for both supporters and the people who have bipolar.

If brother refuses medication they are setting themselves up for possibly going around in circles. I could not have supported a person with mania without them getting professional help including inpatient treatment. Perhaps you might consider starting the DBSA (local branches and or National on Zoom) or NAMI support group now and learn more about the challenges you could face supporting your brother.

Self care is very important supporting someone with serious mental health issues. You might want to start and exercise program, mindfulness, therapy and maintaining a healthy diets free of intoxicants in order to get solid and non reactive when dealing with your brother.

If your brother can be transferred to inpatient facility, they would get better support than in prison.

Feel free to reply here or message me. @CANDC