[LBAY]

Frustred, as I just spent a half hour writing out a great post and it completely disappeared. So... the short version: I have a coworker who tells everyone she knows how to do their jobs better than they do (even though she is less experienced, and has different skill sets than others in the office) and recently blew up on me in the most insulting workplace encounter I have ever experienced in my professional life. She insulted me personally, my work ethic, and even alleged that everyone in the office feels the same way she does. In the following days, she has since switched course, being so nice to me, it's making me uncomfortable. In the last two days she has complimented me on everything from my nails, to my hair (three times), my dress, my glasses. It's like she wants be my best friend now and of course, is being a great coworker to boot. This is not the first time she's done this. I thought she just had a problem with me personally, but now I'm starting to wonder if it's not something like bipolar disorder. She is known for crying in the office. She goes through periods where she feeld inadequate and insecure in her job, to thinking she knows better than everyone else. I've tried to communicate better with her, but these blow up/be nice scenarios keep repeating themselves, and seem to get worse. Does she sound bipolar?

Thanks for posting this thread. I would like to know the answer myself. I also work with someone who seemingly wants to be my best friend one day and the next day will turn around, degrade you and stab you in the back. It doesn't sound normal to me at all. This cycle keeps repeating itself and drives me crazy. Help! Does anyone out there have any explanations for such behavior? Or, how to deal with it?

Is she just being nice to you to avoid a complaint being filed with the company?

[Redsoft]

I have found in these unfortunate situations that the culprit is often simply low self-esteem, be it alone or related to something else.

[LiteraryLark]

That's really known of your business.

You need to talk to your supervisor about this. This is exactly why she is being nice to you all of a sudden: she knows she's taken things to far and wants to prevent you going to your boss by being nice and complimenting you, but all the while she's planning on lashing out at you again. I know someone here who is like that and all this person is doing is sucking me into this person's drama and trying to make me look like the bad guy. There's no way to block her in real life, but avoid conversations with her.

[Nessa213]

This could be a lot of things. She might have a stressful home life that causes her to cry at the office. Bipolar disorder is a damn complex thing and just because someone has a few "blow ups" doesn't automatically make them bipolar. Likewise, just because someone DOES have bipolar doesn't automatically mean they're a ticking time bomb.

The stigma surrounding it is awful. I spend a great deal of time and energy concealing it just so that I don't have someone nit pick my every comment or action.

[~Christina]

Just because someone blows up and cries does not mean they have a mental illness. Human beings sometimes just get mad and blow a fuse ...

[The Other Guy]

She sounds like she might have it, but she could just have low self-a-steem

[healingme4me]

In the workplace, to me, it's less about wondering what the other person has got, and more about how can I conduct myself professionally, how to get the work done without having a confrontation and what is protocol to deal with others in the workplace that are like little roller coasters.

One of the ways, at my previous location, that I disagree with the bosses on how to handle the more hostile employee, they said, if she stops and talks say sorry I am not interested. I devised, love to chat, but maybe later, I've got to get back to work. ((just in case there was an abandonment/rejection trigger in there)) My way, worked better.

If you are having problems, start keeping a notebook. Write down FACTS not emotions about instances, so when you do bring a complaint to management, you aren't the one looking like the fool.

Best of Luck, whatever this woman may have, it's less about diagnosis and more about how you are able to keep yourself professional ((boundary talk here))