Seeing the Whole Person

Ashley Rodriguez
Jackson College
Mental Health Nursing
February 1, 2015

Bipolar Depression Group

Bipolar is a disorder of a manic-depressive state in which you experience mood swings

of high manic episodes to severe low depressive episodes. These symptoms differ from your
normal ups and downs that are experienced with lifes stressors. Bipolar disorder can be
debilitating to ones self if not recognized and controlled. According to the National institute of
mental health Bipolar illness can interfere with relationships, work, school and contribute to acts
of suicide (nimh). An article in Depression bipolar support alliance states that six million people
are affected by bipolar disorder, but can be controlled with support groups, medication and varies
strategies, and every individual has a treatment that works best for them. (DBSA)
I recently sat in on a group of individuals that were willing to let me listen and try to
understand their stories. The group was small with only four members in attendance two which
had been long standing members of the group and two who were fairly new. The group took
place at a club house that lasted for one hour. The stipulations for attendance was that you had to
have an existing mental illness. They offered more than just the support groups, they offered

what I would call continues support which means that six days out of the week theres a place to
go and interact with people who are experiencing the same situations.
Let me introduce you to the members in attendance that day and whose real name will not
be used for privacy purposes. Richard, the leader or facilitator of the group who has struggled
with bipolar since the age of thirty was there to offer insight and ways to cope, and learn to
recognize the signs that an episode is near. Richard shared that because of his bipolar disorder he
had gone through two divorces but is able to fill the void of being single with his many friends
and staying busy with the inter-connections club house and wood working.
Then there was Tim a young twenty seven year old with major depression and Bipolar
who was the newest member and what I observed to be the most troubled .He expressed that his
childhood was a stressful experience, due to his parents getting a divorce and lack of
communication, this placed him, being the oldest in the middle of their conflicts. He shared that
he was desperately seeking support locally because most of his support was out of county and
could no longer afford to commute. Tim stated that he couldnt understand why his illness was
lingering on that it had been five years and still no relief. When ask how his week had been he
said he never got out of bed and that its typical for him to have a week were he stays in bed and a
week were he is productive. I asked Tim if he had any sort of support when he experiences these
depressive states, He responded with I have no one. I have no support. As we continued to
listen to Tim speak I could tell he wanted to get better and learn to manage his bipolar disorder
and it seemed that if he had support this could be achieved
Bob, who like Richard had been a member for quite some time, expressed that he was
having a hard time dealing with his recent divorce that was just finalized. He shared that it was

becoming more difficult to come to inter-connections club house, and he was pushing himself
every day to come because the outcome left him in a better state of mind. Many of the group
members including one of the nursing student had gone through a divorce and gave insight to
Bob along with reassurance that in time it will get better.
Finally there is Liz, The only female in the group, who had not been officially diagnosed
with Bipolar, but stated she had been experiencing high and low moods. Liz was waiting for an
upcoming Doctors appointment for a conformation of bipolar disorder. She was also going
through a divorce and dealing with the fact that her daughter was adopted by her sister at the age
of five months and did not have a relationship with her. She expressed that she has made the
choice not to visit her daughter anymore because of how painful it made her feel. Liz confided in
the group that through her entire relationship with her husband she had been emotionally abused
and hated who she was. Like two others in the group she had confided that she was experiencing
voices in her head. Lizs voices were not as dangerous as Tim and Bobs, they shared that the
voices in there had often wanted them to harm themselves. According to an article in mind.org
voices are the hallucinations in bipolar disorder (mind.org).
One thing I noticed, is that no one I attendance expressed a need for substance abuse, and
studies have shown that drug abuse in bipolar often go hand in hand (nimh). Anxiety disorder
such as post- traumatic stress disorder and social phobia also coincide with bipolar (nimh). As I
began to become comfortable in asking question I wondered if any of the group had family
members with bipolar or any kind of mental illness, only one member disclosed that they had
both parents who were also bipolar. Research has shown that often people with bipolar have had
certain genes that are more likely to be seen in cases of bipolar. Children with bipolar parents
where more prone to have bipolar then children whose parent did not have bipolar (nimh).

As I listened to each individual story I now have a different look at mental illness, I could
now see the person consumed with bipolar who was struggling to regain control of their life. I
suddenly felt an overwhelming sadness. After getting to know these people for who they are and
seeing them as people with, emotions, struggles, hurt and the desperate need to be well, I no
longer see the illness but the person.

Reference

www.nimh.nih.gov Health & Education Publications

1. www.dbsalliance.org/site/...pagename=education_symptom_checklist

www.mind.org.uk/.../types-of-mental-health-problems/hearing-voices