Norford 1

A Norford

Ms. Jizi

UWRT 1104

12 November 2017

Annotated Bibliography

Helping a Friend or Family Member with Depression or Bipolar Disorder. Depression and
Bipolar Support Alliance,
www.dbsalliance.org/site/PageServer?pagename=education_brochures_helping_friend_f
amily.

This article goes over what to do when a patient is at different points of their mental

illness. This article, along with many others, starts by reminding you that it is never your fault or

the fault of your loved one that they get sick. A lot of the time people will start to blame

themselves but blame can never be placed on someone, its an uncurbable illness.

Communication and education is important, know what is going on with the patient and letting

them know you are there to listen is one of the most important things you can do. When

educating yourself about their illness the number one thing to learn is that the illness will speak

for the patient a lot, what they say isnt what they would mean if they are healthy. Also staying

involved in their treatment is important as well. Offering help in getting to appointments or

something as easy as keeping up with their medication plan and reminding them when they need

it. Even if you dont understand what they are going through be there to support them, make

sure they know how much they mean to you and that no matter what they can get through it.

This article also talks about what to do if someone is threatening suicide. You have to keep them

from being harmful to themselves and take any threats seriously.

 Norford 2

This relates to my project because it is talking about educating yourself on the illness

your loved one has. I know with my mom if you dont know anything about bipolar disorder it is

very hard to offer any sort of help. Once youre educated, even if you dont fully understand it

you can always be support. Always make sure your loved one knows how much you love them.

I know with my mom whenever she gets extremely depressed she assumes that everyone hates

her, it is important to reinforce your feelings of love. Another thing I learned from this article is

that you have to have realistic expectations. This was one thing I never thought about, how

important it is to know that there is no such thing as getting better overnight. I also really like

how the article talks about is offering help with things like getting to appointments or keeping

track of their medication, it can let them know how much you care by staying involved. For my

project I think it is important to talk about what happens when someone is threatening suicide,

something I havent touched on yet. I know when my mom is healthy she would never kill

herself, but when she is sick there is no telling what she could do. It is so important to take any

threats seriously because like I have said before, the illness takes over their mind.

This article is credible because it is written by DBSA, the Depression and Bipolar

Support Alliance. They are a peer-directed national organization that teaches about depression

and bipolar disorder, which happen to be the two most common mental health issues. They

have peer-reviewed articles and are wellness oriented. The DBSA works on empowerment and

offers an almost unending amount of information and resources to learn about depression and

bipolar disorder. They also offer support groups and 24/7 services to offer help to those

suffering from depression and bipolar disorder.

 Norford 3

Khan, D. A., M.D., Ross, R., M.A., Printz, D. J., M.D., & Sachs, G. S., M.D. (2000, April).
Treatment for Bipolar Disorder a guide for patients and families [PDF]. Medication
Treatment of Bipolar Disorder.

Using the section What can families and friends do to help? a lot of useful information

is provided. It starts with talking about encouraging the patient to stick with treatment. This is

important because sometimes patients will convince themselves they are healthy enough they

dont need to continue medication or treatment so it is important to help keep them on the right

track. Like many other articles it talks about remembering that if your loved one is rejected your

help, it is a symptom of their illness and isnt actually them rejecting your help. It also talks

about taking advantages of the patients stable mood as a way to make plans for when they get

sick. Discussing things like different safety mechanisms to help when they get sick is a good way

to plan ahead. Another thing to take advantage of is support groups, people with similar illnesses

to share stories and learn other coping mechanisms that helps them. Also, dont take all of the

responsibility on yourself, it is important for the patient to have other loved ones that can help

because it can be too stressful on yourself. Lastly be aware of good and bad days. It is

important to know the difference so if they are having a bad day you know what to do to help.

This relates to my inquiry project because it is giving advice on helping your loved one

with their illness. I think it is super important to stay involved in their treatment. I know it is

helpful for my mom especially if she has someone offering help with things like getting to

therapy or asking if she had taken her medication for the day. One thing I keep reiterating is

always remember that the patients illness can speak for them, if they reject your help it is often

their illness taking over their mind. I also like in this article how it talks about discussing plans

when the patient is stable, finding ways that helps them the most and how to help them through

it. I also find it super important to not be the patients only supporter, it can put to much stress on
 Norford 4

yourself. It isnt selfish to need help yourself while helping a patient, and a full support group

can provide even more help. I also like the last thing pointed out is the good and bad days a

patient has and knowing the difference. I know with my mom some days she cant even get out

of bed, and it is important for me to recognize whats going on and take initiative to help her.

This source is credible because of the authors. Kahn and Printz are both M.D.s

associated with Columbia University. Dr. Kahn is a board-certified psychiatrist and is area of

expertise is with bipolar disorder. Dr. Printz is an associate professor at the University of

California at San Diego as well as a staff physician. Dr. Sachs is an associate professor of

psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Sachs expertise is in psychiatry as well as

specifics in bipolar disorder.

Mondimore, Francis M. Chapter 22: The Role of the Family. Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for
Patients and Families, vol. 1, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999, pp. 240249.

This chapter covers a lot of the basics of what to do and what not to do when it comes to

having a family member or friend that suffers from bipolar disorder. One of the main points the

chapter makes is do not use predetermined biases when it comes to judging someone with

bipolar disorder. Many people are hardwired to think that people who do not control their

emotions are lazy or immature, when it comes to bipolar disorder you must completely rewire

your brain to emphasize with them. You cannot criticize a patient for things they cannot help.

That will only reinforce their feelings of hopelessness. This goes back to being understanding

and rewiring your brain to know what is really going on with them. You also have to understand

that everything risky or silly that they do isnt always their illness. When dealing with someone

who suffers from bipolar disorder it is also important to know a lot of the time when they are

going through an extreme high or low, their illness speaks for them. Your loved one isnt being
 Norford 5

mean or rejecting you, it is their illness clouding their perception of how they are. To help them

even when their perception is clouded you must have trust. If the patient trusts you they will be

more likely to come to you for help, going behind someones back is one of the worst ways to

lose their trust. To build trust, communication is key. Open communication where the patient

can talk to you and you can talk to the patient. It is important to stay involved in their lives and

always be there for them to talk to you. The last point this chapter makes is that its okay to need

help yourself. It isnt selfish to need support and encouragement while dealing with a bipolar

patient. Bipolar disorder not only effects the patients but their loved ones as well.

While reading the chapter of this book I learned a lot, coming from a family where I grew

up with my mother being bipolar I thought I knew everything but this has really opened my eyes.

One of the main things I learned is that you cannot always jump to conclusions about the person.

The book touched a lot on when a bipolar patient starts behaving in a silly or foolish manner it

isnt always their illness. People act out in foolish ways all the time, including bipolar patients.

With my mom we always assume when she tries to do something that just seems stupid that she

is getting sick, when reality she is just portraying basic human behavior. Another thing I really

learned is that communication and trust is the key. The patient needs to be able to trust you so

they can come and talk to you when they need help. They also need to trust you so you can go

and talk to them when you are concerned. Communication is extremely important because you

need to stay involved in their lives in a loving and caring way so you know when they need help.

Things like going to doctors appointments or even just simple conversations about how they are

feeling at the time can really help the patient out.

This source can be proved credible for a few reasons. The author, Dr. Francs

Mondimore, is an M.D. at John Hopkins Bayview Medical center in Maryland. Dr. Mondimore
 Norford 6

specializes in Adult Psychiatry, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Mood Disorders, Psychiatry, and

Behavioral Sciences. He is also the associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at

John Hopkins. He works on a team that helps discover the best practices for treating psychiatric

patients. Dr. Mondimore is also a certified board director of the American Board of Psychiatry &

Neurology / Psychiatry. The book was written in 1999 but the chapter of the book I used

includes practices and advice that are still relevant today and will probably be forever

unchanging as it isnt involving any sort of medical practices that could be advanced.

Support in a bipolar episode. Bipolar Caregivers, 15 Apr. 2013,

www.bipolarcaregivers.org/supporting-the-person/keep-the-illness-in-mind-when-
communicating.

This article focuses on how to help someone who is going through a bipolar episode. The

first point it makes is to help the person get treatment. There are many ways to do this, such as

trying to encourage them to see their doctor or mental health team. Often during an episode

seeing a professional can help the most because they can do more than anyone else. You can

also offer them assistance in whatever they need, like offering rides to their doctor. The article

also points out if it gets to a point to where they refuse to seek help you can get help for them, it

isnt always suggested as sometimes the patient will feel like you are going behind their back.

The article also talks about remaining calm and not reacting emotionally. Dont jump to

conclusions and just be there to listen and understand. It is hard to see a loved one experience a

bipolar episode but if you remain calm it can make it easier on them. Lastly it talks about

helping to monitor the symptoms of the patient. Keep track of their sleep schedule and mood

and try to talk to them about it if you are concerned, again, while avoiding letting emotions get in

the way.
 Norford 7

This article helps towards my inquiry project because it focuses on what to do during an

episode. A lot of my project focuses on just helping your loved one stay healthy but it is also

important to know what to do when they get sick. I know for my mom she listens better when

you dont let your emotions get in the way, something the article talks about a lot. Staying calm

can let the patient know that you care a lot and arent angry at them for how they are acting.

Even when I get angry at my mom I know it isnt her, its her illness taking over her mind. I

know it also can mean a lot when you express your concern and offer help, I think its important

for everyone to know it is okay to try and help the patient. My family often will keep up with

how much my mom is sleeping because when her sleeping schedule is messed up it is often a

sign she might be getting sick.

This source is credible because it is funded by the National Health and Medical Research

Council. The website was given a PhD scholarship to keep them up and running. Also the

University of Melbournes Department of Psychiatry provides them with research and

information to keep their website up to date with their information. One of the woman

associated with the website, Lesley Berk, is a psychologist and her work focuses around people

who suffer from bipolar disorder and their families. Dr. Berk works as a Research Fellow at

Deakin University and has the credentials and education to teach about bipolar disorder.

Torrey, E. Fuller, and Michael B Knable. Chapter 15: Commonly Asked Questions. Surviving
Manic Depression: A Manual on Bipolar Disorder for Patients, Families, and Providers,
New York: Basic Books, 2002, pp. 283291.

Chapter 15 of Surviving Manic Depression goes over how family members are affected

when a loved one suffers from bipolar disorder. One of the main points in this chapter is there is

often feelings of loss, fear, and shame. A lot of the time family members will feel as if they are
 Norford 8

losing their loved one to their illness, like they cant do anything to help. There is a lack of

closure with manic-depressive disorder it is never really over. A patient can be stable for a long

time, but it is almost inevitable that there will be another bump in the road. The feeling of shame

the chapter talks about is when the patient and family are ashamed of the disorder. The chapter

goes on to talk about how this is completely unnecessary because there is nothing to be ashamed

of. The patient didnt ask to be born with this illness and they dont ask to lose control of their

mind. It should be treated like any other illness, you wouldnt be ashamed of a loved one having

cancer, would you? It also talks about feelings of fear, fearing what a patient might do to

themselves or others. The main way to overcome this fear is understanding, knowing what is

going on and working hard to help protect and help them. It also talks a lot about what it is like

being the child of someone with bipolar disorder. The chapter points out that it can be very hard

on the child, often they blame themselves for what is going on simply because of lack of

understanding. The main way to overcome this lack of understanding is too explain to the child

what is going on, no matter what age.

This relates to my inquiry project because it talks a lot about what family members go

through when a loved one suffers from bipolar disorder. I know for me personally growing up I

was often confused, scared, and left blaming myself because I had no idea what was going on. I

remember crying in the bathroom to my grandmother because my mom had told me she hoped I

got raped, but because of my lack of understanding I was scared I had done something to make

my mother hate me. The key to all of this is communication and understanding. No child is too

young to at least be told that something is wrong with their parent and nothing is their fault.

Another thing the chapter really focuses on that relates to my project is the feeling of being

ashamed. No one should ever be ashamed of having bipolar disorder or having a loved one who
 Norford 9

has bipolar disorder. A lot of the feelings of shame again, come from a lack of understanding in

the community about what is going on. If more people are educated on bipolar disorder and have

a basic understanding that there is often a lack of control with the patient is manic or depressed

there will be less judgement and less of a reason to feel ashamed.

This source can be proved credible by looking at the credentials of the authors. Dr. E.

Fuller Torrey is a graduate of Princeton University where he received his B.A., McGill

University where he received his M.D., and Stanford University where he received another

M.D.. He trained in physiatry at Stanford University and is now a research scientist that

specializes in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Dr. Torrey has written 20 books and over 200

professional papers. Dr. Michael B. Knable is the chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at

Sibley Memorial Hospital and Suburban Hospital. He earned his medical degree at the

University of Ohio and did a residency at St. Elizabeths Hospital. His line of expertise is in

neuropsychiatry and psychiatry. He has also won many awards for his work in the psychiatric

field.