Bipolar son won’t take medication

Originally published in 2013.

Dear Annie: Our 31-year-old son is bipolar. We didn’t realize how severe it was until a few years ago. He’s a bright, gentle and articulate college graduate who can also be mean and self-centred. When he takes his medication, he’s cooperative and easy to live with. The problem is he won’t take his medicine consistently. He claims it makes him feel “slow.”

When he finally graduated a year ago, he received a nice inheritance from his grandmother and ran through the money in two months. There was little left to pay his bills and after he had an accident, he left his wrecked car and walked back to our house. We took him in on the condition that he’d resume his medication.

We took him back to a psychiatrist. We enlisted him in a program where the company provides his medication free for a year. He even got a job. But three months later, he was laid off.

We’ve come to the conclusion that, although he may become homeless, we have to give our son a deadline to move out and seek a restraining order.

Parents at Wits’ End

Dear Parents: Your son is 31 and will deal with his bipolar disease in his own way. Please encourage him to talk to his doctor about the medication’s side-effects.

We believe insisting he move out is a good idea. However, unless he is stealing from you or refuses to leave the premises, we don’t believe a restraining order is necessary. The National Alliance on Mental Illness offers a program for those dealing with family members who are mentally ill.

Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column.