LIVING WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER

My heart bled when I read the winning letter from Maria (YOU, 15 September) about her son’s struggles with bipolar disorder.

I was diagnosed with bipolar 32 years ago and it’s been quite a struggle for me. I can understand the son’s yearning for the support of his mother.

I’ve been fortunate to have my husband as a sounding board so I don’t have a relapse.

There’s also the stigma society attaches to a person with this disorder so you tend to hide it.

I’d like to plead with the son not to seek solace in alcohol but rather to lean on his mother and sympathetic, supportive friends and family. You need a shoulder to lean on.

Make sure that those from whom you seek support understand what bipolar disorder is all about.

Remember, there’s no need to alienate yourself from society in the face of ignorance! BD, EMAIL To Maria who shared her son’s letter with us: thank you. It broke my heart to read it. Trying to navigate life with any type of mental illness is terribly painful. Yes, progress has been made, but the stigma is still there. People still need to be educated.

I live on the edge and I don’t always get a warning before I suddenly crash into a “black hole”. You beg and pray to “feel normal”, to live without debilitating emotional pain. Please be kind to people who battle. VERONICA, EMAIL Bipolar disorder is really serious and I recently learnt something I’d like to pass on to Maria.

May I suggest that you help your son find an online support group for bipolar sufferers? My niece, a long-standing sufferer, found great consolation, help and understanding from such a group during the pandemic.

Love to you and your son. YVONNE, EMAIL