4 Ways to help a loved one during a Manic Crisis

A manic crisis can be challenging especially for family members, friends and colleagues of the individual who is having a crisis. A manic crisis is one of the two-sided poles of a bipolar disorder which is also called a manic-depressive disorder.

Here are some few first aid tips to help deal with a manic situation in a loved one…

 

1.     Familiarize yourself with signs and symptoms of the illness so as to possibly detect the crisis early

A manic crisis is usually characterized by poor sleep or a reduced need for sleep. Characteristically, the affected individual sleeps for less than 4 hours daily. When awake they often busy themselves ‘noisily’ around the house, e.g. they may decide to watch T.V or play music aloud in the early hours of the day. You will also notice that the individual becomes either unusually happy or easily irritable. The individual may also become restless, hyperactive, talkative, and/ or become unusually disrespectful to others.

 

2.    Tactically engage the Individual who is having the crisis

During a manic crisis, the affected individual may make hurtful comments or act in annoying ways. It is very important during a crisis not to take these words or actions personally even though they are offensive. Communication may be difficult during a manic crisis therefore as much as possible stay calm and make your statements brief and simple. Even though the affected individual is easily irritable, they are not very likely to become physically aggressive with their loved ones.

3.     Seek for Help

Don’t handle a crisis alone. Reach out to other family members, friends and a professional. A manic crisis will always require proper intervention. This may sometimes mean admitting the individual in a hospital. Getting the individual to go for treatment during a crisis period may sometimes be very difficult since the affected individual often assumes that “there is nothing currently wrong with them”. I suggest that “forceful intervention” should always be the last resort after more respectfully humane and less traumatic approaches have failed. If possible, do engage the help of a professional as a guide and support to ensure the best approach for managing the crisis.

4.    Develop a Crisis Plan

During a phase of normalcy, i.e. when the individual is out of the woods, it is important to come up with a crisis plan. This plan should be placed somewhere the individual can easily assess it and it should also be shared with family members, friends and possibly colleagues. Among other things a crisis plan contains things like things you or others can do to help during a crisis and phone numbers of your health care provider.

 

 Final words, if you have a bipolar disorder, you are better off maintaining and staying on your ‘mood stabilizer’ medication rather than taking them intermittently. Just like the regular household electrical appliance, your gadgets are safer being constantly connected through the stabilizer rather than waiting for power fluctuations to occur before reconnecting them to the stabilizer.

Remember that people with mental illness can live more optimally fulfilling lives therefore talk to a professional today.