Zack and Nancy
Less than a year ago, while away at college, Zack had his first major manic
episode. After experimenting with drugs with his friends, he felt a sudden
change come over him that persisted even after the effects of the drugs wore
off. "The next day, I thought that I was enlightened and knew the meaning
of life, like I was a Buddha or Gandhi," he recalls. " I felt invincible,
like I was on top of the world and could do anything. I even thought I had
psychic powers, like ESP. I didn't sleep because I felt like it was a waste
of time. I stayed up all night writing poetry. I talked nonstop even though
I'm usually quiet. I spent a thousand dollars on CDs, clothes, and food for
my friends." When Zack came home, his mother, Nancy, realized that Zack
was manic because her daughter also suffers from bipolar disorder. She immediately
got him to the hospital.
What works
Things are good when I stay on my medication. At first I wouldn't -- I was
afraid it would change my personality and I didn't want to accept that I had
an illness. Then, I was hospitalized several times after stopping the medication
and I hated being in the hospital. Also, I lost two girlfriends that I really
care about because of things I said when I was manic, so I need the medication.
Nancy has helped manage Zack's hospitalizations, consulted with doctors,
and overseen his prescriptions. This caregiving, combined with the realization
that she now had two children with bipolar disorder, led her to become depressed
for several months. Nancy has coped by joining a support group through the
Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation and doing volunteer work with Families
for Depression Awareness.
Zack's friends accepted his condition only after he talked to them openly
about having bipolar disorder and they saw him go through his hospitalizations.
Now they are protective of him and help keep him stay away from drugs.
