My Life with Bipolar Illness in My Family
I grew up in a home with a father who had bipolar illness. It was the ’50s and on I remember most but I learned from notes my mother made that he probably had this since his early ‘20’s after his return from WWII. There were no psychotropic drugs. They electrified his brain once when his depression was seriously catatonic and when he came home he didn’t know who I was. His illness had a major impact on my life, of course, but I realize now that many of the things I was angry about were due to his illness. My sister was diagnosed with bipolar illness in her ’40s but I think she had it much earlier, too. She is in recovery and continues to hone her coping skills. Recently, we started a Connection and a Family Support group in our small town in Ohio. We received NAMI training and we have a small band of NAMI supporters. We are planning educational and advocacy events. We are fledgling and emerging, but we’re here to stay.
