Friday 23 December 2016

If a Person Has Bipolar Disorder, Is Mania Dangerous?

My mother has bipolar disorder type II. hipomania. psychotic simptoms. She does not take her medicine (sequorelle, quetinina). I, my husband and my one year old life with her in a flat and we would like to know if she is dangerous. She is laughing loudly by herself, a few months ago she was talking alone, and now she wants to talk all the time with someobody. She does not care about my son, she doesn’t even look at him. She says she hears noises during the night, but there is no noise. She didn’t raise me, I was raised from one month by an aunt. She has retired from 2002 because of her illness. She has been twice in a psychiatric hospital. Please, tell me if she may be dangerous. Should we go and stay elsewhere? Thank you!

A. Generally speaking, people with serious mental illnesses are not usually dangerous, but they certainly can be. Under certain conditions, such as when they are actively symptomatic or have stopped their medication or have no insight into their illness, or are using drugs (including alcohol) or have a history of violence, they can be dangerous.

She is actively symptomatic, but it’s unclear if she meets any of the other aforementioned criteria. I would need more information to know if your mother presents a danger to your family.

You should encourage her to seek treatment immediately. You mentioned her being in the hospital twice. Given her symptoms, it might be necessary for her to return to the hospital. Clearly she is unwell.

If her returning to the hospital is not an option, you should consult local treatment providers to discuss this issue with them. Once they gather more information about her condition, they should be able to help your family. This situation would be greatly improved if she were in treatment. Please take care.

Dr. Kristina Randle



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