Information is from “When Someone You Love has a Mental Illness” by Rebecca Woolis,  “The Complete Family Guide to Schizophrenia” by Dr. Kim T. Mueser and Susan Gingerich and the Palo Alto Medical Foundation.

I’ve found that it’s difficult to get immediate response from my loved one’s treatment team or anyone else when my loved one is dealing with symptoms of mental illness. My first response is to call them. While I’m waiting for a response, I’ve found this advice from the sources above useful.

Responding to Hypomania

Mania and mixed states are a medical emergency, so medical help is needed. If you can’t get a response from the treatment team, consider going to the emergency room or a psychiatric emergency room.

Hypomania can be a common symptom, which your loved one may have to live with repeatedly.

The best advice for those who love them: Don’t take the symptoms personally.  When in the midst of a bipolar episode, people often say or do things that are hurtful or embarrassing. When manic, your loved one may be reckless, cruel, critical and aggressive. Try to remember that the behaviors are symptoms of your loved one’s mental illness, not the result of selfishness or immaturity.

Be prepared for destructive behaviors.  When your loved one is well, negotiate a treatment contract that gives you advance approval for protecting them when symptoms flare up. Agree on specific steps you’ll take, such as removing credit cards or car keys, going together to the doctor, or taking charge of household finances.

Spend time with the person. People who are hypomanic often feel isolated from other people. Spending even short periods of time with them helps. If your loved one has a lot of energy, walk together. This allows your loved one to keep on the move but still share your company.

Avoid intense conversation and arguments.

Prepare easy-to-eat foods and drinks. It’s difficult for your loved one to sit down to a meal during periods of high energy, so try offering them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, apples, cheese crackers, and juices, for example.

Keep surroundings as quiet as possible. Avoid subjecting your loved one to a lot of activity and stimulation. 

Allow your loved one to sleep whenever possible. During periods of high energy, sleeping is difficult, but short naps throughout the day can help.

Responding to Agitation

Decreasing stimulation can reduce agitation.  You can encourage your loved one to try relaxation exercises, deep breathing or blocking sound using ear plugs.

Responding to Disorganized Speech

Speaking in gibberish is a frightening thing to observe. If you can’t get ahold of the treatment team quickly, you may want to go to the emergency room or the psychiatric emergency room.

Your job is to communicate that you care.  Respond to emotional tone if you can see it.  If you sense fear, talk about how hard fear is to deal with. If you can pick out a sentence that makes sense, you can respond to that.

When one of my loved ones spoke in gibberish, I was able to pick up the tone. I did say that I couldn’t understand what they wanted, which they seemed to understand. We were in an institutional setting so I felt comfortable with this, as I could get help if the frustration spilled over into throwing things.

As I hope I’ve made clear, your treatment team is the best source of information for how to deal with the symptoms of mental illness.

Next time, we’ll discuss responding to anger, bizarre behavior and negative symptoms.