Manic Depresive Illness/Bipolar Disorder - Fact and History on Manic Highs and Low's

A Personal Experience: Affects on the family

My father suffered from manic depressive illness. Today, the term most frequently used is bipolar disorder. During my entire childhood, my father suffered severe mood swings ranging from manic highs to severe depression. These episodes of abnormal shifts in mood, energy and the ability to function dramatically affected all our lives.

Manic-depression changes moods and thoughts, incites terrible behaviors and destroys rational thinking. The disease causes almost unbearable suffering with feelings of hopelessness, guilt and worthlessness; many times leading to thoughts of death and attempts of suicide.

No matter which member of the family is ill, roles in the family frequently shift in response to the illness. If the father/husband/‘bread winner’ is the one suffering from manic depression, he is unable to provide emotional and financial support to the wife and child. The wife/mother may have additional burdens and responsibilities piled upon her. Confusion and resentments often develop. The child, many times, must take on care taking responsibilities when the wife/mother is forced to work outside the home or becomes too exhausted to continue that responsibility. The child may become the sole emotional support for both her mother and her father. The family members are subjected to far greater demands than normally would be expected. All these dynamics and a few others were happening in my family.

It was during the late 1950’s when my father’s symptoms became most severe. I remember mother and me going to several physicians to try to find a diagnosis for his condition. Finally, a specialist familiar with the disorder explained the symptoms of manic depression to us and we knew right away that this had to be it. (At the time, my father was in a severe depression and would not leave his bed to go to with us to the doctor's office.)