Welcome To The Latest Issue Of Relationships Matter!

Do you have Bipolar Disorder? Or does someone you love? How do you deal with One-way Relationships?

You'll find the answers in this month's eZine, Relationships Matter! Need a tip for dealing with those impossible people in your life? Get here, right now! HELLO from Richard Hamon, LMFT . . . here’s the answer you’ve been waiting for and the guidance you need to TRANSFORM your relationship problems into pure GOLD that brings you happiness and joy.

-- You or someone you know got Bipolar Disorder? Let's take a look at this confusing and troubling diagnosis. And if someone you love has it, how can you help?

Some disorders and the relationship problems they cause can be hard to solve. Bipolar is one of them. How to tell if someone has it? The only way to be sure is to obtain a diagnosis from a qualified mental health practitioner. But let's look at the hallmark symptoms.

Diagnosis

The main way to tell if someone meets the criteria for bipolar is to determine if they have mood swings. Now everyone has mood swings. That is to the say, mood swings are normal, to an extent.

Plus, mood swings can be symptoms of other disorders, such as Seasonal Affective Disorder, or Cyclothymia, a type of depression. Stress can cause mood swings, or living a chaotic and uncertain lifestyle. So, just because a person has mood swings, that doesn't mean he or she has bipolar disorder.

Pre-adolescents and adolescents, for example, can appear bipolar. Given all the drama in middle school, who wouldn't have fluctuating moods? Some people may be more dependent upon their environments and changes in their circumstances than others, so their behaviors may seem rather up and down. Personality factors may also come into play.

Bipolar is different in that it means extreme shifts in mood. When the person feels good they feel real good, and when they take a dive they really go down. In other words, when they're in a manic phase, they're on top of the world, and they have expansive, often unrealistic thoughts. And when they go into a depressed phase, they generally hit rock bottom, seeing everything as gloom and doom.

As the bipolar person's emotions run the gamut, going from extreme to extreme, it can be hard on them, and everyone around them. Spouses, in particular, have a hard time adjusting to the changes. Non-bipolar spouses often tell me it's like dealing with two different people, or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

What can you do about it?

The Seven Golden Pillars of Dealing with A Bipolar Person

First . . . get an accurate diagnosis. Be sure. Know what you're dealing with. Genetic testing may be a new option.

Second . . . once they have a bipolar diagnosis, help them stay on their prescribed medication, which evens out the mood swings. Bipolar is one of those mental disorders that requires medication in order for the patient to be able to function at his or her best.

Third . . . learn how to best support your bipolar loved one. And learn what not to do. Get help from the professionals in determining the most effective ways to help. You can begin with the tips in this newsletter, and go form there.

Fourth . . . stay calm and avoid over-reacting to bipolar episodes, or you'll have two people acting as if they have bipolar disorder in the household. Talk about chaos!

Fifth . . . avoid taking their behaviors personally. Remember,they have an illness.

Sixth . . . take good care of yourself, and make sure you get the support -- emotionally, physically and spiritually -- you need to stay strong.

Seventh . . . Last but not least, the seventh golden pillar of relating well to your bipolar loved one is to resist the urge to try and change them. You can't. So don't do it.

Or you'll make the bipolar person feel unworthy and resentful. He or she may try to change for you, deep inside knowing they can't.

What About Therapy?

Yes, therapy does help with bipolar disorder, but only certain kinds have been associated with successful treatment outcomes in the literature.

The key to working with bipolar disorder is to respect the disorder, and to work with it, not against it. If you do your best to understand how the disorder impacts the patient, and how, in turn, you can be affected, you'll be on your way to improving your bipolar relationship.

Other disorders are hard on relationships, too, such as ADHD, Autism spectrum disorders, Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder, to name a few. In all cases, it pays to learn as much as possible about the disorders involved, and to get the help you need to provide the best possible care and support to the diagnosed individual.

In Sum

It will be a labor of love, at its best, even when you become really skilled at working with a difficult relationship partner. Dealing with the various forms of mental illness can be difficult and discouraging, and may be more than some can handle. Don't do it alone -- get backup and help.

But you can make your relationship better when you accept the problem, for what it is, and stay calm. See to it that you loved one takes his/her medication properly and consistently.

And remember, be sure to provide high quality self-care. You're going to need support because this is a considerable undertaking.

Good luck!

I have written three eBooks, available soon, at my website, www.happy-relationships.com

1. Relationship Gold

2. The Ultimate Relationship Solution

3. The Secret to Happiness

I am setting them up for sale on the site, writing the required sales letters, and developing bonuses for each book. I'll keep you posted on my progress. The same techniques I use in my clinical practice, and more, are detailed in the books, and will help anyone to improve their relationships or find greater happiness and peace of mind. At this time, only Relationship Gold, my relationship problems solving eBook, is for sale on my website at www.happy-relationships.com

It will assist you in Finding Help for These Problems:

1. You and your partner can't stop fighting

2. You’re about to give up on your relationship or marriage

3. You have lost an important relationship and don’t know how to get it back

4. You want to make your good romantic relationship bullet-proof, affair-proof and cutting edge

5. You want to enjoy all the benefits your relationships can give you, but feel your relationships are not reaching their potential

6. You’re stuck in a relationship rut, you’ve lost your passion and you want to re-invigorate your relationship

7. Your romantic life has hit rock-bottom, or has been slipping, and you want to re-ignite your sex life and make it sizzle again

8. You’re still holding on to your relationship, but you and your partner have grown distant from each other, and you want to be best friends again and communicate better

9. You let your relationship go, while you attended to other things, but time has gone by and now you can’t seem to get your relationship back on track

10. You want to take your relationships more seriously, and get more out of them, but you aren’t sure how to go about it

If you’d like more information on Relationship Gold, go to my website (www.happy-relationships.com) and click on the Relationship Gold button under OUR E-PRODUCTS.

Thanks for reading The Hamon Group, LLC newsletter everyone, and have a great day. I’ll see you again soon.

Richard E. Hamon, LMFT, CCMHC, NCC Licensed Therapist Certified Coach Board Certified Supervisor

P.S. It's been a pleasure having you as a newsletter reader. Let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions for future issues!!! Or if you need help with anything at all.

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