Dear Katie:

Nov 6: “this past year he’s been Jekyll/ Hyde, to the point where I could have spoken with him at lunchtime and then 4 hours later he’s angry at me”.

Nov 10: “The verbal abuse really shocked me.. I just stared at him in disbelief. It was like someone I didn’t know was standing in front of me. I thought ‘where’s (name)? Who is this’? It was like he flicked a switch“.

Nov 20: “He has told me that in the past a therapist has thought he might be bipolar“.

Wikipedia, on bipolar disorder: “Late adolescence and early adulthood are peak years for the onset of bipolar disorder. The condition is characterized by intermittent episodes of mania or depression, with an absence of symptoms in between… Mania can present with varying levels of mood disturbances, ranging from euphoria (“the experience of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being”).. to dysphoria (“a profound state of unease or dissatisfaction”) and irritability.. Hypomania is the milder form of mania.. does not cause a significant decrease in the individual’s ability to socialize or work, lacks psychotic features such as delusions or hallucinations, and does not require psychiatric hospitalization… Some people who experience hypomania show increased creativity while others are irritable or demonstrate poor judgment… Bipolar people who experience hypomania tend to forget the effects of their actions on those around them…

“The diagnosis of bipolar disorder can be complicated by coexisting (comorbid) psychiatric  conditions including obsessive compulsive disorder… A thorough longitudinal analysis of symptoms and episodes, assisted if possible by discussions with friends and family members, is crucial to establishing a treatment plan where these comorbidities exist”.

anita