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Suggest Treatment For Severe Bipolar Disorder

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Posted on Wed, 19 Aug 2015
Question: My friend is on disability for being bipolar. She is close to 50. She is a Georgetown law school graduate, (no longer practicing), she was the president of our sorority, etc , etc.
As time marched on she was nearly destroyed by alcohol. After three trips to rehab , plus three arrests, finally with the help of AA, (a ten year battle), she is done with drinking. Now sadly she has replaced Alcohol with Adderal. Over the last two and a half years she has found a doctor that prescribes 90 mg a day for her. She found another doctor whom she convinced that her 15 year old son should be prescribed A, The same family physician was then convinced the 76 year old Grandma should take A too.
None of these meds are used by any family member, except they are ingested by my friend. Her bipolar symptoms have gotten worse and indeed she seems out of control. Her home is a disaster, she is close to 275 pounds. She is paranoid, aggressive, anxious, and she will not listen to any small advice anyone might have to offer. She sleeps for days at a time, to make up for the days she is awake sometimes up to four to five days straight.
A tragedy occurred last year when she left her beautiful dog in the car , a dog that she loved with all her heart in the heat of the day. She was on what seemed to be a manic high. I love my friend , we tried an intervention, she screamed at us for hours in denial. What can we do? Not sure if this is pertinent, she has a loaded gun in her possession. Should we contact her Doctors? I remember when she drank they would not speak to me. I do not want her son taken away, She would die without the help of disability.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Shubham Mehta (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
she need a specialist psychiatric treatment.

Detailed Answer:
Hello
welcome to HCM.

I understand your concerns for your friend.

I have gone through the details thoroughly. Your friend is paranoid, aggressive, anxious, and she will not listen to any small advice anyone might have to offer.
She is now abusing adderall.

In such case where she is not co-operative at all, you must first meet the doctor who prescribes her adderall. You can request him to not prescribe adderall unnecessarily. Also, adderall can increase the severity of bipolar disorder.

If the specialist services are available, you must contact a psychiatrist immediately. She would need inpatient treatment for her illness.
Antipsychotic drugs would be the first line of treatment.

Hope this helps.
Feel free to ask further.
Thanks.
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Shubham Mehta

Psychiatrist

Practicing since :2008

Answered : 2145 Questions

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Suggest Treatment For Severe Bipolar Disorder

Brief Answer: she need a specialist psychiatric treatment. Detailed Answer: Hello welcome to HCM. I understand your concerns for your friend. I have gone through the details thoroughly. Your friend is paranoid, aggressive, anxious, and she will not listen to any small advice anyone might have to offer. She is now abusing adderall. In such case where she is not co-operative at all, you must first meet the doctor who prescribes her adderall. You can request him to not prescribe adderall unnecessarily. Also, adderall can increase the severity of bipolar disorder. If the specialist services are available, you must contact a psychiatrist immediately. She would need inpatient treatment for her illness. Antipsychotic drugs would be the first line of treatment. Hope this helps. Feel free to ask further. Thanks.