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What Happens to the Children Raised By An Unmedicated Bipolar Parent?
The unique experience of being raised in a uniquely chaotic environment.
Being raised in the home of a bipolar parent is a harrowing experience. I myself can remain a testament to this experience. My mother was not only a narcissist. She was a woman diagnosed with Bipolar I disorder. Possessed by her ego and shamed by it, she refused any treatment that may have eased the symptoms of her bipolar disorder.
She moved through the world like a tornado of pain. One moment happy, the next moment enraged, no one in the family was ever really safe or certain of what version of my mother they would get on any given day.
Because she was our mother, her mental and emotional struggles became the burden of everyone in the family. My mother dumped all of her pain onto the backs of her children and partners. None of us escaped the explosions, the unrealistic expectations, or the irrational outbursts.
It’s much the same for everyone who grew up as I did. Children raised by bipolar parents are deeply affected by the experience. It changes who they are and how they view themselves, relationships, family, and the world. That’s the thing about the intimacy of family. When one person is hurt, or damaged, so are the rest. Everyone suffers in some shape or form, especially when the person with bipolar disorder refuses to get help.
What is bipolar disorder?
To understand the experience of families dealing with bipolar disorder, it’s necessary to first understand what the disorder entails. In the simplest terms, bipolar disorder is a treatable mental health condition that comprises extreme mood swings and depressive episodes.
It’s not uncommon to hear bipolar disorder referred to as “manic depression” but that doesn’t fully encompass the full gamut of what bipolar disorder is (and is not). It’s a highly complicated and nuanced experience for every person who is diagnosed.
The manic shifts in mood that someone with bipolar disorder experiences can last for a few hours or a few days. It’s chaos for everyone in the vicinity. After experiencing some type of stressor or trigger, the person with…
