Bipolar: Making Amends

By Joe Kraynak

I’m just getting around to reading the winter edition of bp Magazine. At first glance, the cover story struck me as odd: “Asking Forgiveness and Making Amends.” Hmmm, I wonder whether people diagnosed with diabetes or heart disease are expected to apologize for what their illness has done to them and how it has strained their relationships?

I’m not criticizing the article or anyone who contributed to it. I found the piece interesting and could see how apologies and making amends could be beneficial. I also believe that people should do whatever they feel comfortable doing - whatever makes them feel better about themselves and improves the relationships they value. But it still seems rather odd. I really wonder whether a publication on diabetes would have something like that in it.

What do you think? If you have bipolar, do you feel the urge to apologize to others for things you’ve said or done in a state of mania or depression? If you have a friend or loved one who’s said or done something hurtful during a mood episode, do you feel as though that person owes you an apology?

In 1999, my wife, Cecie, experienced her first major manic episode. She ended up in St. Vincent’s Stress Center, where she was diagnosed as having bipolar disorder. She has been hospitalized a total of three times – all for mania. She rarely experiences the debilitating depression that many people with bipolar disorder struggle with. We have two children together, both of whom are pretty much adults at this point. Over the past decade or so, we’ve struggled to coexist with this disease. At times, it seems to be a cruel puppet master pulling our strings to act out some demented drama on the stage we call our home. Most times, we manage to keep this beast chained up, through a combination of medicine and therapy, but occasionally it escapes and turns our home inside out. In 2005, I had the good fortune to co-author Bipolar Disorder For Dummies with Dr. Candida Fink. In the process, I learned a great deal about bipolar disorder and strategies for treating it, preventing major mood episodes, and dealing with the fallout when preventive measures are ineffective. Through this blog, I hope to share what I’ve learned about bipolar while I continue to discover even more.

Related Posts by Category