I just wanted to share that it has taken a year to have a proper diagnosis and treatment for my husband. He is currently in a hospital where he is getting some much-needed help. I want to tell family members to just hang in there. There is help and you need to keep up the hope and keep on trying to get the help. Even if a doctor tells you that your loved one is "just a mean ole person", don't give up. Even a diagnosis of severe bipolar disorder does not mean it is the end of the world.

I have read everything that I could find on the subject of mixed episodes in bipolar disorder and there is quite a lot out there. I commend National DMDA because they are the ones who helped me when I was ready to give up and they have shown me that there are many, many people in the very same place as I am.

I know now just how to help my loved one, myself and my other family members. I have to say that it seems as though things are getting better. It scares me to believe that they are, because of what has happened in the past, but I do believe that more improvement is in the future.

I encourage everyone to just not let family members’ illnesses get you into a state where you are as ill as they are, I almost got there. Try to keep yourself going, because you cannot help the loved one if you are in the same shape, can you? I found out the hard way that I just tried to cope with too much at once. I did not set limits that are necessary, now I am setting them and I intend to stick to them. I am still just learning, but I have much to learn and much to do.