Awhile back I published a post about tips to help a loved one cope with bipolar disorder. Holly and her helpers compiled it into a lovely gallery which is part of the bipolar resource page. I’ve excerpted my introduction below, but you can get to the gallery by clicking here.

Depression and bipolar disorder are family diseases. Everyone who shares a kitchen and a bathroom is affected. In fact, in his book Understanding Depression, J. Raymond DePaulo Jr., M.D., writes, “Depression…has a much greater impact on marital life than rheumatoid arthritis or cardiac illness. One study found that only severe forms of cancer affected a family as adversely as depression or bipolar disorder.”

My manic depression could have easily wrecked my marriage and my relationships with my two children. Instead, we emerged as a tighter, stronger unit. How? Here are eight ways my husband Eric helped me cope-tips for families on how, exactly, to hang in there with a loved one who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

To continue reading the gallery, click here.

To read more Beyond Blue, go to www.beliefnet.com/beyondblue, and to get to Group Beyond Blue, a support group at Beliefnet Community, click here.