Any suggestion on dealing with a bi polar sibling?

[OregonBlue]

23. I hope she pursues treatment. I have a son who is 36 who has been bi-polar his whole life.

The problem is, it's a very hard diagnosis to make and it actually sounds to me like there may be other disorders that may be happening at the same time or something else all together. A scan can usually only detect an abnormality, it will not reveal specifically what her condition is. Often there is more than one disorder happening at the same time.

At any rate, there is very little you can do to make her pursue it. Be very supportive and be willing to listen to her if she expresses interest in getting help. I guarantee she knows something is wrong but has been too afraid to admit it and seek treatment. Until she decides to get help with her disorder, you can do very little. Just don't spend too much time with her in-person and do encourage her to find out what is really going on.

If in fact she is bi-polar, there are some newer meds that seem to work much better than the old ones with fewer side effects.