Mental illness hits close to home...

My sisters best friend is bi-polar...she just got off the phone after begging her not hurt herself and telling her she loves her now my sister is crying in her room. I'm her big sister I'm supposed to protect her but I can't...I can't stop this girl from hurting herself or....worse. I feel so useless. My sister could lose her best friend and I can't stop it, I can't so anything....This girl she is the sweetest thing, I work with her. Her mothers not being supportive she wants herto snap out of it.....but she can't that's not how it works, bi-polar is mantal disorder it's nit something you can turn on and off. I don't know what I'd do iff the girl does something drastic what if one day my manager comes down to tell me she's gone?what do I do? I'm scared. That's not something I admit easily but I'm terrified. Just yesterday the girl was surprising my sister for her birthday with a party bus and laughing after pulling it off I saw her at work today...I thought she was just tired but it was more then that, she'd slipped back into a depressive state...my sister is so upset at even the idea of her friend hurting herself, what if she really does? What if she does worse? I cried typing this...I feel so scared and helpless

Her friend needs professional help. Does she have a dad that's around that you can talk to as mom is not responsive?

Her dad is a province over... I don't think their reletionship is very good. I'm trying to meet with a friend who is also bipolar just to talk....I really don't get how someone could be so unsupportive of their child. Sometimes I think ignorance should be considered a mental disorder.

Somebody needs to contact a doctor.. I dealt with a parent with mental health issues and it's something that a professional needs to deal with. There is medication and counselling that can help her live an almost normal life, but a doctor needs to sit down with both mother and daughter to go through it. I know that it will be difficult, but if you can even go to the doctor with this friend, and urge the doctor to talk with her mother, it may help. Unfortanetly some people still try and brush mental health issues under the carpet - I'm assuming you are Canadian as you said province?? If so this girl is blessed with some of the best medical care in the world, and needs to take advantage of it.

If the young lady has threatened to harm herself or anyone else it is important to call emergency services to protect her.
There is something that you can do! Report this to the nearest emergency room or call an ambulance.
She needs to be treated by a Mental Health Professional NOW.
Do not take this lightly.
The young lady has voiced her frustration and this is a cry for help.
Any threat of Suicide should be taken very seriously. Shalom

She hasn't threatened to hurt anyone else. Like I said before I'm talking to a friend who is also bipolar and wil hopefully make a plan. I have another friend who is a nurse and has connections to the local hospital. I think the girls mother is being more supportive now then in the beginning and for some reason I think she may have seen a doctor a couple times but never consistently and no meds. To be honest I think it was the way her mother was raised that makes her unsupprtive and she's trying. I want to give the mother a chance to help her daughter, but I want to do what's best for the girl.

There are help lines for crisis like this. Look it up online and report her for her own good. They will send police to get her and take her to a hospital where she can be mentally evaluated.

My concern isn't for anybody else, my concern is for her. If she has expressed herself in a way that makes you concerned about her safety, you need to act about this immediately. If she is in a fragile state of mind, she isn't going to think along the lines of waiting to see how she feels in the morning, she is thinking about how she feels NOW. She needs to see a doctor, and be put onto the right course of tablets. She also needs to seek psychiatric treatment.

I am urging you, that if you feel there is a danger of her hurting herself, to act immediately. There is the possibility that she is just blowing off steam, but there is also the possibility that she means every word of what she says. You may anger her by helping her, she may get very angry with you but this is a small price to pay for helping her with her life.

I'm sorry if I am coming across over bearing and abrupt, but MPD eventually won and I no longer have a Mom. I don't want this girl's mother and father to lose a daughter, or you to lose your friend.

Ok, I am going to try to be sensitive and just throw up some examples of why this is wrong. People especially mentall ill people do this alot. Dump on a loved one and make it their problem Usually that loved one isnt equipped to really do anything. Sometimes people just need someone to listen. But once you realize just listening wont fix it you need to refer them to someone who can. If they wont get help you can't help them,,,,, Let me give you an example,
Lets say the same friend calls says her car is broken. You are not a mechanic or have any clue how to fix a car. What can you do ? You tell her to take it to a mechanic.... A mentally ill person calls you, you are not trained or equipped to handle this. There is really nothing you can do but provide a sympathetic ear. The friend needs to find a mental health mechanic..
Just like the friend with the broken car. YOU can't FIX IT. It;s not your fault you can't fix it, it's not your responsibility to fix it, and you can't let their broken car become your problem. Report the problem to someone who can fix it if the person wont. School counselor, police, social services suicide hotline, something. Make the call. Worse that will happen is a trained professional will say she is ok, and your friend gets a little pissy with you.

Unfortunately, even with meds and doctors, bi-polar illnes when severe can really be tough. My husband's brother was initially diagnosed with severe depression but then progressed into a bi-polar diagnosis. He was doing well at work, just got a raise and a bonus and was on meds and seeing a doctor weekly. One Sunday night, he just shot himself and that was it. No note, no call, no other indications. This is not something a lay person can fix or really do anything to help. This child needs help from a pro and very quickly. Frequently, bi-polar folks who do not get help start to self medicate with street drugs and things can go very badly from there.

You and your sister cannot accept responsibility for this girl, it's so far out of your hands that it isn't even funny. Her mother needs to put her big girl panties on and get her help NOW. What mom believes doesn't matter at this point if the girl is threatening to hurt herself. I wish her all the luck in the world.