Is mania in Bi-polar a good sign?

[breezytoo]

My son's girlfriend has bi-polar. She has more mania then sadness. Is this a good thing, and what's the difference between happiness and mania. She giggles ALOT. I put on my earplugs when this starts. She over reacts when she is disappointed or mad or doesn't get her way. We get along okay but I can hide in my room or she would talk all day. She basically acts like a four year old when she's angry, literally screaming out loud then running to her room and slamming the door as hard as she can. Unlike a four year old I can't put her on time out or give her booty a swift swat.

How do other people deal with behavior like this. If she is taking her meds they sure aren't working! Another thing on a more serious note, do you think she would be a good candidate for babysitting? She does love kids.

[Kayannaboo]

No....it is not. It is still bi-polar, just another symptom of the disorder. It is called "mania". It is important that the person gets medication to correct things. A therapist can also help a lot and tracking the mood as well (recording triggers etc etc). I must commend you on your patience. Not a lot of people could put up with it but you seem to be handling things as best as you know how.

Re the baby sitting, I am not so sure that is a great idea. Perhaps, if it is supervised baby sitting, not necessarily sitting over her but just being present in the house would be better. As Paxiled outlined, the mania does not last, it will eventually turn to a very down feeling.

Peace and Love,

Anna

[Paxiled]

No.  It feels better to the person than the depression, but it's still part of the pathology.  If it's true bipolar, as far as I know the only treatment is medication, though I might be wrong about that -- everybody is usually wrong about everything!  But the mania lasts for awhile and then turns into the depression.  Two sides of the same coin.