Swing High, Swing Low: Living with Bipolar

(May 25, 2007) -- One of the lowest points in Elizabeth Bannister's struggle with bipolar disorder was the humiliation she and her children suffered when she marched up and down the field at her children's school, barefoot and with no make-up, singing songs of praise and proclaiming that Jesus was coming that day.

In full view of children and parents, and her own embarrassed offspring, she marched, as families drove away to their homes and darkness began to fall.

"My children were frightened and confused," says Bannister.

But the incident on the school field was no laughing matter. It highlighted the extreme highs that bipolar sufferers experience, followed by plummeting lows, as well as the unpredictability of the behaviour that places enormous stress on them and those around them.

Bannister, a Pinetown mother of five, developed bipolar disorder 14 years ago. Today, with the correct medication and treatment, she lives a completely normal life and has been free of bipolar "episodes" for eight years. Her struggle with the disorder is documented in her book The Little Pink Shell (published by Write Publishing SA) and after years of bipolar episodes, misdiagnosis and prayers to exorcise demons by well-meaning Christians, Bannister landed up at a good psychiatrist and got the right diagnosis and treatment to enable her to function normally. Her husband Clint stuck with her through thick and thin, seeking help when she would have emotional outbursts, rescuing her from dangerous situations and trying to find the correct treatment for her.

Bannister also had an outstanding GP who would see her at a few minutes' notice and she says it was because her family never gave up on her that she is well today.

"You can never be cured of bipolar disorder," she says. "You can only manage it.

"My illness has always been a secret from most people because of my fear of rejection and embarrassment to my family and to myself," she says.

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"There is such a stigma attached to mental illness and that is difficult to live with. Friends are few and far between when you have a mental illness."

Today, Bannister home schools her youngest daughter, Jessica, 14, writes poetry and helps her husband with his business.

She has check-ups with her doctor and is fastidious about taking her medication.

Source: IOL Daily News

Last updated: 05/07

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