Dr. Alfonso Ferguson, founder and executive director of Goodwerk Counseling, believes in cultivating greater support and understanding for both individuals living with bipolar disorder and their loved ones.

Bipolar disorder — a mental health condition often characterized by mood swings between mania and depression — can take a toll on families, especially within the Black community where stigma and limited access to culturally competent care can compound those issues.

“Mental illness is still seen as a weakness in many spaces and places, and it’s still seen as something that fragile people go through, and not something that can affect any and everybody,” said Dr. LaKeita Carter, owner and CEO of the Institute for Healing and a licensed psychologist in Maryland. Carter said mental health issues impact most people in one way or another.

“Whether it’s them or they are living with someone with mental illness, or caring for someone or loving someone with mental illness, there are very few people that don’t have that as a part of their lives,” said Carter.

According to Mental Health America’s 2024 State of Mental Health in America report, about 60 million adults, 23.08 percent, experienced a mental illness in the past year.

Dr. Alfonso Ferguson, founder and executive director at Goodwerk Counseling, shared how bipolar disorder can impact families.

“I have a few clients that I’ve worked with over years who’ve had siblings who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder or another severe mental illness, and what has happened for them is they shrink themselves to create space for that person to get what they need,” said Ferguson. “Sometimes, their needs go untreated. In addition to that, those individuals or family members sometimes become invisible caregivers.”

Bipolar disorder can also impact the parent and child relationship. Adults, unaware of a condition, might resort to often reprimanding children with a mental illness or comparing them to their family members who don’t struggle with their mental health.

“It creates this narrative for the individual who has this untreated diagnosis of ‘being a problem,’ which can also impact attachment issues. [This] can [lead to] psychological and emotional trauma, which we know in their adulthood, can impact the types of relationships that they engage in,” said Ferguson.

Carter laid out some things families can do to ensure their loved one with bipolar disorder is supported.

“Believe them when they say they’re ‘feeling off,’” said Carter. “When you see that they’re off, say something.”

Carter suggests checking in with loved ones who struggle with their mental health so that they feel supported.

Signs of bipolar disorder that families can look out for include fragmented speech, deep depressive cycles, erratic behavior, avoiding discussion of conduct and limited self-awareness, according to Dr. Brandi Pritchett-Johnson of the Diane Morgan Group.

Carter provided a word of advice for individuals living with bipolar disorder or any other mental illnesses whose family may not believe in the diagnosis and getting treatment for it.

“Ultimately, your mental health is your responsibility, and you’re the only person who can do that work,” said Carter. “There’s nobody that can do it for you, and there’s nobody that can stop you from doing it.”

This story first appeared in the Afro.