My parents were married in 1950, after my mother got her degree in music education, and she began teaching. A few months later, she had a breakdown and was placed in a mental hospital, where she was given shock treatments. During her time there, she somehow managed to gouge out her own eye.
Six months later, with a new prosthetic, she was determined well enough and released. She and my father settled down and started a family, but my mother was never really happy. She began having huge mood swings. For a few weeks, she would seem so full of energy and unconcerned about anything. Then, she would suddenly crash and, for several more weeks, be unable to cope with the smallest problem. She was so severely depressed, she often considered suicide, but only stopped when she thought about her two young children.
Finally, one day, she was diagnosed as bipolar and started on medical therapy. Not only did her life turn around emotionally, but she accepted Christ as her Savior and suddenly had a whole new reason to live.
My favorite anecdote in all this: When she left the mental hospital, she always remembers a nurse snidely telling her she’d be back in ten years. Instead, ten years later, she was traveling around as a speaker for Christian Women’s Club, telling this same story to help inspire others.
Well God bless your Mother!! If you want to read a good first-hand account about mental illness and BP in particular, I recommend “They Call Me Anna,” by Patty Duke ( who is also BP).