Has anyone any experience with a loved one being diagnosed with Bipolar 2 Disorder? How has the family dealt with the symptoms and treatment? Did people have trouble understand the difference between the more widely known Bipolar 1 Disorder and its less extreme cousin? I’d really appreciate any insight you can offer.
First off, I would strongly urge you to contact NAMI and take one of their free Family to Family classes. You will get SO many of your questions answered, along with learning communication strategies and problem solving skills. My son was diagnosed with Bipolar 2 when he was 16, but he went off meds with no problems so I’m thinking he didn’t really have it. But he sure had all the symptoms, above and beyond normal teenager issues. It was pretty much pure hell for a couple of years. 
So much more is known now about different types, and subtypes, of mental illnesses. Medical school classmate’s son finally may be on the best drug for him- even those in the profession/specialty don’t always immediately have the solutions. Post # 1 seems to have what you need.
I was dx’ed with Bipolar II a few months ago. It was long suspected but since I hadn’t been to a psychiatrist since my early teens and my PCP wasn’t comfortable diagnosing me, I didn’t get an official dx until seeing a new psych a few months ago.
My manic episodes are more severe than a typical hypomanic episode but not severe enough to be considered full-blown mania & Bipolar I. The treatment hasn’t differed from what I was doing before with multiple anti-depressants & anti-anxiety meds. I used to take pills to help me sleep but had to stop those since I’m trying to get pregnant.
Each person will get a different treatment depending on their symptoms. Since my mania tends to manifest in the form of racing thoughts and not sleeping for days on end, my meds are tailored to help that (as well as my severe depressive episodes which are the much bigger issue).
I honestly don’t tell people I have Bipolar II unless there’s a specific reason that I’d need to disclose my exact dx. It’s not worth my energy to explain the difference so I stick to the depression & anxiety dx.
As for how my loved ones deal with it, I can’t speak for them but as the “patient,” I can say that it took years to get to a place where they understood when to push me and when not to. When to ask questions and when to just let me be. Their patience was by far the best thing they could’ve possibly given me but they also wouldn’t stand for abuse during my worst episodes.
The good news about this disease is that there are SO many options to treat it - even infinitely more than when I first started treatment over a decade ago. There’s a good chance that the first treatment won’t work though so both family and patient need to have patience (which is extremely difficult especially for a person with a mental illness!)
Good luck, poets. MLH as always has great advice.
I haven’t been on CC for a long time, but I remember you from the “old days” and want to second the advice to contact NAMI. It was started by adn for families of those struggling with mental illness. Their website has a wealth of information, plus a live chat, or there is a free number to text or call. There are also local support groups in some places…my boss co-leads one. She credits the organization with helping her navigate her own familiy’s journey. I also have a dear friend with Bipolar (I don’t recall if it’s 1 or 2). The most important thing I can think of is to support your family member. My friend’s family has never really been able to do that, and I think it’s held her back in many ways. Good luck to you.
It is not as important to know exact labels as it is to have an understanding of what is involved for an individual. Post # 3 shows an example. No blueprint out there as one size doesn’t fit all. Like with other medical conditions there is often a lot of “trial and error” to go through. R…g…s I have followed your posts over several years now- good to hear your journey is working out.