Bipolar disorder portrayed in the movie "Silver Linings Playbook"

[laura124]

I went to see the movie "Silver Linings Playbook" this afternoon with my husband, which by the way was an AMAZING movie in my opinion, and we could NOT believe how many similarities the main character (played by Bradley Cooper) had with our 17 year old son.  This character has bipolar disorder and had spent the last 8 months in a mental facility after having a traumatic episode --that is finding his wife in the shower with another man and almost beating the guy to death.  The movie does NOT paint a dark picture of mental illness at all and I thought it was real, quirky, at times humorous and with a romantic twist.

Did anyone on this board with bipolar actually see this movie and if so, do you think it pants a accurate portrait of what bipolar can look like?  Obviously mental illness comes in all different sizes and shapes and no two people are alike even when sharing the same diagnosis.  I was just wondering in general, if it seemed real.

I have suspected bipolar with my son for many years but I am scared to death of that for some reason.  I realize now that whatever I have been doing for him is NOT working at all.  He's 18 years old and dependent on Marijuana for self-medication, has dropped out of school and quit his job at the grocery store.  I never know what kind of mood he's in and if he can't find something (keys, ipod, wallet, etc.) he blames me, screams at me, wakes me up in bed, curses.... I get so worried and scared it makes me nauseous.  Other times he's sweet and caring and wants to talk.  Some days he's crabby all day for no reason.  Other days, he seems just fine.  It's scary when he's in one of the moods.  When he's like that he's such a jerk--it's like it's not my son!!!!

It worries me his inability to cope with normal life mishaps like breaking or losing something--we all get upset when something like that happens to us but he is DRAMATIC--way overly emotional!   When he uses marijuana he's much more even tempered but when he's coming off it's worse.  I've taken him to a psychiatrist but they tell him that he has to quit marijuana completely to be accurately evaluated and treated but he refuses.  He also was DX with ADD and anxiety/separation anxiety.  He thinks Marijuana is the answer to his problems and cures him of his anxiety AND is better than pharmaceuticals that you can get addicted.  Also, he does not see the severity of his issues.  Bradley Cooper's character in this movie gave me a serious reality check.  I'm just not sure what to do to help this kid.

Anyone with bipolar/anxiety that can relate or that has a similar story??

[Quietowl]

My dad turned to marijuana to help him with his anxiety but it never really worked to fix the symptoms. It just covers up. Your son has to realize that whatever the root of his problem is it needs to be addressed and worked on. I have anxiety and I can say that some days I'm happy and a bit more patient. But when I'm in a bad mood, the slightest thing can set me off.m (I'm a teenager, so I think it's an angst thing too)

I'm sorry that you're going through this. He has to want to make the changes and find a solution, you can't force something like this. All you can do is state your concern and show him that you are genuinely worried. You also have to lay down the laws. Marijuana is an illegal substance. He could get into serious trouble. You have to play bad cop on that one.

I hope that you find some kind of relief from this situation soon.

[Daisy131]

i'm sorry to hear about this.

while i loved the movie, i didn't find it portrayed my flavor of bipolar very well. they dealt very little with the symptoms of the disease, and instead more of the ramifications it had on his family. i did however relate to his all night manic book reading and flipping out whilst throwing the book out the window- i certainly have been that ramped up before but not acted on it.

please have your son psychologically tested- a lot of times with teens though, they tend to not put a label on it because they know hormones play a huge role in their moods (not saying this with your son- it is just what psychologists do). and explain to him, or have a therapist explain to him, that drugs can play a huge role in making mental illness, no matter what kind, much worse in the long run.

is he currently in therapy? sometimes an objective opinion coming from someone other than your family can go a long way, and your son may be more open to hearing about a therapist has to say.

best of luck to you. keep us posted.

[Otherside]

I'm also sorry to hear about this.

I have bipolar but I don't think the portrayal was that accurate. I'm not like the character with bipolar when I'm manic. But then again, I only ever get hypomanic, I've never had a full blown manic episode.