In this issue we carry a review of a Quaker approach to the treatment of the mental illness called bipolar disorder. It was written by John Miles, a Friend from Nailsworth Meeting. John's personal story is a harrowing one - his father, brother and son have been affected by this condition.

Writing of his experience in the journal of MDF The Bipolar Organisation, John paints a picture of family life over three decades.

John's father, he writes, 'had periods of intense and extended flights of fancy, restless and fired up with big ideas of how he could help save the world'.

His brother's living conditions and financial circumstances took his mother to the depths of despair. After John's father died, the family discovered that John's son was bipolar too.

Families suffer from this condition as well as the patient. 'Emotions, property, financial stability, life plans, all are at risk of being hijacked in bizarre ways without warning', says John.

Labels: bipolar