Would A Home With Multiple BP People Work?

Just wondering if folks thought a home where folks with bp 1 or 2 lived together, sharing expenses and stuff, could ever work. Not one run by an official group home agency or anything--here, they all suck. Thoughts?

Of course it could work. It could be awesome. However, it would be highly dependent on the choices of the individuals involved like any group living situation is. The same is true for families who live together or for college roommates.

I think the chances of success could be greatly increased if the home members had access to a facilitator with experience with bipolar disorder and if the members actively managed their symptoms with meds, therapy or whatever works best for them personally.

Of course it could organically work out on its own, but realistically speaking there are real challenges to anticipate. If I were considering such a home I would want those possibilities to be discussed openly and have a strategy for dealing with issues. For example, if someone is manic and spends all their rent for the month on a spending spree, what happens?

Fern makes a lot of great points! I'll add that it may be important, at least it would be to me, that the housemates were honestly aiming for stability. Effort
and real intentions always count! You know that there are some with a mental illness that almost like being ill, and deliberately self-sabotage to remain so.

I do think that having people around that understand the illness is helpful, in many ways. However, it all comes down to personalities, too. You know that we folks with bipolar disorder are not all the same because we share the diagnosis. Some personalities clash, and others complement each other, or enrich. A lot of us are also dealing with "other stuff" besides bipolar disorder. Sometimes that is just fine. Other times it can be overwhelming (or other reactions). One person's bipolar "irritability" can look and sound a lot different than another's. Another person's psychosis can be frightening or triggering, etc.

There is a reason why psychiatric hospitals and PHP/IOPs discourage patients from becoming friends. Sometimes they can add to the stress in each others lives, and complicate recovery. I love story telling, but I'll spare you a long one I have in mind. Made short...I made a friend inpatient who was also going to the same PHP/IOP as me. Something happened between us that made one of us leave the IOP early. It's really a shame! I won't put full blame on either of us.

I think it's crucial that we not hide from the outside non-psych dx world. I'm not saying that living in the type of residence that you describe would have to be hiding, but it could be for some.

Both my husband and I are bp. We make it work. In the past 6 years we've never been late on a bill.

It might work, but only if both/all are on the same page as far as commitment to treatment in order to remain stable. An agreement with each other and support for each other as far as remaining on medication and doing whatever else works best...therapy and/or support groups.

I think it would, given a good mix of people