Hi,

My heart goes out to you - It is extremely hard to see someone you love go through so much pain.

I don't know if this will help you but I'll tell you our story. Excuse me if I waffle a bit.

My husband is hyper-bipolar and was diagnosed when he was 21. He's currently medicated. When I met him he was not properly medicated and his moods used to fluctuate quite a bit. To cut a long story short it took him a few years to find a medication that agreed with his body.

When my daughter was born, naturally I was concerned that she might be bipolar too and was, and still am, always on the look out for signs. She never slept as a baby and never ever stopped moving. Then the crying started and just never ever seemed to stop. Again to cut a long story short, I put her on a gluten free diet, which eventually turned into a gluten-free and soy-free diet and since I had to cook everything I also eliminated preservatives. Since this day I have never looked back. I have a happy little daughter.

The wonderful thing was that as our house was a gluten, soy & preservative free house my husband episodes have decreased significantly. It took my husband a good 6 months to stop eating them and realise the connection (he loves his food!). My daughter has managed to get her hands on other kids sandwiches a few times in daycare and it's immediately obvious. She turns into a nasty little thing, with temper tantrum and real mood swings.

We've been on this diet for 1.5 years now and it seems to work for us. My husband and daughter's intolerance to soy seems to run in his family. There is alot of research out there regarding eliminating gluten and casein from your diet (we still eat casein as it doesn't seem to be a problem). My sister is a dietician and she said that this research has now been dismissed. My answer to her - come live in our house - bring your gluten/preservatives with you and see the effect.

3 years ago I never gave a thought to what I put in my body. Food intolerances may be worth a look into for you. It is very very hard at first and very frustrating. The diet my husband has does not replace his medication, it compliments it. My husband and daughter have found the results rewarding. I often wonder if I've gone to extreme measures in eliminating these things from their diet, but you can only do what you believe is best.

I hope this helps in some way. If you do need any more info please let me know.

Cheers,

Lisa