OK, so I know some of you have BMs that are bipolar, and I'm a bit wary about posting here because i realise that many people have a very negative view of the illness, so please don't respond if all you can say is flaming those with it.

My brother has been with his girlfriend nearly a year, and she has bipolar. She was doing really well, completely controlled by medication, so much so that the Dr decided to try and reduce her meds. Unfortunately this coincided with a bad time for her as her cousin died from cancer, and one of her friends with the same condition attempted suicide. She had a psychotic break a couple of weeks ago & my brother who was with her at the time was really freaked out as she was trying to strangle herself (just with her hands, so it's impossible to succeed) and called the ambulance.

Anyway, she seemed to be getting better, but at the weekend recognised some early warning signs in herself & voluntarily put herself in hospital. Last night I called my brother to see how she was doing & offer him support and he seemed reasonably positive, she was struggling to trust the staff & would come out with strange comments, but he was fairly confident that she was stabilising again. Half an hour later my mum calls to let me know that they'd just found out she tried to to a runner, and she's been sectioned.

It's all just a bit weird at the moment, I didn't sleep well last night, worrying about her and my brother (he's epileptic and stress is often a trigger for fits). The way my mum was talking I think she would rather he split up with her, and although I wouldn't be able to blame him for walking away saying he couldn't cope he truly loves her, and I can honestly say I've never seen him so happy with anyone. She is really good about trying to manage her condition, and told him early on so that he could walk away then if he wanted, but this is the first time he's seen the condition in full swing.

I've managed to find him some online bipolar forums, plus a couple of local support groups for family of those with mental health issues, but any suggestions on what I could do to support him, any useful tips on dealing with bipolar all gratefully received.