People with bipolar might get caught up in blaming others because they have not developed healthy coping skills to deal with their painful feelings. They are fearful of losing what their life used to be, and they may be in a stage of complex or prolonged grief.
Manipulation isn't a formal symptom of bipolar disorder, although some people with the condition may exhibit this behavior. In some cases, manipulative behavior is a result of living with another mental health condition, such as personality disorders, substance use disorders, or trauma.
Those angry emotions, in turn, can cause aggressive and inappropriate behaviors. When things don't go your way, or if someone tries to rein you in, you may lash out. A manic mood can make you yell at people, blame others, and even start physical fights.
A person with antisocial personality disorder will typically get easily frustrated and have difficulty controlling their anger. They may blame other people for problems in their life, and be aggressive and violent, upsetting others with their behaviour.
Answer questions honestly. But don't argue or debate with a person during a manic episode. Avoid intense conversation. Don't take comments or behavior personally.
Blaming others impacts one's ability to manage bipolar disorder symptoms. They are not learning to take responsibility for their own actions and decisions by passing the blame. They are delaying a more honest self-evaluation in which they might realize how their actions worsen their problems.
The Relationship Between Bipolar Disorder & Anger. Bipolar disorder is characterized by frequent mood cycles, fluxing between mania and depression. While anger isn't always present, people with this frustrating condition may find they quickly experience angry outbursts when they feel agitated, irritated, or annoyed.
Humans are wired to blame.
These propensities are partially psychological, driven by something called the fundamental attribution bias. We tend to believe that what people do is a reflection of who they are, rather than considering there may be other factors (social or environmental) influencing their behavior.
Projecting blame can help regulate tough emotions.
Projection refers to attributing one's shortcomings, mistakes, and misfortunes to others in order to protect one's ego. Blaming others (i.e. projection) is more common in those who are experiencing negative feelings and are unable to regulate their emotions.
The reason why people usually blame others is that it's a quick escape from guilt. Blame is an incredibly easy and effortless tactic to use when we feel defensive.
Bipolar disorder and marriage can be toxic to a relationship. That's when a relationship fails or is failing. It can trigger negative reactions that could lead to self-harm, self-loathing or worse. Relationship issues need to be watched and positively regulated from our youth onward.
It's common for someone with bipolar disorder to hurt and offend their partner. When someone is first diagnosed, there are often relationship issues that need to be addressed. Couples counseling can help you: Understand that there's an illness involved in the hurtful behavior.
Bipolar disorder (BD) patients often demonstrate poor socialization that may stem from a lower capacity for empathy.
Bipolar disorder can arrest a person's emotional maturity and produce behavior that appears very childish and reckless. Please remember, however, that while someone who has bipolar may act like a child, there is an adult underneath.
Poor judgement is a hallmark of bipolar disorder. It can distort our perception of relationships, needs and behaviors.
Social psychology theories of stress and coping note that self-blame is a type of coping process because it involves cognitive activities that affect the relation of an individual to their goals.
Blamers are almost always complainers; they want others to join their assignment of guilt and shame on those they blame, in a kind of common-enemy bonding. Blame is a natural coping mechanism that begins in toddlerhood.
Typically, blaming others is then identified with resenting or being indignant toward them and resentment and indignation are often thought of as specific forms of anger.
Deflection and narcissism
The main difference between deflection as a self-defence mechanism and deflection as a manipulation technique is that narcissists lack empathy and, when they deflect the blame to the person who accused them in the first place, they try to increase their control over them.
Emotional abuse is a form of manipulation that involves controlling another person's emotions. It can take various forms, including blaming, shaming, embarrassing, criticizing, or isolating the victim.
People who experience delusions of grandeur, as well as those around them, do not always recognize it as being anything more than pompousness, arrogance, or boastfulness. If delusions occur during manic episodes, this is a clue that bipolar disorder is involved.
Looking back at what happened during a mood episode can stir powerful emotions. It's common to feel embarrassed, humiliated, ashamed, even worthless. There's often regret, sharpened by fear that you've alienated people in your life.
A bipolar person may avoid relationships because they don't feel good enough for other people. Sometimes these feelings come on quickly and cause those with mental health conditions to push away others in existing relationships. This can lead to social isolation.