How can I help my sister who refuses her medication?
Assalamu alaikum. My sister was diagnosed with bipolar disorder a few years back, but she’s been showing signs since she was younger-days of extreme energy and happiness, then days where she’d just shut everyone out. The meds helped calm her episodes, but lately she’s stopped taking them and won’t say why. Now she’s having manic episodes almost daily, and she’s become fixated on shaitan, talking about fighting them or doing dangerous things. We keep reminding her that focusing on Allah’s dhikr and reciting Surah Al-Baqarah is better, and we’ve tried ruqyah before which helped a bit, but the issues remain. I don’t know if it’s the bipolar making her obsess over these thoughts. Our family is really struggling. We’ve tried therapy, we’ve sat with her to talk about triggers, but nothing sticks. She switches therapists often and never gives a clear reason-I think it’s because they tell her to take her meds and she doesn’t want to. Whenever our parents mention medication, she just ignores them. I recently asked her gently why she’s having so many episodes and what sets them off, but her answers don’t make sense. She’s very stubborn, so convincing her feels impossible. Any advice would mean a lot. JazakAllah khair.