Coping with Bipolar Disorder

Two of Andrea's friends, Daphen and Kathy, say they continue to support Andrea through everything. Daphen—who has known Andrea since middle school—says that most of the signs were hidden, but she did notice some peculiar behavior. "She missed a lot of school. She wore her clothes inside out the night before … like a sweatshirt so she could just flip it the next morning," she says. "Because she's my best friend, I would just say, 'She's just eccentric, you know, beats a different drum.' I could always say that."

When Andrea was feeling down as an adult, Daphen and Kathy say they would often try to help her realize that she was a good mom. "[Andrea] could never live up to what she thought society expected or what society says is a good mother," Kathy says.

Daphen says both she and Kathy knew that Andrea had tried to kill herself once before—not long after Garrett's birth—but they attributed it to postpartum depression.