Frustration to the 3rd power

Having a bi-polar family member requires extreme patience in dealing with delicate situations. I will admit that I have little to no filter and pretty much everything I think comes out my mouth. So for me to deal with this person causes me GREAT frustration.

There are moments when I have great pity and sympathy for her but then I immedately have this conflicting feeling that she has no right to treat people the way she does no matter what disorder she has. I find myself pulling farther and farther away from her just to protect my own heart. Which is a vicious cycle -

She treats me poorly trying to seek attention ----->
I pull away to protect myself ----->
She requires love and attention and acts out again ----->
I AGAIN pull away -----> and on and on the cycle goes

If I was not the one living my life and was a random reader of this blog I would automatically make this assumption, "Just cater to her a little; show some compassion and love and solve your problem." This actually brings up another symptom of bi-polar people - Nothing is ever enough. The more you give the more they want. A normal person requiring love and attention knows when enough is enough and will accept that. Bi-polar people need more and more until they act out in a negative way in order to get the attention they feel they "need". Dealing with this particular situation frustrates me because I can spend quality time with this person everyday and then she will make a comment about how I will never spend time with her. Confusing? And very contradicting.

This is my woe. That I have to separate myself enough to live my life but be close enough to be compassionate and caring to her needs. It's a balance I will never get just right.