i'm really worried that my fiancee might
have bipolar disorder. We've been
together for 5 years, and shortly after we
started going out, she was diagnosed with
depression and was put on anti
depressants.
She stopped taking these after about 3
months, and everything started over again.
She went through phases of being both
physically and emotionally abusive towards
me, whilst at times being hugely
affectionate towards me, and from applying
herself at university to trying to commit
suicide by taking every pill in the house
or by slashing at her wrists - leading to
2 seperate trips to accident and
emergency.
After weeks of me begging her to, she
finally decided to go back to the doctor,
who promptly decided that, yes, she was
still depressed and put her back on anti
depressants.
This time she lasted long enough to start
a job that she had successfully applied
for 200 miles away from where we live. We
agreed that she would move back after a
year, and we see each other fairly
regularly, but after 3 months of moving
away, she took herself off her anti
depressants again. For 2 months, she was
fine - always sounded happy to hear from
me and was always enthusiastic about
things.
Recently, though, she's been sporadically
sounding tired and angry on the phone, or
she's been over-the-top happy and
enthusiastic. She responds violently to
things that I say that nobody else seems
to find fault with, and she regularly
tells me that she thinks that I don't love
her and that I don't really want to marry
her.
Always after these attacks, she phones up
and begs me not to leave her or find
someone else - a thought that has never
occurred to me - and that she's sorry, but
when I try to ask her what's wrong, she
just tells me that she's fine, or she says
she's tired.
Recently, a friend told me about a family
member suffering from bipolar disorder,
and I was wondering, is my fiancee's
behaviour typical of someone with this
condition?
|
sundae21
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 17 Oct 2005 Posts: 4 Location: NewZealand
My Partner Has Bi Polar Posted: 10-17-05 21:07pm
He is a loving and caring man whom I love
with everything I have. The situation you
have described is someing like what I have
been through as wellmy best friend also
lives with bipolar. My partner has
foundit very hard to come to grips with
what this condition means and so have i.He
was also told he hadd deppresion when he
was 15 but after they loooked at his
family histoy decided it was bipolar my
advice is to find out if there is any
history of mental illness in her family,
it can be hereditory. Document her moods
and changes in personality because this
can help you to help her. Go to a phyc
and show them what you know. Once on the
meds for her condition things will get
better. Trust me. My partner is the most
amazing loyal loving man I could have
wished for. He still has phases but
because we know what we are dealing with
it is alot easier to help him. Because at
the moment your not sure what exactly your
up against
|
BPjoe23
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 11 Oct 2005 Posts: 111 Location: dfw tx
Re: My Partner Has Bi Polar Posted: 10-19-05 06:47am
sundae21
wrote:
he is a loving and caring
man whom I love with everything I have.
The situation you have described is
someing like what I have been through as
wellmy best friend also lives with
bipolar. My partner has foundit very
hard to come to grips with what this
condition means and so have i.He was also
told he hadd deppresion when he was 15 but
after they loooked at his family histoy
decided it was bipolar my advice is to
find out if there is any history of mental
illness in her family, it can be
hereditory. Document her moods and
changes in personality because this can
help you to help her. Go to a phyc and
show them what you know. Once on the
meds for her condition things will get
better. Trust me. My partner is the
most amazing loyal loving man I could have
wished for. He still has phases but
because we know what we are dealing with
it is alot easier to help him. Because
at the moment your not sure what exactly
your up
against
ditto couldn't of said it bettery my self,
things will get better.. Yes part of it
seems like bipolar.. But can say it's
all of bipolar or that every bipolar
person will do it. ( I guess i'm
different when showing depression or
mania) I would keep a track of her mood
swings, what she eats and drinks, talk to
her family and find out if any one in the
family has a mental illness or if there
was mental illness in the family. Also
find out
if any one is a diabetic,a
alchohallic(sp?), and or has throid(sp?)
disorder
|
ThePainISwallow
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 06 Nov 2005 Posts: 1 Location: Egypt
Yup Bipolar Posted: 11-07-05 10:10am
I just knew that i'm a bipolar a while
ago. I've got social anxiety disorder
too; n sum symptoms of schzophrenia. I'm
soo paranoid these days, I feel
emotionally numb and am not writing or
talkin to anyone about my emotions, am
always denying that anything is wrong.
"i'm fine" what I think ur fiance is
bipolar n shes in a paranoid state. Coz
when she starts thinking you dont love her
she is paranoid. I currently
automatically think everybody hates me n
judges me wrong n I hate everybody these
days.If you really love her be patient n
give her the support she needs.And when
shes feeling good. Keep up the support
becoz when she starts numbing her feelings
she gets paranoid. These days am numbed
sooo numbed. Im numbing my true real
feelings n am like "whatever you want." so
just make her feel good about herself n
always talk to her about how she feels.
When she says I need to be alone let her
be coz we bipolars isolate ourselves
sometimes.. "just like I do"..
There are diff. Episodes, depends on the
person. Each one's bipolar is different.
Mine for example, I get all the episodes
sometimes in one week. N other times I
may get manic for a long while n feel
soooooooooooooooooo good. N other times I
get hypomanic.. That is the best episode.
U got nooo negative feelings at all. U
think positive.
These are the episodes:
(hypomanic episode)--
"at first when i'm high, it's
tremendous…ideas are fast…like
shooting stars you follow until brighter
ones appear…all shyness disappears, the
right words and gestures are suddenly
there…uninteresting people, things,
become intensely interesting. Sensuality
is pervasive; the desire to seduce and be
seduced is irresistible. Your marrow is
infused with unbelievable feelings of
ease, power, well-being, omnipotence,
euphoria…you can do anything…but,
somewhere this changes."
(manic episode)--
"the fast ideas become too fast and there
are far too many…overwhelming confusion
replaces clarity…you stop keeping up
with it—memory goes. Infectious humor
ceases to amuse. Your friends become
frightened…everything is now against the
grain…you are irritable, angry,
frightened, uncontrollable, and trapped."
(major depressive episode)--
"i doubt completely my ability to do
anything well. It seems as though my mind
has slowed down and burned out to the
point of being virtually useless. [i am]
haunt[ed]…with the total, the desperate
hopelessness of it all…others say, 'it's
only temporary, it will pass, you will get
over it.' but of course they haven't any
idea of how I feel, although they are
certain they do. If I can't feel, move,
think, or care, then what on earth is the
point?"
mixed episode--
symptoms of both a manic and major
depressive episodes
bipolar I disorder--
characterized by the occurrence of one or
more manic episodes or mixed episodes.
Often individuals have also had one or
more major depressive episodes.
Bipolar ii disorder--
characterized by the occurrence of one or
more major depressive episodes accompanied
by at least one hypomanic episode.
Cyclothymic disorder--
a chronic fluctuating mood disturbance
involving numerous periods of hypomanic
symptoms and numerous periods of
depressive symptoms.
Rapid cycling--
defined as having 4 or more manic, mixed,
hypomanic, or depressive episodes in any
12-month period. Episodes are marked by
either a period of partial or full
remission for at least 2 months or a
switch to an episode of opposite polarity.
