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How to stay in love with a bipolar person


How to Manage Romantic Relationships

Bipolar Disorder: How to Manage Romantic Relationships
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Medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, PhD, PsyD — By Erica Cirino — Updated on Nov 5, 2019

Romance and bipolar disorder

The shifts in mood associated with bipolar disorder can cause extreme changes in behavior. During manic episodes, a person with bipolar disorder can have an unusual amount of energy and may not be able to sleep. When experiencing depressive episodes, a person with bipolar disorder can seem tired and sad. They may not want to go out or do things.

These major shifts in mood can make communicating and socializing difficult. While the symptoms of bipolar disorder can be managed with medication and psychotherapy, they can still take a toll on relationships, perhaps especially romantic ones.

Read on to learn ways to manage a romantic relationship, whether you or your partner have bipolar disorder.

If you have bipolar disorder, you may already be familiar with the impact your condition can have on a romantic relationship. You may feel nervous about starting a new relationship and finding the “right” time to tell your partner you have bipolar disorder.

These concerns are understandable, but it’s important to keep in mind that you can have a healthy romantic relationship. For the best chance of success in a new relationship, be sure to communicate openly and follow your treatment plan.

What you can do

  • Tell your partner about your disorder. Do this before you make a long-term commitment to that person. Describe what they can expect when you’re experiencing a mood shift. It’s also helpful to tell them what you usually do to manage your moods. This way, your partner won’t be surprised when you experience a mood episode. They may even be able to help you get through it.
  • Stick with your treatment plan. Perhaps the best way to reduce relationship stress is to follow your treatment plan. This can help minimize your symptoms and reduce the severity of your shifts in mood. Discuss your treatment plan with your partner so they can help you keep on track.
  • Keep an open line of communication. Tell your partner when you feel a mood shift occurring so they’re not alarmed by a sudden change in your demeanor. Also, be open to them when they tell you that they notice that your mood is “different.” Many times, others can see changes in our mood when we cannot.
  • Be honest. If you’re having a severe episode and struggling with your symptoms, don’t hesitate to notify your partner and ask for help when you need it. For example, if you’re experiencing a depressive episode and don’t feel like leaving the house, explain this to your partner instead of making an excuse to stay home.

Dating someone with bipolar disorder can be challenging, because you can’t control when your partner experiences a mood shift. To help your relationship succeed, focus on communication, support your partner’s treatment plan, and don’t forget to take care of yourself.

What you can do

  • Educate yourself. This is the first thing you should do when you start a relationship with someone who has bipolar disorder. Read about the condition so you understand what your partner is dealing with — and what you’ll be dealing with.
  • Ask about their experience. Ask your partner how they act during shifts in mood and what they do to manage their moods. It’s also beneficial to ask them what you can do, if anything, to help them during these episodes.
  • Try to be patient. It can be frustrating if your partner’s mood shifts interfere with your dating plans. When times get tough, take a deep breath and remember it’s the condition — not your partner — that’s causing your frustration. Take a break if you need one, whether that’s taking a walk around the block or spending a weekend away from your partner.
  • Be open. It’s important to communicate openly with your partner. Tell them how you feel, but never blame them for their disorder.
  • Support their care. Your partner’s best chance for managing their condition lies in following their treatment plan. You can show your support for them by helping them stick with the treatment plan created by their doctor.
  • Get support when you need it. Sometimes, you may need some help coping with your partner’s condition and the effect it’s having on your relationship. Make sure you have your own support system of friends, loved ones, and counselors who can provide advice and encouragement when you need it.

While taking these steps can benefit your relationship, bipolar disorder may still occasionally cause strain in a relationship — even if both of you know what to expect. That’s not unusual. But keep in mind that whether you have bipolar disorder or are dating someone with the condition, it’s possible to establish and maintain a healthy and fulfilling relationship.

Keys to success include maintaining an open line of communication, making sure the person with bipolar disorder follows their treatment plan, and getting support when you need it.

Last medically reviewed on February 12, 2018

How we reviewed this article:

Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

  • Bipolar and relationships. (2016).
    prechterfund.org/news-and-events/news/20160128/
  • Doan JM. (2017). Loving someone with bipolar disorder.
    nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/February-2017/Loving-Someone-with-Bipolar-Disorder
  • Mayo Clinic Staff. (2018). Bipolar disorder.
    mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bipolar-disorder/basics/definition/con-20027544
  • Meyers S. (2012). Bipolar disorder: Loving someone who is manic-depressive.
    psychologytoday.com/blog/insight-is-2020/201206/bipolar-disorder-loving-someone-who-is-manic-depressive

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

Current Version

Nov 5, 2019

Written By

Erica Cirino

Edited By

Frank Crooks

Feb 12, 2018

Medically Reviewed By

Timothy J. Legg, PhD, PsyD

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Medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, PhD, PsyD — By Erica Cirino — Updated on Nov 5, 2019

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Loving Someone With Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depressive disorder, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy and activity levels that are drastically different from the moods and behaviors of a “typical” person. While only about 4.4% of American adults will struggle with bipolar disorder at some point in their lives,1 it can affect that person’s ability to carry out day-to-day tasks and live their life normally. The moods usually alternate between mania, or an extremely “up” mood, and depression, or an extremely “down” mood.

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When Someone You Love Has Bipolar Disorder

If your loved one is struggling with bipolar disorder, you will notice certain symptoms. During mania, your loved one may have increased energy, be overly confident, speak rapidly, get distracted easily, and engage in riskier behavior. During the depression stage, your partner may experience extreme sadness, loss of energy, feelings of being worthless, social withdrawal, and suicidal thoughts.

How to Love Someone With Bipolar Disorder: A Helpful Guide

Can a bipolar person love someone? Absolutely. Can someone with bipolar disorder have a normal relationship? With work from both you and your partner, yes. When someone you love has bipolar disorder, their symptoms can be overwhelming at times. But it is possible to work past this mental health condition in your relationship. Although we provide drug and alcohol detox in Boca, we also work with those people who struggle with mental illness and are sharing some tips on dealing with a loved one who has bipolar disorder.

1. Learn About Bipolar Disorder

When someone you love has bipolar disorder, you may feel lost and overwhelmed. It is natural to feel this way, but there is something you can do. The first step to loving someone with bipolar disorder is to learn everything you can about it. Research the symptoms of bipolar disorder, the vocabulary associated with the disorder, and various treatment options. Read books, surf the web, and try to find people who are also familiar with the disorder. The more you know about your loved one’s mental health condition, the less frightening the symptoms will be. You will also be better equipped to help your partner during their struggles, especially if the diagnosis is more recent.

2. Be Understanding

It is not your loved one’s fault that they have bipolar disorder. Let your friend or family member know that you're there for them. People suffering from bipolar disorder often feel like they are a burden and don't seek help. Instead of letting them feel that way, be empathetic of their situation. Be sure to let your loved one know that they can talk to you or act as a welcome distraction. Loving someone with bipolar disorder is about being there for them in whatever way they need.

3. Encourage Treatment for Bipolar Disorder

Done are the days of electric shock therapy and unnecessary lobotomies. There are various viable treatment options now available for bipolar disorder. Because the sooner bipolar disorder is treated the better the prognosis may be, it is important to seek professional help as quickly as possible. While it may be tempting to see if your loved one will get better without treatment, this could make matters worse. All too often people with bipolar disorder will turn to drugs such as alcohol or opiates in attempts to self-medicate. These bad habits could lead to a substance abuse problem that now also requires professional attention like our residential drug treatment in Boca.

4. Accept What You Cannot Control

Loving someone with bipolar disorder can cause you to feel powerless. Although bipolar disorder symptoms can be managed, it is a condition that cannot be entirely controlled. Understand that mood swings and changes come with the territory of manic depression, and calling your partner “crazy” or telling them to “brush it off” won’t help. Unfortunately, bipolar disorder is a part of your new reality and with this reality comes a little bit less control. Bipolar disorder isn’t anyone’s fault, and the sooner you are able to relinquish this control and adjust, the easier it will be to accept the diagnosis and move forward.

People with bipolar disorder tell how to properly support them

March 30 is celebrated as Bipolar Day around the world. With this disease, it is important to monitor mood changes, which can be difficult to do alone. The founder of the Bipolar Association, Masha Pushkina, has collected stories of people who are helped by treatment partners.

At the initiative of public organizations bringing together scientists, doctors and activists, every year on March 30, World Bipolar Day is celebrated. The date chosen was the birthday of Vincent van Gogh, an artist who, according to researchers, was the embodiment of a "bipolar genius."

With bipolar disorder, a person lives either in a state of high emotional uplift and excitement (mania), or in depression. According to world statistics, about 2% of people suffer from bipolar disorder in various forms. This means that in Russia there are at least three million bipolar people - this is about half of St. Petersburg.

In most cases, this condition responds well to medication. But, unfortunately, many do not seek help or do not know how to find it. Without treatment, the disease progresses and ultimately leads to sad consequences: loss of family, job, disability in general, and in almost every seventh case, suicide.

These consequences can be avoided. The peculiarity of bipolar disorder is that the onset of remission depends not only on the doctor and medications, but also on the behavior of the patient himself. Very often, bipolar people provoke seizures "with their own hands." The mood of people with BAD (bipolar affective disorder. - Note ed. ) is very unstable, the balance is fragile, and mania or depression can be “started” in dozens of ways: the psyche is easily shaken by psychoactive substances, alcohol, lack of sleep, too intense work, travel and even love. So, a short time after the next course of treatment with powerful drugs, the person again ends up in the hospital. And each new attack reduces the chances of a long remission, affects social status, and even more painfully - self-esteem.

The experience of people with mental disorders around the world has proven that you are much more likely to cope with difficulties when you are supported by people who understand your problems and condition, but do not look at you as a patient. As practice shows, such a person can be not only a partner or close relative. An old friend, and even a person with whom you have never met in person, can help you get through the darkest times. Masha Pushkina, especially for Afisha Daily, spoke with several bipolar people about those in whom they found their support. The result is a story not about illness, but about friendship and trust, which can defeat even madness.

Yana, 31 years old

Housewife, collects books and is fond of confectionery

Purposefully, I didn't find out about the ways of support anywhere, everything turned out quite naturally. I have been sick for 15 years. The first person who looked after me was my best friend, and now it's my husband.

When my hypomania (a mild degree of mania, which is characterized by a constantly high mood. - Approx. ed. ) accelerated into a full-fledged mania (this state is also characterized by a one-sided attraction to some topic, sometimes accompanied by delirium. - Note ed. ), it became clear that I needed to be looked after. A friend began to pay attention to repetitive patterns of behavior in one phase or another, and we decided together to find out what helps in such cases. I think my friend was afraid to take responsibility for my condition, but she turned out to be generous and selfless. When I got married, a friend passed this knowledge on to her husband, and he already supplemented it, based on his own experience. The husband initially knew with whom he connects his life. He says it didn't scare him.

I have obsessions during my manic episodes. My husband does not argue with me at this time, but he also does not feed them, trying to redirect my stormy energy in a different direction. You can’t argue, because the result will be the opposite: I will finally get stuck on the idea, I will consider that I must prove it at all costs, even if the whole world is against me, and there are enemies and conspiracies around. If this does not help, the husband agrees to discuss all these things, but at the same time tries to slow down their implementation by offering to draw up a specific and detailed plan. Sometimes it takes me a long time.

For example, I always want to move somewhere. Right now, and why aren't we packing our things yet? My husband tries to make me write down what are the pros and cons of different cities, what attracts us to them. As a result, I sit for hours on different forums, make lists, think about how we will arrange our life, calculate the budget for different countries of the world. There is also a manic passion for travel, but after preparation, we usually implement these plans. And many years ago, in a fit of mania, I bought an apartment - with a mortgage, with hellish payments. Then it took a long time to resolve this situation, but, fortunately, everything worked out well.

My husband began to chart my mood. I also manage it, and we check the results so that they are objective. Quarrels due to the fact that the husband takes on the role of the elder often arise in the manic phase (never in depression). Then I become very suspicious, any attempts at control cause rage. But now the husband has learned from experience, so he does not react to attempts to unleash a conflict. With obvious attacks of rage and auto-aggression, he uses holding therapy (long strong hugs. - Note ed. ). We have seen this in autistic children, this is how their parents influence them.

When I'm depressed, he doesn't comfort me because it's pointless, but he tries to give reasonable arguments that this period has always ended and this time will also pass soon. We look at mood charts for the past months, discuss the duration of the attacks: two weeks have already passed and, judging by past experience, it should get better in a couple of weeks.

Such support from the husband helps in many ways. When I was being treated by two doctors, taking all the medicines, I didn’t have such support, everything was very bad. Over time, I stopped disappearing from home in a manic state and inflicting serious injuries on myself. All my super-ideas remain on paper in the form of graphs and tables, I don’t even have time to start putting them into practice, so that later I don’t have to deal with the consequences with the whole family.

Alisa, 27 years old

Biologist

To be honest, I don't always find understanding from my healthy environment, I often faced condemnation, devaluation of problems. But from a person who has a similar experience, you won’t hear “don’t invent”, “you can’t feel so bad”, “take a walk and it will pass”.

It just so happens that my best friend also suffers from bipolar disorder. I did not look for support in specialized communities where patients communicate, we met by chance. My friend is much older, he has much more life experience, and he was able to become a real mentor for me. Not once did his actions worsen my condition - I hope that he can say the same about me.

When I'm on the rise, I feel uncomfortable when he tries to slow me down and reduce my passions. But as soon as this state passes and I again take a sober look at the situation, each time I thank him for trying to stop the revelry and disgrace. My friend himself is currently not being treated, but he never imposed his position on me, and when I turn to doctors, he supports me in this.

I told the doctor about this source of support - he is all for it. Before meeting a friend, I had suicidal attempts, but during the entire time of our communication I never tried to say goodbye to life. When you know that there is a person who will understand everything and share warmth (while even my own family repels me), that there is a place where you can come in any condition and where they will accept me without unnecessary questions and teachings, this is a source of great strength. and hope.

When I was expecting my second child, I was depressed. My husband did not yet fully understand the features of the disease and did not want to admit obvious things - this added problems, and my emotional state became extremely difficult. It seems that only thanks to the participation of my friend, I did not do anything to myself and successfully endured the pregnancy. The child was named after him.

Sergey, 49 years old

Freelancer

At the height of the depression, I was looking for any available support and ended up in an online group of anonymous debtors (people who have taken on large loans). One of the participants drew attention to my condition and said that I urgently need medical help. Despite the fact that she lives in the USA, we began to communicate regularly via Skype. Olga literally brought me to the hospital and helped me prepare for the treatment.

Americans are a pragmatic people, many young and healthy people have folders with wills and instructions in case of their death. They also approach mental difficulties calmly and thoroughly. It is common practice for the patient to draw up detailed instructions in advance. In the United States, there is a practice of issuing Treatment Agreements for people with mental illness (Treatment Contract). This document is needed so that family, friends and doctors recognize the symptoms of deterioration in time and take into account your experience and wishes in the treatment. Typically, such a document contains: a list of trusted people; signs of a normal state; signs of an approaching episode; symptoms of mania and depression; actions that trusted people should take to help a person get better and keep him from destructive acts; plan of action in case of an emergency (for example, a suicide attempt). who and what will be done in case of his hospitalization, so that he can be treated without anxiety for household chores.

In a period of severe depression, there is a struggle inside a person between the craving for death and the desire to live - and many external things can outweigh in one direction or another. Every clue is important to help you get out. It is very difficult for one to cope with all this.

I madly didn’t want to go to the hospital and wouldn’t have made up my mind myself, until the last I hoped that somehow everything would go away on its own. But under the supervision of a friend, I drew up a preparation plan: warn the customer at work, arrange to look after my cats. Reported to her about every step. But then he could no longer simply “escape” [from hospitalization], because he felt obliged to both her and the doctor. During depression, one's own life has no value, but the people dear to me, the promises made to them, do.

At the most difficult moment, Olga became my “outer brain”, which told me what to do when I didn’t understand anything myself. After I was discharged from the hospital, I turned to four friends for support. Usually we call each other once a week, I tell what my condition is. It is important not only to chat online, but also to hear the voice, you can understand a lot from it. Friends immediately pay attention, if I suddenly disappear and stop calling, then something is wrong.

I think it is possible to find such a person if you set yourself such a goal. Take a closer look at people in support groups, religious or other communities - those who understand what compassion and mutual assistance are. This must be an internally mature person, ready to take responsibility for you in a difficult situation. If this person has similar problems, then he will better understand your experiences. For this reason, relatives are far from always suitable: they themselves can panic, seeing how bad you feel, choke you with their anxiety, overprotection.

It is necessary to establish the frequency of communication and observe it. And of course, in no case should you parasitize on someone else's kindness. The support system works when you yourself take responsibility for your life, and do not outweigh it completely on another.

Anna and Valeriya, 21 years old

Students

Anna: After a major depressive episode four years ago that almost ended in a suicide attempt, I started looking for information on [support]. I managed to find a guide in English for relatives and friends on how to behave with such a person. I have sent this list to all my friends so that they have an idea of ​​what is happening to me. For the past few years, Lera has been monitoring my emotional state on a daily basis, and if, in her opinion, it goes beyond the norm, she tells me about it. Lera just asks every day how I'm doing, and if she sees that I'm reacting strangely, she wonders if something happened. At first, it was very difficult, because, in principle, I did not like to regularly share personal experiences. But by regularly receiving feedback, I can imagine the dynamics: do the pills help, how long do the side effects last, does the depressive phase go into a moderate and severe degree, do I lose my critical thinking during hypomania.

Valeria: We gradually established a very trusting relationship. Anya studied the topic of bipolar disorder up and down, and I read the articles that she sent me. The diagnosis did not change anything for me, because it remained the same. After that, we already discussed some formalities (for example, who to call in case of an emergency).

Anna: I asked Lera to watch for hypomanic manifestations in which I lose an adequate assessment of my actions: impulsive night walks, alcohol begin.

Valeria: My friend is a very responsible and conscious girl who takes care of herself, her health and her wallet. Before buying something expensive, she asks for my advice - and then we are already sorting out the situation. We can entrust accounts to each other and not worry. I also know where and to whom to run in cases of exacerbation.

Anna: I react badly to prohibitions and reminders of illness. Yes, I periodically have to turn to relatives for help, change treatment or take long breaks, but I expect mutual respect so that they don’t look at me through the prism of the disease.
When the mood is unstable, harsh phrases like “the disease speaks in you”, “these are not your real emotions” cause persistent rejection, even when they are true. The line between accepting a loved one's illness and identifying him with a diagnosis for healthy people is extremely thin. Therefore, those who were able to grope it deserve great respect.

Anna: In the last year, I go to see the doctor with my parents. When the doctor notices that I may not be able to do it alone, she duplicates the instructions and advice for them. I, in turn, am a friend. The doctor has repeatedly emphasized that the change of episodes is more noticeable from the outside.

Valeria: We don't have any kind of hierarchy in relationships, so there is no pressure when one makes decisions for another. This is not eating each other's emotional resources, but complementing and supporting.

Anna: The main danger in a relationship with a person with a serious illness is to fall into codependency. This format is equally bad for both the "controller" and the "subordinate". Unfortunately, I have been in such relationships before. It is worth maintaining mutual respect and treating each other as equals. Illness should not dominate a relationship. In difficult episodes, it temporarily comes to the fore, but you should always remember that you are not a disease.

Anna: I have memory problems: I don't remember some episodes. In such cases, I can ask Lera for help. If you remember the last weeks, then these are regular reminders to call the doctor. In mixed episodes, this becomes an acute problem, because I can suddenly change my mind or forget. Against the backdrop of a severe episode, I may develop psychosis, and this is the most dangerous thing in the disease. Thanks to our format, I manage to avoid such exacerbations almost always.

The advantages of observation from a loved one are an early response and the fact that he knows the patient's usual behavior very well and can notice even small changes. The main disadvantage is that normal friendly communication risks turning into constant monitoring of symptoms. Not every mentally healthy person is able to remain within the boundaries of reason.

It is important to agree in advance, before an attack, what is an undoubted sign of a worsening condition (for example, persistent insomnia), and what you do not need to pay special attention to (for example, loud indignation at something that you do not like). In a difficult situation, often a loved one begins to behave not as an equal, but as a “healthy” and “knowledgeable”. Not all relationships stand this test.

There is also a variant of "buddy" (when two people with mental disorders look after each other. - Note ed. ) - it is good precisely because it is the true request of the patient and more equal relations without mixing roles. But I don't know the buddy support system.

To choose a person you can rely on in a critical situation, take a closer look at your surroundings. Above all, a high level of trust is needed. Your assistant should be open to nonjudgmental and open dialogue and at the same time emotionally stable and resistant to stress.

Support is essential for every person - very often we as mental health professionals need it. And with bipolar disorder, this problem is especially acute. At the initial stages, those closest to you often ignore the presence of the disease, and friends advise you to either "pull yourself together" or, conversely, "relax", sometimes with the help of alcohol. When it becomes obvious to everyone that the “condition” will not go away on its own, urgent hospitalization is already required. The saved patient receives the "stigma".

Psychiatrists then make it the responsibility of the uninitiated next of kin (parent or spouse) to monitor any changes in the patient, and they really try to do so. At the level of "laughing out loud - hypomania has begun, upset - depression." As a result, psychiatrists begin to treat quite normal human emotions based on complaints from relatives... and the circle closes.

For this to change, mental health literacy must play a major role. Relatives, in order to be able to help, need to understand well what is happening with a loved one. In many, including state clinics, groups for training relatives either already exist or are being created.

The support of loved ones in case of emergency is especially important. In deep depression or mania, a person is not able to independently control his behavior, this decision is made by relatives, sometimes without his consent. In the case of bipolar disorder, this should be the last option when all others have been exhausted.

Bipolar disorder - love and relationships

10/01/2019 Asya Melkonyan, psychologist If a loved one is sick, Favorites

Are bipolar disorder and love compatible? How to build relationships with people with bipolar disorder?

Contents

How to maintain a relationship with someone with bipolar disorder?

Managing any romantic relationship, whether it be courtship or marriage, can be a very difficult task. And if bipolar disorder is also involved in the relationship, with its roller coaster mood swings, the relationship will become even more problematic and require a certain amount of tension.

Jim McNulty, 58, married in 1970. According to him, at first everything was just fine. The courtship looked absolutely normal, Jim and his wife got along very well. Then the mood swings started. During the manic phase of the illness, he could spend much more than he could afford. Then Jim's mood changed dramatically, and he was drowning in the abyss of depression. Such wild leaps had a negative effect on marriage and, moreover, began to threaten the complete ruin of the family.

In the end, Jim signed the house over to his wife to financially protect her and their two young children. The result of the struggle between love and illness was the victory of bipolar disorder. Jim's wife asked him to leave as she could no longer cope with her illness.

Love and bipolar disorder

When people decide to start a relationship, they hope for stability. But the manic-depressive psychosis of one of the partners can destroy such expectations and seriously complicate the relationship. A person, especially not treated, is prone not only to mood swings, but also to changes in personal qualities, relationships, which can jeopardize the constancy that is the basis of relationships.

In addition, not all sufferers of manic-depressive illness show distinct phases of mania and depression. But when such episodes occur, sufferers can give vent to their feelings and destroy relationships.

During a manic state, a person may lose his sanity, which will entail unreasonable spending, infidelity, alcohol and drug abuse, and even problems with the law are not ruled out. Therefore, the phase of mania in one of the spouses can be extremely detrimental to relationships, since the patient is capable of actions that threaten the financial condition of his partner and personally him and his health.

The other pole is depression. This state makes a person withdraw, abandon everyone and everything around him. Such moods are very upsetting for the partner, because he is trying to pull the patient out of his shell, but has practically no chance of doing so.

For those who have a partner with bipolar disorder and who are interested in how to combine bipolar disorder and love, we recommend reading the book “Why is it so difficult with you. How to love people with neurosis, depression and bipolar disorder.

Love, falling in love and bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder can be a problem early in a relationship. When you first meet someone you like, it's natural to want to make a good impression.

Therefore, immediately reporting an existing illness will not be the best solution for a favorable start to a relationship. There is always a fear that by such a confession you can scare a person away and lose the opportunity to meet someone else. On the other hand, you still have to let your partner know about your illness.

Doctors advise not to talk about your psychiatric problems on the first date. But if you feel that the attraction is mutual, you want a serious relationship with this particular person, you need to dot the i's.

Knowing what can trigger cycles of hypomania, mania, and depression, and paying attention to warning signs that you are entering a new phase of your cycle can go a long way in helping you avoid unpleasant situations in new relationships. After all, the more the patient is aware of the features of the manifestation of his cycles, the greater the responsibility he will be able to take on. Some common symptoms of upcoming changes in mood include restless sleep and increased or decreased activity levels.

Marriage and Bipolar Disorder

Events ranging from work stress to financial problems can lead to strife and friction in a marriage. But when one of the spouses has a manic-depressive psychosis, minor stress factors become enormous. This explains why at least 90% of marriages where one of the partners suffers from bipolar disorder eventually break up.

Jim McNulty witnessed the destruction of not only his own marriage, but also the marriages of many other patients. He led a cheerleading team for almost 19years. During this period, he met a dozen couples who came to the meetings of a group of people whose relationships were torn to shreds. Jim believes that bipolar disorder puts a lot of extra strain on a relationship, especially if the person is unaware of their condition and has not been diagnosed.

How to make relationships better?

It's really difficult to have a love relationship and bipolar disorder at the same time. But not impossible. To save a relationship, and subsequently marriage, requires constant work on yourself by both partners.

The first step to take is to see a doctor and treat the disease. Your doctor may prescribe mood-stabilizing drugs, such as lithium medications and antidepressants, to help relieve your symptoms. Therapy with a qualified psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker is also important. Thanks to this treatment, you can learn to control your behavior, which brings stress to your partner. If your spouse agrees to go through the entire course of treatment with you, this will help him or her better understand the reasons for your actions and learn how to respond to mood swings in the right way.

In addition, if the spouse is directly involved in your treatment, this will bring the couple even closer.

While you may want to crawl into your cocoon when you're depressed, or feel like the king of the world when you're manic, it's important to be able to accept help when it's offered. It can be useful to draw up a contract that states in advance under what circumstances and in what condition you will agree to help from your partner.

For the spouse of a person with bipolar disorder, knowing the best time to offer services includes recognizing the states and moods of the wife or husband. It is important to learn to understand the emotional throwing of a partner and to be on the alert all the time. Jim McNulty is now married to a woman who also has bipolar disorder. When one of them notices that the other is getting depressed, Jim or his wife ask how he or she is feeling, how he or she can help. Such gentle and unobtrusive attention helps both to be in order.

There are several other methods that can revive love: