Bipolar - has anyone any experience?

[WinterLover]

DP is suffering with his depression really bad. He's been on 75mg Venlafaxine since may 2012 following an accident. He feels fine about the accident, no longer has flashbacks but something isnt right still.

I've thought about bipolar for a month or so, he's showing a lot of the 'symptoms' described, but I've never mentioned it to him.

Last night we was talking after he went OTT with DD, and he asked me how I was feeling about him/us. I told him I'm constantly on egg shells, do everything I can to prevent an episode where he totally loses it/flips out/trashed things. He said he was scared as he thought he was showing signs on bipolar.

Any help on where to go from here would be appriciated

[DiamondDoris]

Bipolar 2 here. I get a bit like Crawling in that my episodes can last months. Does your DH get manic/hypomanic? Usually characterised amongst other things by hyperactivitity (by this I mean full of energy, constantly on the go), delusions of grandeur or thinking you're the bees knees, impatient and snappy with other people, hypersexual, not thinking of consequences of actions etc

I don't know if he sounds bipolar or not (flipping out isn't always a sign of bipolar in isolation - could be the depression, stress or anxiety. He needs to see a GP and then referred to a psychiatrist. Don't be scared of the possiblity of bipolar.

[Crawling]

Hi i am type 1bipolar now i will have about 6months to a year depressed then i will be normal for a while then i will go manic usually for between 3-6months during which i am hyposexual hyporage paranoid delusions hallucinatons not sleeping or eating for the entire episode (this is when i am med free ) type bipolar2 don't have pychosis but experience hypo mania which lasts about a week and has most of the above symptoms only not as bad e.g type bipolar1 will sleep for the15 minutes to a3hours while manic but type bipolar2sleep for 3-6 hours.

How long does your husbands up symtoms last ? If you want him assessed then gp if he's currently well and a and e or crisis if he is not well.