Husband with bipolar

[caruti]

Does anyone have any experience of coping with a partner with bipolar? I have already posted under relationships because initially I thought it was a relationship issue. It is as he has left his family- five children, one is three months old, but it has since come to light that there is a mental health problem too. My question is how do you cope when there is so much else going on?

I do yes.

My family has been through hell and back this last six months and my husband got very unwell and was on the cusp of psychosis.

Is it ok for me to PM you?

Sorry. I should have said he does have bi-polar but it got worse with all the mess we were going through which lead to a really bad spell.

I am off out for a bit but I can PM you later if you want support or just someone to talk to.

Thanks- sorry a bit late replying. Yes please, PM me if you could. It's pretty awful here. He's moved out and barely sees anyone. I'm too close to it all to support him I know. Looking forward to hearing from you x

Me too. Not in your current situation but have had some tough times. for you, it is very hard.
Is your husband on any medication - has he had a diagnosis?

He's not on medication yet. This is all early days really. He's got another appointment next week to discuss things further. He's had quite a few appointments recently- I don't know if that is a bad sign and they are worried about him- I am. He's not living at home as I said, but he has completely turned against me and doesn't want to see me. He can't see the baby without me as she is breastfed, and I don't really want him to see her on his own anyway at the moment.

Your situation sounds very stressful, I am so sorry. Do you have support?
Lots of appointments may actually be a good thing, as if he's being properly assessed and will be prescribed medication, it will help. If it is bipolar, the medication can make a huge difference pretty quickly. It is a mean illness, but the prognosis with treatment is usually good.

As with all things where you feel you cannot cope - you do, be ause you have to, and some days wil be much worse than others. Take all the help you can, don't be afraid to confide in people you trust - don't carry it all on your own.

X

It is very stressful and unrelenting as five children are all consuming. Having said that they keep me busy which is a good thing I suppose. I think the difficult bit really is accepting that I can't fix this and in fact I probably make it worse by being overly emotional. I'm not sure it helps having me crying down the phone'- but how can you leave your baby?!' But then I have to remind myself that I am bound to feel emotional. He's done a terrible thing-ill, yes but leaving and behaving as he did, was pretty low.