Bipolar Breakup

[user1497199406]

Hi there

I'm looking for some advice from anyone who has had this experience. I have been with my partner for eleven years, and I was diagnosed as bipolar II almost four years ago, although my parents and I believe I have always had it. Despite a really hard time getting on the right medications, I finally did so and until recently was relatively OK.

Certain members of my partners family are a trigger for me, and after several family events in a short time period I began to struggle. This has resulted in him leaving our home to have some space. We are still talking and planning on going on our booked holiday next month with a view to him maybe returning home after that.

I am currently trying my best to be OK - taking meds and I have an appointment with my DBT therapist this week. I can't get into the psychiatrist at the moment as I have been stable and am not a priority case as I am not suicidal (their words).

However I am struggling, especially at night. I'm fine at work but struggling to eat and sleep, haemorrhaging money and trying to decorate my entire house to distract me, which I know are bad signs. I'm hiding in my bedroom most of the time apart from the odd bout of frantic cleaning and organisation. Most rooms are in a right mess of stuff I have tried to organise and given up on.

Anyway if anyone has had a partner struggle with their MH can they please offer some advice? Really not sure where to go from here.

Hi,

I've been on the other side, my husband suffers with episodes of psychosis. We seperated for a short while during his worst period of illness. We are back together now. It can be really tough supporting him at times. I have learned that in order to support my husband I need to look after myself first. To take time out to look after myself, in order to be in a place where I can cope with looking after him. When we look back at the time we had appart now we both say that it really helped our relationship. I still loved him and spent time with him, but I also got to close the door and relax sometimes too. When we moved back in together I had better boundries about what I needed for me to stay well myself. We have been very lucky that my husbands MH team have supported us through this. We have recently started family therapy organised by them too to help us both to deal with his diagnosis and its impact on our relationship (his most recent episode left me with PTSD which has been tough on both of us) I wonder if that would be something that would help you both too. You could ask your GP or his psychiatrist for a referal. It might be something best done when you are more stable though. Something else that might be useful for your partner is a study called REACT (relatives, education and coping toolkit) at the moment its a piece of reseach comparing an online resouce list to the toolkit and its 50:50 which you will be alocated to, though I believe after the study all participants will have access to the toolkit. I've been alocated to the tool kit and have found it really useful.

www.reacttoolkit.co.uk