DH, Bipolar disorder. What now?

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Dh has been struggling for a while, he's half way through a degree, he hates his job, hates where we live, hates life basically but he started acting really wierd just after christmas. Making loud stupid noises, poking holes in sandwiches, screaming all of a sudden, ripping up catalogues, toilet roll etc, splattering toothpaste on the walls,laughing uncontrollably at nothing - basically exhibiting the behaviour of a 5 year old. He NEVER seems depressed, just high all the time so when the GP mention bi-polar I just can't understand. Does anyone have any experience of constant high bi-polar disorder and what happens next?

has the gp referred this on??

definitely get a psychiatrist appointment as it could easily be something other than bipolar

If the GP suspected bi polar I can't imagine why he wouldn't have referred him asap as IF it is BP your dh needs treatment asap.

The 'highs' can go on for weeks then be followed by an almighty 'low'.

Or, as fattyarbuckel said, it could be something completely different. whatever it is your dh needs help so go back to the GP.

you need to take charge. he may be in no fit state to seek help or take decisions.

Ironically the highs are more dangerous than the lows (if he is bipolar) because they behave recklessly and think they are invincible.

my dh was always mildly up all the time in a nice way when suddenly we went completely off the rails -- staying up all night, going out on his bike at 3am, inveting reasons for driving to random places at wierd times etc. His GP was a bit too relaxed in my opinion and waited until it got to a crisis before referring him. It was "rapid cycling", a particularly dangerous bit of bipolar, and he was eventually admitted to psychiatric hosp and put on heavy medication for a while. He was diagnosed as bipolar 2 or soft bipolar, which is more up than down. That was 2 years ago and he has only ever had that one "down" in midst of this rapid cycling.

It can be pretty serious. Don't hang about. can you call his GP?? that what i had to do in end and cry scream down the phone to get things moving. mental illness a complete cinderella and loads of GPs are totally out of their depth.

i'm not a doctor but i know people with bipolar and the cycles are different from person to person. some have lots of fairly short ups and downs. some are more up than down and some have long periods of each. also it can change.

i wish you all the best. not an easy illness to cope with at all both for the sufferer and nearest and dearest who can find it hard to know what is the illness and what is the 'real' person. make sure you get support for both of you.

Doesn't sound like classic hypomania (description here - www.mind.org.uk/help/diagnoses_and_conditions/hypomania ) but does sound like he needs help.

What's next is that your G.P. must make a referral to the mental health team for a psychiatric assessment (not a counsellor or counselling psychologist)

That Mind info line on the link I've put in can be rung for help.

I was thinking that it didn't seem like typical mania as well. Although I only have experience with my dad - I am not a healthcare professional.

That said, the 'high' phase of bipolar can go on for weeks. And I also have experience of needing to get to a crisis before the GP would take action.

The high phase is the worst for family/friends IME, and the lows are much worse for the sufferer.

My only advice is to keep pushing for a referral to a psychiatrist, if you've not already got one.

You have my sympathies, as does your DH. It's a horrible illness. But my dad's bipolar is well controlled by medication, so there is hope.

My FIL had manic depression (bi-polar) and did not behave in the way of your partner at all.

There is certainly some sort of breakdown going on, and I would say it needs urgent attention.

A constant high would be a manic episode. He might have difficulty sleeping, have thoughts running at high speed making him talk very fast and disjointedly. He might have delusions about being special, gifted or chosen and he might have psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations or recieving messages from the radio or TV. He might be paranoid thinking people are talking about him, setting traps to catch him out.

Any of these symptoms would justify an urgent referral to the Crisis team for assessment. My relative had one manic episode that lasted four months. It was treated with drugs and settled and they chose to take lithium to prevent further episodes. So far so good. The diagnosis of bipolar depends on having a manic episode with or without a history of depression.

It is a terrifying experience to see your loved one go through this, I hope there is a less serious explanation for your DH.

Keep pestering the GP for an assessment, and if they won't arrange it, see another GP.

My FIL hid a lot of his emotions very well. To anyone outside the immediate family, he seemed very normal, happy go lucky, very amiable.. but that was very far from the truth.

He battled with this illness all of his life, and it killed him in the end :( but he had refused to take medication, despite his GP trying her best to treat him.