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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Divorcing someone with MH problems

4 replies

ontheedgeoffreedom · 12/02/2018 20:34

Stuck in a hellish situation at the moment and wondering if anyone can offer any advice / support. Basically my DH is bipolar and has only recently been diagnosed. We have been married some time and his behaviour over that time could often be described as abusive including incidents of physical abuse. He is currently not able to work but is still in denial of his condition. I have been battling for months with overstretched mental health services to get any support and this in itself has been time consuming and stressful. I have had enough and want to divorce but this is complicated by the fact he has racked up debts (bipolar mania) and has no insight into the fact that he is unwell. His behaviour continues to be erratic and often completely unreasonable particularly with me. The stress of continuing to live with him is becoming untenable and my own mh is starting to suffer. He refuses to leave and basically has me trapped in the role of carer. I have no family nearby where I could go and want my dd to be able to remain in school during crucial exam years and provide as much stability as possible but not sure how I will manage that if he remains in the family home. Has anyone any experience of dealing with similar issues?

OP posts:
PinotMwah · 12/02/2018 20:48

I'm in a similar situation -- no real advice but just to say I know what you're going through and its absolute hell.

My situation is marginally easier as my H did agree to move out and we are now living separately and he accepts this.

But he's still very volatile and erratic, alternating between being unpleasant to the point of being abusive and then being totally dependent on me -- emotionally and financially - and turning up late at night and crying and shouting at me for hours when I'm trying to work/deal with my child etc. It's incredibly draining. He's made a number of not very serious suicide attempts and has gone through periods of enormous financial stress so I have had to bail him out with his rent and other bills on several occasions.

The guilt is enormous.

Ultimately, though, you can't save someone, especially if they refuse to accept help offered to them and face up to their illness. You do have some responsibilities to him but these should not include sacrificing yourself. He has no right to force you into a position of being his carer against your will when you have effectively checked out of the marriage. Remember, also, that your children need one sane, stable parent who can put their needs above all else. Looking after them, and yourself as their primary carer, takes priority over looking after someone who is essentially refusing to address their own problems.

I wish I could offer you a quick fix or advice on the practicalities but not having gone through this I can't, really - I'm sure others will be along who can but I wonder if Women's Aid might be a good starting point? I am still living with this on a daily basis and its affected my MH as well.

Cuban8 · 12/02/2018 21:08

My experiences of this are limited to seeing other family members go through the same for nearly 20 years. The situation has totally consumed them.

Ultimately, it is up to you to decide where to set the boundaries. Agree with the comment above - you cannot save someone.

Are the debts jointly owned? Are you liable to them? Do you own a house together? Are the debts linked to the house?

It may sound brutal but you have to decide whether this is going to get better or worse, because the situation has the potential to consume you and your DD.

ontheedgeoffreedom · 12/02/2018 22:45

Thank u for the replies. We have a shared mortgage and we have approx the same amount of equity in house as he has in his pension so we could sensibly split that way but of course I am not dealing with someone who is sensible or rational. He is fixating on the physical and says he is too physically run down and unwell etc to even go and stay with someone else but he won’t go to a doctor. He has been once to the gp and was given meds for what is a minor issue but is still making it out to be way worse than it is whilst at the same time refusing to go back to the gp and he has even cancelled an doctors appt. He basically won’t take any ownership of his own health despite my efforts to make him do so. (Again I gather not an uncommon scenario for bipolar) I started looking for work before things got really bad a few months back so am currently also trying to do job applications and interviews etc. Getting back into work will be another important step to getting free from him but of course trying to do so when exhausted by all this is something of a juggling act and I prob look as knackered as I feel at mo which doesn’t help! Hopefully I will get some solicitors advice soon but the cost of that is also scary.

OP posts:
G120810 · 14/02/2018 01:19

Speak to solicitor about divorce proceedings sold the house and moved into private let with daughter ex did the same there's no point staying with someone who isn't willing to admit or accept they are I'll he should be on medication u can't save someone who doesn't want saving and living a horrible life it's sad yes but u tried nothing more u can do for him

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