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Could this be undiagnosed bipolar

19 replies

Laundryontheline4 · 25/08/2024 15:53

50 year old man. Really complicated personality. He can be so kind and caring. He's got some good skills and had some great jobs. He's just unable to run his home. He cant Pay bills or budget and manage his money. He's reckless with money he's earned thousands and has been on 35-50k over the years and never has anything to show. He's struggled with alcohol abuse which he successfully quit 5 years ago. He's never drank since. But he has a very secretive habit of coke/crack. He has never allowed any of us to see that side of things. When he spends time with us He's functioning. But a quick nosy around his flat you can soon find proof of addcition.

He has broken relationships with his family and has no friends left now. Only friends he has are addicts. There's an extremely High level of mental health in his family. Bipolar and BPD amongst chronic depression. His adult child has bipolar and she's allover the place. They have a relationship and I think through her He's realising he may well be the same. He tends to borrow money of people and never pay back which results in people feeling used and let down.

He lies alot. He tends to bend the truth. He shows allt of narcissistic traits. Very rude and uninterested In people unless he relates or benefits from it. Be tends to put people down and say people are selfish etc. He can't seem to see the wrongs He's done. He has a history of cheating but went massively downhill after his 2 separations. He really struggles to loose people and his world falls apart. He has a history of suicide attempts.

Underneath all this he had nightmares. He gets scared of the dark. He sometimes has delusions and extreme paranoia. He's very attached to me and he turns to me for comfort..but sometimes he will say he will never talk to me again to then message 12 hours later through distress.

I have sat with this man for many hours. I see alot of trauma in his past. He has such a kind side too. Genuinely I believe he feels worthless and is extremely distressed at the way his brain operates. He knows he's not right. He's allover the place and whilst be reads awful in this post he is like a vulnerable child at times. He does care he just does not know how to regulate and stay on track.

I am starting to think all the destructive highs and lows and reckless decisions are because of an underlying issue. Bipolar? What does the above sound like. On the surface he sounds like a narcisstic addict who lies. But I can see there's something going on beyond this.

What are your experiences?

OP posts:
northernlight20 · 25/08/2024 16:30

are you in a relationship with him and if so, why? you need to run and never look back. its not your place to diagnose him.

CrunchySnow · 25/08/2024 16:31

Sounds more like borderline personality disorder to me

Lavenderblossoms · 25/08/2024 16:33

My family member had bipolar and I don't recognise a lot of what you type.

BaguetteLady · 25/08/2024 16:39

I'm sorry if this sounds a bit harsh, but you really only need to diagnose his condition(s) if you are a clinician involved in his care. He doesn't sound capable of being a partner in a constructive relationship that would bring happiness.

Pinkbonbon · 25/08/2024 16:50

He's not kind. He lies, he shows narcissistic traits, he 'borrows' money that he never pays back. Any asshole can act kind sometimes.

With all due respect op, I'm more worried about your mental health and state of mind. Do you have a martyr complex? Or are you just easily manipulated?

I refer you to the film 'life of pie'. A young boy reaches out to pet the tiger in his father's zoo and luckily his father saves him just in time. The boy exclaims 'but father, there is something good in him, I see it in his eyes'. The father warns him 'no son, what you see is your own self reflected back at you'.

Predators show you what you want to see.

He sounds like a typical narcissist. Perhaps borderline personality disorder too imo. Who knows.

But wake the fuck up. Good people don't lie, steal, manipulate, or generally act like narcissists. Rotten people do though.

Is he handsome? Or are you starved for company? You need to look inwards to see why you are tolerating this shit. Save yourself.

You're not his therapist, doctor or mummy.
Get away from him.

BlueChicken · 26/08/2024 00:02

If he was bipolar he would have periods of depression and periods of mania. You don't mention those so more likely borderline pd, but I'm really not sure that a label will help. He sounds like someone you need to protect yourself from caring too much about.

junebirthdaygirl · 26/08/2024 08:08

Is he on medication for any mental health issues? Has he been in any medical hospital or rehab at any stage?

Laundryontheline4 · 26/08/2024 08:22

junebirthdaygirl · 26/08/2024 08:08

Is he on medication for any mental health issues? Has he been in any medical hospital or rehab at any stage?

He's on antidepressants newly on them. He's had therapy over the years and has been on hospital after a suicide attempt 5 years ago. He's stuck In cycles of getting down. Going over the past and struggling with heavy depression and nightmares. He's just a struggler. In terms of narcissim. He isn't vain or materialistic. He seems to relate to people who struggle but has limited understanding of people like me who function ok. He's introverted.
I have known him long enough now to see these highs and lows and him struggling to find who he is and sticking to a long term lifestyle.
I understand he appears very narcisstic and rotten on what I writing. It's just He's now under the crises and mental health teams and it seems depression is always the answer. But he's had periods of being delusional a few months ago and he said he thought he could be bipolar like his DD. I have strongly suspected ptsd. I just want him to have some stuff to mention in his sessions as I strongly believe the depression is because he's had some sort of mood or personality disorder all his life undiagnosed. He's suffered as he has been missed in the system.. absolutely other people have suffered around him as he makes the worst choices. But the choices he makes have made him fall to rock bottom over and over and he's always unhappy and distressed. I genuinely believe he cannot lead a normal functioning life because he's not medicated in the correct way.

I'm not going to answer the relationship questions and being told to run. He's a friend and me and 2 others are trying to get him diagnosed and supported this year whilst he's in acceptance of help. If you wad mentally unwell you'd want someone to not quit on you.

OP posts:
Pinkbonbon · 26/08/2024 13:10

The thing op, although some progress can be made with borderline personality disorder (which sounds like a possible candidate) if they engage with therapy...it's something that forms when they are young and, it's part of who.they.are. There's no curing it exactly.

It doesn't sound like bipolar.
If its ptsd then it would have a source surely?

Also...you say he's 50. In 50 years are you telling me he's never sought help?

Or that no one has encouraged or supported him in doing so? I doubt that very much!

I'd bet that these people that he was close enough to 'borrow' money from...amd perhaps the family that have now cut him off...very much tried to help and support him at some stage. Possibly for a very long time.
Why do you think you'll succeed where they failed?

More likely he is parasitic in nature. Depending on the attention of well meaning good samaritains (possibly some with codependency issues) such as yourself to run around after them. Liking the attention as all narcissists do. Playing up the victim complex perhaps in order to seem vulnerable.

Do not think you will be thanked. More likely you will be used, abused, rinced of cash and emotional energy and either cast asside or, having to escape him like other have.

You are not different from the 50 years of prior people he has had in his life.

I get that you want to support your mate. Sonetimes the hardest thing to do is to recognise that someone isn't mate material though and what you really need to do it preprect yourself from them. Good luck. But don't say you were not warned.

Namechangedforthis60 · 26/08/2024 13:15

Psychiatric/mental health nurse here - doesn’t sound like bipolar disorder to me. I’d be more inclined to suggest it’s likely to be BPD/EUPD with co-morbid substance misuse issues which exacerbate his existing personality traits. Obviously there is not enough here to diagnose (nor would he receive a diagnosis from anyone other than a specialist practitioner or Dr).
If I were you, if you’re in a relationship with this man, I’d be questioning what you actually get out of being in the relationship and whether it is beneficial for either of you..

PTSDBarbiegirl · 26/08/2024 13:15

Doesn’t sound like bipolar at all. Does sound like CPTSD or Borderline personality. You don’t mention anything that really jumps out as bipolar more general personality disorder, lying, addictions etc. He needs help. Commonly women with bipolar diagnosis may end up with ADD diagnosis. Could be some features of that. Drugs mess you up though.

Pinkbonbon · 26/08/2024 13:20

Also just a side note op, you say he has a drug habbit...so really, there's nothing you can do unless he WANTS to quit.

An addict has to want to quit for themselves.

All the other stuff...mental health issues...personality disorders... you can't really tackle them with him still taking drugs. It would be 1 step forwards 2 steps back.

And right now he can't even be honest about his drug use so...

Towerofsong · 26/08/2024 13:26

Doesn't sound like bipolar to me.

Could be the financial and personality effects of taking coke, or it could be a personality disorder.

There may or may not be an underlying issue that leads him to take coke.

Heartbroken187 · 26/08/2024 13:30

Mental health professional here 🙋🏼‍♀️ and bipolar diagnosis-holder.

Nothing you describe sounds like my personal or professional experience of bipolar disorder. Narcissistic, vulnerable & child-like, lack of independent living skills, self-sabotage, lashing out, drug use.. those things aren’t in any way synonymous with bipolar disorder.
I echo a PP who said likely c-ptsd leading to a personality disorder / emotional deregulation, with co-morbid substance abuse as part of his unhealthy coping strategies.

In my work if I had a pound for the amount of times people who act in destructive ways say “I’m a bit bipolar” I’d be a millionaire. I find it quite insulting, as someone living with bipolar disorder.

I’d urge you not to be pulled in to this hypothesis of his, and to point him in the direction of a support group for people with personality disorders and then distance yourself before you get any more burnt out by this exhausting behaviour.

imip · 26/08/2024 13:35

Could he possibly be autistic? Self medicating with alcohol and drugs? Trauma from the fact that this has gone undiagnosed?

Blackberriesandcobwebs · 26/08/2024 13:36

Honest question - why do you think its up to you to "fix" him?

EvenMoreFuriousVexation · 26/08/2024 13:39

You've posted about this man multiple times and I've never once seen anyone reply "yeah he sounds like a great bet OP, just hang in there and he'll soon be fixed!"

So maybe a better question for you to ask is not "what's wrong with this man? " but "why do I feel a compulsion to fix this man who shows no signs of wanting to be fixed?"

If he wants to get off coke - which will most likely solve his most pressing problems - there is plenty of help out there for him. For you, there's CODA (co-dependents anonymous).

ThaTrìCaitAgam · 26/08/2024 14:12

Agree with @EvenMoreFuriousVexation , you sound very much co-dependent. I also advice you to seek help for that.

altmember · 27/08/2024 00:38

He doesn't need a badge or a label, he's a drain. My experiences of people like this is that they will happily drag you down with them. The more you give, the more he'll take.

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