Verywell Mind’s content is for informational and educational purposes only. Many people who live with BPD have experienced childhood trauma. Learn more about the complex blend of factors that cause BPD. Navigating a relationship when one of you has BPD, and the other does not, can be challenging at times.
With effective treatment, Dr. Dudley says that a person with bipolar disorder can experience extended periods of stable mood. Medication, therapy, a strong support network, and other mental health resources can help you better manage your thoughts and achieve long-term stability. No two people with bipolar disorder share the same thoughts or experiences, but there are some common thought patterns among most folks who have it. This includes cyclical thinking, manic and/or depressive episodes, suicidal ideation, and psychosis.
“If you take one thing away it would be that you’re not alone and other people are struggling with this.” The impermanence of friendships being part of a natural occurrence hits home with me. My talking too much may have caused most of mine to fade, except for one. Then I waited 3 years, and one day I had an inner blowout and I wrote her the most awful letter about my anger and pain. I added my worst thoughts about her cruel way of dropping me so that she wouldn’t contact me again.
Offering your support to connect them with a mental health professional can help them take that next step. The diagnosis of a mental health condition is not a red flag. Many people with various mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder, lead balanced and meaningful lives.
The relationship feels unsafe (emotionally, physically, etc.). Develop a plan of action when symptoms worsen (e.g., contacting the care team or seeking emergency services). Talk to your partner about their experience with the condition, and identify patterns to be aware of. Learning how to take care of themselves and support each other can strengthen the relationship. Additionally, research suggests that during mania, a person may participate in risky behavior, such as having unprotected sex or cheating on their spouse.
Tips for Dating Someone With Bipolar Disorder
But this thinking diluted my gut feeling that things weren’t going well, and I wasn’t comfortable with speaking up when I did have an urge to. Part of that came from being scared to be alone, afraid of how being single would force me to be alone with myself and deal with a mental illness that I still didn’t understand. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 2.8 percent of the United States population is living with bipolar disorder.
Strategies to enhance and improve the relationship are available through individual or couples counseling. However, the emotional impact of recurrent mood swings on either party can lead partners to feel like a relationship isn’t healthy anymore. Bipolar is commonly treated with a combination of medication and therapy, depending on the individual case.
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Having your spouse go through therapy with you can help them understand why you act the way you do and learn better ways to react. To get a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, someone needs to have at https://hookupsranked.com least one episode of mania or hypomania. During a manic or hypomanic episode, your loved one may feel energized, elated, or irritable. They may feel unusually talented, powerful, or important.
Take Care of Yourself
Loved ones can find themselves walking on eggshells because they never know what to expect next. The situation is more difficult when loved ones aren’t aware of what the problem is. If the loved ones don’t understand how the disorder works, they can get caught in a cycle of trying to figure out why the person changes so much.
You don’t have to feel guilty or frustrated that they did not change, as it was not your responsibility to do that. Bipolar disorder affects relationships complexly; hence there isn’t a blanket approach or solution. This may seem like an obstacle that can be dealt with, and often it is.
Behavioral symptoms
Some configurations of personality occur in forms that we identify with clinical terms that convey clusters of traits, attitudes, and behaviors. Their utility is that they become a kind of clinical shorthand. Maladaptive personality traits cluster in ways that are identifiable and recurrent. The lexicon of personality includes familiar terms such as sociopathy, passive-aggressive, borderline, masochistic, and narcissistic, to name a few.
But it’s a part of who we are, and it’s a part of accepting the person you love. We need you to know that when we have these days, weeks or even months during which our moods are uncontrollably solemn, we just need you nearby. We need you to say, “I love you.” We need to hear you tell us our feelings don’t define us, and that you’ll be there to get us through. Everyone has issues and you do not owe anything to someone that you are causally dating.
