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Am I safe ?

By LifeisHard Monday, March 29, 2010

Help !

I'm looking for feedback.  My husband was diagnosed a year ago with bipolar disorder.  In my mind, he's treated me very poorly for all 3 years we've been married.  I will describe it briefly below.  Is this bpd or abuse ?  And should I be scared for my life ?  I never feel safe:

 

Little things will make him blow up.  Like if I "said" that I was going to the grocery store about 3 pm, but I end up going at 4 pm.  Or if I buy a brand of something at the store that he doesn't really like.  Blowing up, or "raging-out" as I call it, means that I get called stupid, lazy, a B**ch, a C**t, a Piece of Sh**.

If I argue with him about it, he gets in my face, and can say things like "Fu** you and Die, B**ch, or "get out of my house", or "you and your son are both losers", etc.  I've learned to NEVER to let BIG things occur.  Big things would be trying to keep something from him to surprise him, not lavishing attention on him when he comes home, not making foods the way that he prefers them, not doing something that I committed to do (like paying a bill) the next second, even if it's not due for 4 weeks.

 

Here's the worst thing that has happened in the last 6 months:

 

We went on a weekend vacation.  We went out for the day, in a new city.  We were supposed to take a drive, but he decided to go downtown and walk around where an evening event was going to take place.  It was really hot.  I stopped in a place to go to the bathroom.  When I came out, he was even further down the path away from the car.  I caught up with him.  He mentioned he had to use the bathroom.  I told him we could go back where I had been.  He said no, he had spied a porta potty up ahead.  He seemed to make light of it.  We went a ways further, and I saw a street vendor's booth with my husbands favorite kind of art.  Trying to be nice, I said "hey, we should look over there".  My husband blew up at me, saying I was totally insensitive to his needs. He pointed out the porta-potties up ahead.  I told him I'd wait for him there where we were, in the shade.  When he came back, he snapped at me and started walking off.  He told me how mean I was.  I caught up to him, tryed to be nice, but told him that I wasn't being insensitive.  It escalated into a HUGE fight.  He started calling me names and I walked off.  He beat me back to the car and wouldn't let me in.  When I finally got in, I said I wanted to go home (we still had 2 more days of our vacation).  He called me names over and over and over again.  I tried to stay calm, and not call him names, I simply stated over and over "I Hate what you did".  When we got back to the hotel, he started calling me an "IT" and asking strangers what they thought of "IT" and wasn't I gross.  I ran to the room and locked the door so I could pack.  He started beating on the door.  I opened it.  He put his fist in my face, and I told him to make sure it was a good one, because it would be the last time he got close enough to hit me.   We got in the car and went home.  I wanted to leave but I was drained of energy.  When I got home, I went to the grocery store.  I  bought the wrong kind of cheese.  He called me a C**nt, and I threw the cheese at him. He ended up shoving me onto the driveway and I fell pretty hard.

3/29/10 4:55pm

Are you safe?  How could anyone still be wondering this when already they've been physically assaulted? No, you are not safe. It also doesn't matter what you want to call this kind of behavior, "abuse", or something else--or what triggered it, "illness", or something else. You also mentioned you have a child.  Get out now for both of your sakes.  Call a Women's Shelter and ask for their help in doing it, asap.  Don't make excuses or delude yourself that you or your child are safe around this person for another day.

Anonymous
tabby
3/29/10 5:23pm

"Is this bpd or abuse ?  And should I be scared for my life ? "

 

Since one can only go strictly by what you have typed... since we do not have HIS side of the story and there is always 2 or more sides to every story... we can only go by what you have typed and only by what you have typed.

 

In going by only what you have typed and only by what you have typed.

 

Are you serious in asking those 2 questions?  Does it truly matter to you if it is either bpd or abuse?  If someone were to say "oh it's the bipolar" would you then sit there and go... "oh well, he is just sick and I'll just sit here and take whatever cause he is just sick."?

 

Are you serious?

 

There are billions of people on this spinning planet and thousands of cultures throughout the world where it is most acceptable for men to abuse women.  In fact, in many cultures it is not even considered abuse.

 

Yet in this culture... in western culture... so much has now become "abuse" and in what you have typed because we can only go by what you've typed... you ask whether it's bipolar or abuse?  Does it really matter?

 

Listen sug... illness or no illness, cause millions who do abuse do not have Bipolar and thousands of those with Bipolar do not abuse others, if you feel you are being mistreated and or abused... then likely that is what is happening.  YOU are teaching him how to treat you and in response, how to treat your children.

 

YOU are responsible for your actions and your inaction.  You got to decide what you can and can not tolerate living with and what you feel is safe and not safe.  Once you figure all that out, then you got to figure out what to do about it all cause it's totally up to you. 

 

 

4/ 4/10 4:26pm

Thanks so much for your reply.  I appreciate your point of view.  I know that I need to do something.  I am being forceful that he has to stay on medication and tell the doctor when he's not doing well, rather than taking things out on me.   My son is almost 18 and leaving home soon.  He and I have had conversations about it.  I know that I raised him right, and that he will treat his family with love and respect. 

3/29/10 10:48pm

Ok let me start with are you safe? NO is he probably bipolar? YES. With that being said let me state this. I'm a 25year old female I've delt with bipolar most of my life (untreated untill 2 years ago) I can relate to what you were typing. I would blow up for now reason, I would get pissed off if things weren't just how I liked them. Did it make me feel shitty later yes but It was the only way I had to vent for how shitty I felt in side. Now am I trying to say you should stay cause he has a mental illness NO. I was in a relationship before I was diagnosed bipolar and it was very very bad (my fault for sure) and I loved the man but to much pain was caused and it wouldn't work out do to not being treated. We are now great friends and I'm very level headed these days. But hurt is hurt and somethings you just cant forgive. If it starts that downward spiral you just have to get out. Take Care I hope this helps

4/ 4/10 4:23pm

Thank You !  It really helps to hear from someone on the other side, who can explain what's happening.  I have learned many of my husband's triggers, but it is a LOT OF CONSTANT WORK to try to avoid them when his medication is working, and IT'S IMPOSSIBLE when his medication isn't working.

 

My husband has now been on medication for a year.  It's been adjusted 3 or 4 times, and he ran out of it once which was a huge backslide, so it's almost every other month that his medication "isn't working".  

 

Does the medication work better the longer that you use it ?  I see some signs on some days that my husband is better, but it's taken the whole year to get a bit better for longer time periods between RAGE OUTS.   

 

What worked for you ?  My husband isn't yet at the stage where he can admit that he even has a problem....it's still all my fault Cry 

4/ 4/10 11:51pm

Well I'm happy I could help :) Well let me start off by saying that some time the medications with just stop working your body builds up a resistance and then you have to be switched. With that said yes the medication helps when on it long enought to be stable. If he has been on it for a month or two and isn't different then he needs new med or just isn't right for you. I can be a bitch on or off meds but when I'm on meds I feel as if i have a choice in my actions I'm not just driven by emotions I can acutually think hmm is this what I want to say or feel. But if he doesn't believe he has a problem there isnt much you can do for him. I know my triggers and my limits as does my husband and we both try really hard to keep me in check when it comes to stressful situations or times when I'm triggered. I would talk with him and see if he knows what his triggers are and what he needs from you to help him the best you can. :) I hope this helps any more questions let me know Take care

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By LifeisHard— Last Modified: 12/19/10, First Published: 03/29/10