Ive been with my partner for a year now and he has bipolar and he''s manic depressant, Ive learnt how to deal with his moods but i cant seem to calm him down when he goes on about killing himself! he just blocks me out and trys to push me away. but then wen his mood changes he's so loving and apologises for his mood swings. he does explain things to me about why he does it. he's on depakote, which wen he takes 1 in morning and 2 at night. i noticed wen hes angry and takes them at night he has fitful sleeps and talks alot while sleepin! but wen hes calm he sleeps so peaceful not waking once. his other meds is pericyazine which he takes when hes angry he takes up to 6 at a time, also sleepin tabs, i always try and support him and help him remember his meds or give them to him myself so i no hes takin them, hes under alot of stress at the moment hhow can i help him??? i no he wont comit suicide but it worries me when he talks about it and scared he's going to leave me!
Q: dealing with my partner with bipolar and manic deppressant
Hi, Samantha. You are already 99 percent there simply by being there for him. From your question, it's easy to pick up your compassion and support and your willingness to listen. All the rest is basically details. One or two things:
You can often pick up things before your partner does - weird behavior, lack of sleep, stress, etc. Make sure you two have an understanding that you can bring this stuff to his attention. These are often called "triggers" and if you pick up the triggers early, the two of you can work together to prevent an episode (such as encouraging him to get sleep or talking through problems).
At the same time, you cannot read his mind. If he is having a bad hair day, he needs to let you know it so you can give him a wide berth.
As you can see, good communication is vital to making this relationship work. I suspect you are already very good in this department, so keep building on your strengths.
Also, make sure you have various understandings in place - eg if he starts sliding into mania, do you have the authority to cancel his credit cards? Maybe he won't allow this, but try to work on some understandings you can both live with.
Finally - take care of yourself. Living with a bipolar can be very stressful. You come first. You're good to no one when you're not healthy.
Last but not least - as you've discovered, bipolars are super people. Enjoy your relationship and best wishes to the two of you.
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I have been living with my husband for over 7 years. He has not been diagnosed by a doctor,he refuses to go. I know this is what it is his mother was diagnosed years ago and has since passed away. He refuses to see a doctor says he is fine. Yet is self medicates with vodka and has all the classic symptoms as the years progress so does his mental and physical abuse. Last night was the first time he forced himself on me. He was drunk I wanted to sleep. He was to start a new job and I did not want to provoke an all night fight. I am middle age and am sick myself. I have no family and he never let me work. I am scared all the time. I am even scared in my sleep