Bipolar Love - Spotting the Symptoms of Bipolar or other Mental Illnesses
- Krista Hannesen
- Jan 19, 2021
- 2 min read
Author S R John
If you think getting into a relationship with someone that is Bipolar and leading a normal life, you can forget about it. You are stepping into a whole other world, so you’d better be prepared to juggle a lot more than the average person. All I can say is make sure you keep your own sanity in check, because it’s easy to lose your own mind when dealing with someone who has a mental illness.
Mood swings, irritability, depression, becoming belligerent at times, and feelings of sadness can overtake your loved ones. If you are not sure what’s going on find a good doctor who can diagnose them. With my now ex-husband, he suffered from each of these and more. He was on a high one day and crashed to a real low the next. He would lie and hide things. If the mood felt right, he would not think twice about arguing with some guy twice his size on why they parked in a No parking zone.
We walked on eggshells many days, trying to tend to his needs. The house had to be quiet and dark when the migraines would come. Hard to do when you have a house full of people. The endless crying of a young child or screams from kids having fun can be maddening to someone not well.
A quick search on the internet tells us Bipolar disorder can occur at any age and typically is diagnosed in someone’s teenage years or early 20’s. Symptoms differ from person to person and believe me, those symptoms change as time goes on.
Given all our recent lock downs with the pandemic, loss of jobs and many people crowded in the house at the same time can make someone depressed and irritable, but that is a temporary adjustment and most of us will slowly get used to the changes.
But for someone who has Bipolar or other another mental challenge, this pandemic could have made things worse so make sure they are taking their medications and get the meds adjusted as needed. Keep stress away from them as best you can and give them the space they need because their mood can change on a dime and you don’t want to be the punching bag on the other side. Always, remember if they say or do things that turn you off or make you mad, it’s the disease that is talking, not them. Keep in mind they still love you.
As I said in the beginning, make sure you also take time for yourself and keep an eye on the rest of the family so that no one goes unchecked. Bipolar or any mental illness affects the entire family.
Stay safe, stay strong,
S R John, Author of Ghost Detective The Magic Ruby
Volunteer with Ontario Caregivers
Wife to a man with Bipolar; caregiver to a bedridden parent and my own health scare has been challenging. Join me on my Bipolarlovesrjohn page and discuss mental illness, caregiving and more.
Bipolar Love Experiencing Mental Illness From The Other Side (To be announced)
S R John: https://www.facebook.com/srjohnofficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sebastianavalade/
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