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LEAVING A BIPOLAR PARTNER



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01/23/2008 20:48
DisabledOkie
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This makes me want to not try and date again. I am so afraid of being left because of my illness and my partner leaving because they have reached the end of their rope from dealing with my physical condition. Yes physical as the brain is where the disorder resides. My soon to be ex blamed ME for so many things that were caused by the mental illness, not me. I think he meant well at first. He just couldn't take it anymore. I have went through so many medications and just recently have been put on 4 meds that seem to work enough but not quite. Who knows? My meds may have to be revamped altogether. It's a constant struggle,hard work, and a journey. I highly doubt I will find someone new who is willing to look beyond the Bipolar & Anxiety Disorder. Question... When should the mental illness diagnosis be brought up when dating someone new? What sane person in their right mind would date a Bipolar person?

Post edited by: DisabledOkie, at: 01/23/2008 22:49

Post edited by: DisabledOkie, at: 01/23/2008 22:50

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01/23/2008 21:59
MsBimbo
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Dear Finallydone,

You are a brave man. It is difficult to leave someone when you know they are in trouble, but you must always take care of yourself first in any relationship with a bi-polar. (I am bi-polar.)

You are right, without her stabilized, you will be on a roller-coaster of misery.

She sounds so much like I once was....truly miserable and then out of reality again.

You cannot fix her. Staying with her and coming apart yourself is not good.

You have been battered in the same sense of a mentally battered partner. You need someone you can trust to work out your feelings and obvious guilt. Just realize you are not guilty of anything except taking care of yourself and showing the most honorable love. Your choice shows you respect yourself as well as her. No one wants to live a lie.

I hope you continue to heal. May God Bless and Keep you in this wonderful journey called life!

MsBimbo
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01/24/2008 05:12
finallydone
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Thanks. I was truly falling apart in this relationship and I will know what to ask next time around when I'm dating. This will be the last time I date a Bi-Polar person. I know it is the "illness" talking sometimes but the anger is real. The emotional abuse is real. Whether it is the illness talking or not......"I" was the punching bag for my BiPolar persons' anger, manipulation, and constant emotional ups and downs. I just feel she always blamed her "Illness" but never herself on why she treated me bad. I left her because any one in their right mind....will leave an abusive relationship. No one deserves to be in that situation whether the other person has mental illness or not. I learned coping skills to learn about her and never added to the anger. I did my part and my research. SImilarly, I think people with this disorder should learn to meet therapy and medication half way. IT cannot do ALL the work FOR you. That is my two cents. I stayed with her because she WAS on therapy and she WAS on medication but SHE was not doing the work to get better....and I walked away because I kept being punched emotionally over and over again.

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01/24/2008 05:16
finallydone
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wow ashcutee. My wishes for a quick recovery for you. I took off from work most of 2007 to help my brother through chemotherapy. He is now cancer free and on remission. He's back to his good health. Here is a virtual hug for you. you are indeed very lucky to have a supportive family that loves you and is there for you NO MATTER WHAT. That is a blessing....cause whatever your husband is short on....they make up for it.... My family was not that supportive with my relationship with her....they just kept saying that I was an idiot and that it was time I left her already....LOL....oh well.....

anyway.....stay strong...

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01/24/2008 08:54
Gypsy
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Hi,

What I have learned from being in bad relationships, and being in one that is working, now, is. Both people have to be willing to do the work, and take care of themselves, physically, emosionally, and spiritually. I cannot make anyone get help. I can't chase anyone, and I can't fix anyone, and I don't have to allow anyone to hurt me. There is selfish love, and unselfish love. If, I am staying in an abusive relationship, and letting someone keep hurting me, I am not taking care of me. If, I put someone's needs over mine, I am not taking care of me, or allowing them to take care of them.Unselfish love is caring about someone's health and happiness.If, I need someone to be sick with me, I am being selfish. If, I am allowing someone to continue their sick behavior,I am not helping them or me. If I think, that if only they will get better, everything will be fine, I am being selfish. It can't be one sided. I have to be willing to be healthy for me. They have to be willing to be healthy for them. I have to allow them to find the help, not get in the way. I can give them the information, but, it's their choice whether they are going to use it or not. If they don't use it, and continue to want me to stay sick with them, that is selfish. I don't have to allow anyone to be sick in my life.

I am bipolar, and have a boyfriend who has had problems, too. I have tried to chase him, beg him, fix him, etc, and would stop taking care of me. I put so much work into taking care of him, that, I forgot about taking care of me, and my kids. I would obsess, and feel despair. I put up with alot of abuse, that way. I also would become the victim, and a martyr. I would work really hard on all of this, and then get mad when he wouldn't do it himself. I thought it was that he didn't care about me. He couldn't change for me he had to change for him. His stuff has nothing to do with me. He has to learn from his own consequences.

When, I started setting boundaries, and expressing myself, and working on me, I started getting healthier. We had to take a break one time, because,

He was continuing to do things that were not healthy to him, and were becoming abusive to me and my kids. This helped me get away from him, and get the focus on me. I got to learn that I was just as unhealthy as he was. I focussed on him, and worked so hard to keep him with me, that, I was destroying myself. It also helped me not have to look at me.

So, I learned about codependency, and enabling, and people pleasing, and communicating my needs, and if they don't want to listen, or respect it, they have choices. I have choices. My boyfriend, and I have come a long way from where we started. I am bipolar, and have made a lot of mistakes in relationships, but, was able to find a partner who has put up with me, and I have put up with him., But, we are both willing to do the work on ourselves. I have my own support, and am on meds, and in therapy, and he has his own support, and is able to go to his family for help.

Each person has to have their own candle. There is a candle in the middle, if you light the middle candle, you don't blow your own candle out.

So, anyway, I just thought, I would share a little of what, I have had to learn. My goal is to keep taking care of me, and learn to be okay with me., regardless of what my boyfriend chooses to do. I do have expectations of him to stay healthy, and treat me right. If we get off track, we talk about it, and allow eachother to work through it.

Anyway enough out of me,

God bless, Gypsy

God Bless,Gypsy
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01/24/2008 10:45
finallydone
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YOu are totally right GYPSY. Sometimes it just takes some bad relationships to appreciate the good ones. I agree it ALL comes down to BOTH people WANTING to do the work. I did not want to play the role of VICTIM anymore and I did not want to accept the abuse that was coming my way. I was NOT taking that anymore. YOu are very lucky to have found someone that WANTS to do the work.

Whethere you are BIPOlar or not....it simply comes to that...both people must want it bad enough to work at it....and now I just need to figure out in my own individual therapy.....why I became an enabler in this situation....still working at it though...LOL...I loved your post.

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01/24/2008 10:53
DisabledOkie
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I guess my post above was ignored. So what I gather is that no one should ever date, let alone marry, a bipolar person. That really dropped a lot of hope for me. I have no right to get involved with anyone for what the illness might put them through. Now I am even more depressed than ever.

:*(



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01/24/2008 11:18
southern10
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Hi..Im sure your post was probably not ignored..I think so many posts get posted at the same time,and some probably dont show all at once.. You will find someone who loves you for you not the bipolar..Im bipolar and have been in a relationship now for 3 years with a good man... Im currently going through a divorce myself..So as long as you take your meds like you should,their should be no problems.....You will find someone,dont give up hope and welcome to the forum..Southern10

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01/24/2008 12:42
Gypsy
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Hi DiabledOkie,

I am not saying don't get involved with a person with bipolar. I think it's important that they be getting treatment, and taking responsibility for their disease. I am bipolar, and got lucky.

It's sad, that people have been hurt so bad by people with bipolar.

Not everyone feels that way.

Welcome to the group.

Gypsy

God Bless,Gypsy
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01/24/2008 13:00
finallydone
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I agree with GYPSY. DO not feel discouraged. I think there is a person for each one of us out there. Whether you are BiPolar or not, as GYPSY put it, BOTH of you must be wiling to put in the work.

I personally will not date another person with BiPOlar because I already went through the experience. I learned all that I could about the responsibility of being the spouse of someone with BiPolar. I attended therapy myself to keep myself in check. I kept busy and had my own life. However, no matter what "work" I put in...she was not doing her part....and it takes two.

I am always an optimist and I believe you will find the person that is right for you. The challenge is not finding them...it's being able to KEEP them. And that goes for EVERYONE whethere you are BiPolar or not.

Post edited by: finallydone, at: 01/24/2008 15:01

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