Bipolar Support Group

I am non BiPolar, I had thought my husband was, now I have doubt.

Yesterday was a really bad day. My H came home late from work, and I just asked him, why he didn't call me to let me know. (We have already had a war going on for the past month and a half, mostly the silent treatment, him running away from home, that sort of thing). Well this set him off in a rage, he raged at me for at least 10 minutes. I tried to disengage, it was really hard, so I took my journal out right in front of him, and started to journal the things that he was saying, he then began to dictate more of his rage to me, to make sure I got it right. I also added in, and said it out loud while I wrote, and this is the respect that I get from my H, while the veins are popping from his neck, his face is right in my face and really red, and his eyes are bulging.

I then put the journal down and let him go on, and then I started to laugh at him, and I told him that he sounded ridiculous.

He calmed down within 1 minute of me laughing and came in to apologize, and talked to me most of the evening about his behavior.

If he was bipolar, would this even be possible to come down this quickly, especially after being laughed at?

I know that I should not have laughed, and I would not recommend anyone doing this, it's just I was at the point of calling the cops.I also know that no matter what his problem is that I was endangering myself.

I just really need to know if it is possible to come down that quickly.

Thank you

amy

My H gets like this for weeks and months at a time. He is never just for a few minutes, I could deal with that. I think that I was trying to provoke him into hitting me, even though I wasn't thinking that at the time.

With laughing at him and journaling what he said, I think I was using a defense mechanism so that I would not engage in the fight, but at the same time it was an action that can provoke someone.

If someone did to me, what I did to him, I would feel provoked, so I don't understand why he just stopped it, and then apologized to me, and then wanted to discuss the relationship and what I needed, and never even brought up the fact that I was laughing at him (his behavior).

Is it more likely that since he has been trying to control his raging like this, that this is what he recognized himself as doing, and that is what snapped him out of it?

I'm so confused about this, that I don't even know what I am asking.

His anger used to be explosive like this. He has pushed and shoved me. I had him arrested once, and that is when all of that stopped. He is afraid of the law. He had to go to court mandated abuse counseling. He has turned more to passive-aggressive anger now, that is why I was surprised to see it again, and I was more surprised that he stopped it.

That's also why I am questioning now, if he does have a mood disorder or a personality disorder. He is not on any medication. (But, you are right about this, it really doesn't matter what his problem is, if I am afraid of him emotionally or physically)

We are in the process of selling our home and most likely separating.

As far as his diagnosis for bipolar disease. A health professonal is the only one who can make that diagnosis.

He went to therapists 4 times this year. First he would go by himself, then he asked me to go with him so that the therapist would get a better picture. When I went with him, and the therapist recommended help for him, but that I was OK, he didn't want to go back anymore. The last one definitely thought he had ADHD, but that he wanted to talk to him more to find out more. My H decided he did not like therapists and that he was not going on any medication. I continued to see the therapist in case my H did go back as a ploy to get me stay again.

The ADHD was just based on what my H told him. I know if he goes back there this therapist will send him for an evaluation. I was also starting to doubt bipolar because so many mimic other disorders.