Spouses of Bipolar in Active Relationships

My husband did something today, just a bit ago, that he did the last time he was really manic and left me for the same girl (2 yrs ago). He sent me a picture. Two years ago he sent me a picture of him sitting with a pitbull dog. He is deathly afraid of dogs and he wanted to show me his accomplishment. This time, this evening, he sent me an unsolicited and not even yet discussed picture of his new car he got with the insurance money from his wreck before xmas.

Last time when we got back together he said he wanted to share his life with me and I was constantly in his mind and heart, that he texted me cause he missed me. This time I didnt even remember any of that until I got this picture of his new car. I think he wants me to be proud of him. Is this a repeat? Do bipolars in mania repeat behaviors or patterns even if years have gone by? Can I take any hope from this?

PS my baby is playing with a flashlight, he keeps looking at the light then shutting his eyes, he cracks me up!

Hard to say, for some reason, he is reaching out to you in a non-combative way this time. Maybe he just has a need to show off at this point in his "mania". Don't read too much into it though, LC, just keep observing.

Psychotic behavior can never have a rational explanation because they are out of touch with reality and R irrational. I have observed that some behaviors repeat sometimes they are totally different. BPSO do learn what gets under your skin and repeat because It gets to you. My wife learned what got me upset so when she is manic that is the behaviors she seems to repeat. I learned too late not to engage her or let her know she is getting to me when she is manic

To me, this is a sign of extreme narcissism and mania. He abandoned you and pumpkin for some floozy.... Says he has found true love, yada yada yada. Then he sends you a photo of him with his new car???? Why would you want a photo of him with his new car?

Just my opinion, but that would yank my chains.

Your story about the flashlight is funny. Sometimes kids have all these expensive toys around but they want to play with....your keys. A spoon. A flashlight.

That is wonderful for pumpkin, as it develops imagination!

If you are not communicating with him, then I believe this is a way of him staying in touch with a dig here and there. Very bizarre behavior, j would send me emails with links to things that reminded him of us, yet we were heading to divorce court, all irrational and manic behavior. Dont acknowledge them, that will eat at him!

You know him best LC what do you think it means?

If it were my BPSO I would think he was reaching out to me, but everyone is different, what is reaching out for one person is a HA HA LOOK at me and what you dont get to another.

I think he is reaching out bc he misses me. He has no reason to flaunt a used car that needs work to me, especially since I was who ensured he would get paid for the replacement of his other car. He texted me after the picture telling me the model make and year of the car, telling me it needed some work, but that the neighbor took a look at the engine and overall found it to be in good condition. He then said the battery died the very next day and he changed it on his own. I am who usually does all the car work, so to me he is just wanting my approval. A friend of mine who is a male around my husbands age told me something quite enlightning. Guys are simple. If they dont want you, bipolar or not, they are gone and thats that. But the constant trying to talk to me about things not concerning the baby, thats reaching out, and like I said, he told me (my SO) that his last manic episode he would text me bc he missed me...

I hope you are right, Linda! I didn't realize the car was not actually a "new car" but was an old car that needs work. I think that makes a difference.

But...GUARD YOUR HEART, woman. Be hopeful, but guard your heart!

@Married, he loves loves loves spoons and straws and keys lol. But straws are his thing. He also loves emptying any given container, namely his diaper bag or diaper box...yes all 108 diapers on the floor.

Who doesn't love a straw?

A similar thing: we have tons of cat toys here for our two cats. But they often prefer to play with things like the plastic thing that comes off a gallon milk jug, or those styrofoam peanuts things are packed in, or ANY box or bag they can get in.