Maintaining a Relationship with a Bipolar Mate

Bipolar disorder is a mental infirmity where a person experiences the extremes of both highs and lows. Meaning, the individual undergoes both emphatic enthusiasm and severe depression at different times. These acute mood swings constitute a possible case of bipolarity. It is an unfortunate case that has affected millions of people in the U.S. and has the potential to become an increasing trend within our growing global population.

There is no definitive trigger for someone to succumb to bipolar disorder but there have been indications that bipolarity may stem from genetic inheritance, brain deficiencies, and key outside influences that effect or cause alterations in the lives of these individuals (i.e. stress from work, a death in the family, & other traumatic instances). In terms of diagnosis and treatment, scrutinizing various symptoms for their extremity, lapse time into these specified moods and regularity will be the indicators for the diagnosis of mental bipolarity. Of course, medical evaluation is an integral part of diagnosis which also leads to various medical treatments for the disorder.

In relation to the former and a difficult topic of discussion to tackle would be on the management of a relationship that undergoes the hardships that come with bipolar disorder. Maintaining and coping with a significant other that suffers from bipolarity is no easy task and can truly strain a relationship.

Since bipolar disorder deals with two extremes on opposite sides of the spectrum, I'll separate and present the symptoms to be aware of under each extreme. Under acute enthusiasm (manic points), one may demonstrate intense joyfulness and exhilaration. For example, your significant other may be very talkative, have uncontrollable smiles, and tell you stories or inform you of minuscule details in a highly excited manner. Another symptom to watch for is an abrupt transition in emotions (i.e. changing from being jubilant to petulant and violent). In addition, one may notice that their mate has an unusual high sex drive that departs from their normative behavior. As I digress into the next extreme, it is important to note that you should gauge the frequency of these symptoms to gain an idea of the severity of the disorder.

Under low or dispirited times your significant other may feel greatly depressed and label themselves as worthless which opposes the emotions they feel during their manic periods. Due to feeling this form of depression your mate may refuse to acknowledge any activity in his/her surroundings and believe the notion of there being no positive outcome in their lives. Another noticeable symptom would be if your counterpart suffers from uncontainable crying especially over minute occurrences. Other symptoms that bipolar individuals may demonstrate are decrease/increase in appetite, dependency on drug or alcohol consumption, and brash suicidal intents.

Being in an intimate relationship with a bipolar individual is obviously difficult but sustaining the relationship poses even more problems. Nonetheless, there are ways to get through the situation, ease the tension, and possibly create a better tomorrow for your relationship. Managing this type of relationship all stems from patience and the amount effort one is willing to dedicate to their bipolar loved one.

First, always be responsive and do not ignore your mate no matter what intense mood they are presently demonstrating. In other words, you must listen and react accordingly to what they say and do. For example, if they are in a depressive state of mind then you should combat those emotions by being upbeat and extraordinarily positive. You should try your best to talk to your significant other and extract their emotions so that you can properly manipulate those feelings into a more positive mentality. You should also give your counterpart reassurance that everything is ok and explain to them that you are there for them at any cost.

However, if they are tremendously excited or illustrating severe hostility, you should patiently yet assertively tell them to calm down. Make eye contact with your partner and demonstrate to them their irrationality in an affable and helpful demeanor. It is almost a way to bring them back into a normalized condition. This is all easier said than done and there will evidently be some struggle for you to master these methods. Persistence is crucial in the execution of these methods and one must not become deterred from their objective, maintaining the relationship properly.

Next, try your best to not become defensive, threatening, or frustrated with your significant other. It is hard but integral in communicating properly with a person suffering from bipolar disorder. As I said earlier, you must be patient and you can not try to force your counterpart to feel or act a certain way when their bipolarity is arduous and challenging for them to control. You must be fully disciplined and determined to make strong efforts in order to help the relationship flourish once more.

Subsequently, you should also discover ways to reduce stress factors in the bipolar individual's environment. Stress can be a catalyst for them to unknowingly enter into these extreme mood swings. You can reduce stress by taking care of the smaller problems in your lives such as bills, household chores, grocery shopping, handling creditors, the outside maintenance of your property, automobile repairs, etc. By supervising these daily intricacies one can reduce the stress for the bipolar individual who may not be able to deal with these issues appropriately. Continuous exercise and activity also help in attempting to relieve stress, so try running, jogging, aerobics, yoga, biking, etc., with your partner. Although you may not be able to reduce stress factors everywhere they go (i.e. work), diminishing them at home will help to a favorable degree.

Probably the most accommodating method to maintain your relationship and move it forward positively, is to seek out new and proven medical treatments. After seeking medical assistance, doctors can prescribe mood-stabilizing drugs such as Lithium which assists in controlling the various mood swings. Other medical remedies can control mania, relapses into depression, anxiety, and simply manage the disorder to hold it at less severe levels. Some FDA approved drugs for treatment of bipolar disorder are Depakote, Lamotrigine, Olanzapine, and Quetiapine. You can research these drugs at your leisure or ask medical professionals for more detailed information on these products or new ones. In addition, you should also seek out information on Psychoeducation which can instill you and your partner with additional tools and methods to improve the functionality of your bipolar mate.

Dealing and coping with bipolarity with your significant other is difficult but if you are willing to help and stick by them, maintaining the relationship should be possible. Mental bipolarity calls for urgency for new and effective treatments and with rapid technological and medical advancements, the goal of moving forward with a bipolar individual seems to be progressively more attainable.