If your fiancé is like me, then he'll want his bipolar intel instantly, especially if he leads a busy life. While reading books and sitting in on a therapy session are excellent suggestions, most of us are too busy for that, and/or not interested in all the details. It's been my experience that educating the bipolar-ignorant takes "on the job training," in other words, "don't tell me - show me."

My last wife left me after fourteen years, because of my bipolar symptoms, and she was/is a mental health professional (M.S.W.). She knew everything about the illness, but knowledge alone is a poor substitute for true love, devotion, and empathic caring - all of which she lacked.

Finally, being bipolar will cause issues in any relationship with which you're involved. It doesn't matter whether it's your boss, the clients, your relatives, the checkout cashier at the grocery, your cat or dog, or even your goldfish - bipolar symptoms are pervasive and non-directional. It's just another one of the many facets of this nasty illness. The best any of us can hope for is controlling our destructive symptoms through approved clinical methods.