I have to say I was blown away by your post (in a good way). I have so much respect for the way you have handled the situation; I know it's not easy being married to someone with bipolar. I have BPII as well, and it's been really hard on my wife, especially when the hypomanic tendencies can be of a sexual nature that are very harmful to a spouse. Thankfully, she has been patient with me and is so supportive in helping me get better.

I'm really glad they finally got the correct diagnosis since SSRIs can make bipolar disorder even worse. I was on zoloft for 2 years, and am just now realizing how distant I made my wife feel during those times. With bipolar, it's like you said - there are some days when I can just be really irritable and mean to other people. If someone upsets me, I always point the finger at them and seldom accept my share of the blame. I have to win every argument and can be really selfish.

The good news is that the medicines really do help. It can take a while to find the right one (I'm still going through that process), but I'm optimistic. When I take a mood stabilizer, I feel more connected to people around me and more sympathetic. It's almost like I'm a different person. There will be times when your wife might seem distant because some of the meds can make you less social or feel kind of blah, but they should at least curb her hypomanic tendencies. I'll pray for you that things continue to get better; hang in there!