I am sorry you both have been dealing with such a difficult situation. Glad things may be turned around a bit for mow.

There is no possible way in one or even ten posts here to give you all the information you now need. I will just say that irritability is one of the hallmarks of mania in my opinion. The affected person often may become angry because you are doubting that she is really Jesus, or communicates directly with Milla Jovovich through the TV, etc, etc. Those hurtful things, unfortunately, are sometimes hard to deal with and some people just can't do it and they write the patient off forever. That has certainly happened to this bp 1 person. I have lost a ton of people due to my illness.

I would recommend you do some more reading. One good book is "An Unquiet Mind,' by Kay Redfield Jamison. It is actually my all-time favorite bipolar 1 book. It's short and can be read quickly. Tremendous descriptions of what it was like for this medical professional trying to make sense of what was happening in her brain. Really good. Just my take.

There is no real way at this stage to predict what your partner's course will be. Some bp1 people become what are sometimes termed 'high-functioning.' They take their meds and work full- or part-time and everything is pretty stable. Others may be in the hospital seldom, but occasionally. And others may really struggle for stability. There are 8 zillion different things that go into all that and it's just too much for this little post.

I am curious what meds he is on--do you know? Does he mind taking them? Does he agree that he has bipolar 1? Does he want to get better, or does ha absolutely looooove being manic? What does he thin of his psychiatrist?

Sending you positive vibes. I would lastly urge you not to make any rash decisions right now. What you need is information and I think starting with the Redfield Jamison book is a good start. Hang in there.