Could this marital problem be related to illness???

Ok, my husband was just diagnoses with bipolar type 2. He is an addict (shoots up meth) and is obsessed with another woman. He is confused about if he wants our marriage or her. He says his confusion is related to his bipolar type 2 disorder. Is this true? Is this possible? Or is he pulling a fast one on me? And how patient should I be about this? He asked me to help him figure it out, but I can't do his thinking for him or none of this would have happened in the first place. I told him to leave and figure it out himself and not to come back until he knows for sure he wants our marriage and not the other woman. I just don't know what to do or what this is. HELP!!!

Hi pb,

Here is a list of the symptoms of a manic episode of bipolar. I suggest that you search and read all you can to help you understand more. If you combine bipolar and shooting up meth, you are dealing with a very serious issue.

Does his psychiatrist know about his meth addiction?

Hope this helps you start to understand.

Manic Episode:

A distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood, lasting at least 1 week (or any duration if hospitalization is necessary).

During the period of mood disturbance, three (or more) of the following symptoms have persisted (four if the mood is only irritable) and have been present to a significant degree:

inflated self-esteem or grandiosity

decreased need for sleep (e.g., feels rested after only 3 hours of sleep)

more talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking

insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day

psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day (observable by others, not merely subjective feelings of restlessness or being slowed down)

flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing

distractibility (i.e., attention too easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant external stimuli)

increase in goal-directed activity (either socially, at work or school, or sexually) or psychomotor agitation
excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences (e.g., engaging in unrestrained buying sprees, sexual indiscretions, or foolish business investments)

The mood disturbance is sufficiently severe to cause marked impairment in occupational functioning or in usual social activities or relationships with others, or to necessitate hospitalization to prevent harm to self or others, or there are psychotic features.

The symptoms are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication, or other treatment) or a general medical condition (e.g., hyperthyroidism).

Info availabe here...

More info here...

Hi PB,
I am bipolar I, although I rarely have a manic episode, mostly hypomanic or depressed. I agree that you should definately do some research on bipolar in order to help you determine what is a result of your husband's diagnosis, what is his meth addiction and what is related to other problems. I think the main concern is that even if this behavior is part of his illness, is this something you are willing and able to be a part of? His bringing someone else into your relationship is obviously hurting you, no matter what is causing this behavior on his part. If you are both willing to work on this together, I think you should really start with marriage counseling together as well as participating in counseling for his other problems. Trust is an important part of a relationship and if you feel he might be pulling a fast one on you, you owe it to yourself to make sure you're in a situation where you can trust the person you are with.