Insight

I need direction...my wife of 24 years was diagnosed with bipolar 2 last year. We had decent summer and fall. Now that we are in throws of winter. I see her headed down the road of depression. She see's her doctor for here meds, but that is only every 2 weeks. I have been trying to encourage her to see another therapist to start dealing with issues. I guess the toll of me being her sounding board,is becoming to much for her and me. She is staying with her mom, because it's " to painful" to be in our home. When we talk about additional therapy, it just ends in an argument...any thought on how others have successfully handled this would be helpful.

When I was diagnosed in 06 my husband went through a lot of upheaval as well. We both went to separate therapists for a while, I continue to go to mine, she has literally saved my life. We've also gone to couples therapy a few times but we had to wait until we had individually worked some stuff out. We've been married almost 28 yrs. I would suggest you get your own therapist or possibly look into a family support group like the one from nami.org Its free and for family members/significant others. That way you are taking care of yourself and perhaps the ther can suggest ways to get your wife to go also. I wish you the best.

RDPSTL,

I was married for 20 years and divorced a few years back. Thankfully I am still very close with my x. She was my saving grace when it came to dealing with my BP. What I learned through the process is there is nothing you can do to make someone address and deal with BP. We have to want to take that step ourselves. For me it was when I went through a major depressive episode. I hit rock bottom and basically gave up and said to my x I will do whatever I need to do...just help me.

The most important thing is to be supportive. (as frustrating as that can be) Secondly, make sure you take care of yourself through the process. If you are strong, solid and consistent it will give your wife a place to feel comfortable and safe. (my x was that for me) Finally, I would recommend reading some books on living with someone who is bipolar...I have shared a few books with family members so they can have a small understanding an insight into our twisted world. Best of luck!

Thanks for the input...we are headed to a local hospital for an evaluation for her. She called me at work saying that she lost hope and needed help! This is the first time she said she wanted help. Thanks again for the input