[kjohnson]

my hubby is bipolar but in denial there is anything wrong. Anyone want to talk about how they came to accept their diagnosis.

[sideblinded]

Hi kjohnson

I am sorry that your hubby is in denial. Has he actually been diagnosed with bipolar? I burned out of my career and ended up in a psych ward and came to get diagnosed with depression and I had to accept it as I came out of the hospital pretty much slurring my speech from psych meds. I was later misdiagnosed with bipolar and I was already pronounced depressed so it wasn't so much a hard thing to accept the bipolar diagnosis. I am still not sure if I have bipolar as my case is not typical.

Not sure if you can force anyone to accept something that they are not ready to accept. You might be fighting a battle that you cannot win. Maybe you can start some counseling sessions for yourself and then get him involved.

Just a suggestion. I hope this helps in some small way.

Originally Posted by kjohnson

my hubby is bipolar but in denial there is anything wrong. Anyone want to talk about how they came to accept their diagnosis.

For me, looking back at my life was a no brainer. I was actually happy about my DX because I now have a reason. It took time though. I kept falling in and out about it. Quitting meds a few times was the big eye opener for me.

Hope yall find your peace soon. I know it's hard to live with somebody with a mental illness.

[memson]

Originally Posted by kjohnson

my hubby is bipolar but in denial there is anything wrong. Anyone want to talk about how they came to accept their diagnosis.

It took me a long time to finally accept my diagnosis. Once I finally agreed that there was something wrong, and chose to seek help, then the reality of the diagnosis, and prognosis, hit hard.

After losing a couple of jobs and running a small business into the ground (actually it never quite took off) because of my mood swings I have finally accepted that I need to change my life to suit this illness. That's another tough decision to make.

I'm sorry but you may have a long road ahead of you, however, there's one thing for sure, you're hubby is going to need all the love and support he can get. But don't forget that you need support as well - there's lot's available for caregivers and families.

[BipolaRNurse]

There's a thin line between not being in denial of the illness and accepting it as part and parcel of oneself. That's where I'm stuck, almost 3 years into my diagnosis. The denial went away when I was labeled bipolar 1, but I'm still falling short of complete acceptance of it even though I'm on serious amounts of medication and have been hospitalized for suicidal ideation.

Bottom line, there is no timeline for acceptance of the illness; it comes to each of us in our own time (I'm presuming, anyway). One of the hallmarks of BP is lack of insight. That may be where your husband it at right now. It's called anosognosia---the sick person doesn't know he's sick.

[~Christina]

When I got told at age 43 I have Bipolar, I was like ... Hey but wait , yeah this kinda makes sense when I did XYZ in the past.

Honestly I accepted it really quickly, I did my own research and realized that Yep Bipolar fits.

Bipolar can just plain suck! But it gave me a place to start, A place to begin in Therapy that would explain things, identify where and what I needed to address first, learn coping skills, find my triggers and how to avoid them and know what to do if I'm in the middle of one.

If "Bipolar" is too big of a word/diagnosis/label to digest right now, why not just focus on treating whatever symptoms your struggling with. Maybe that could be a way to nudge your husband into dealing with some things.

Men are usually slow to accept that there is something just not right, but refuses to take it by the horns and just deal with it.

Meanwhile you need to take care of yourself mentally and physically. Maybe it would be wise for you to see a therapist to help guide you through his refusal to see how his actions could be affecting your relationship.

Welcome to PC

I was misdiagnosed for many years with unipolar depression. Then I had manic episode and just knew. Went to a new Psych and she diagnosed me.

It explained my life.

[lil chickadee]

Not knowing your hubby I'll have to wager a guess... is it difficult to accept because it can't be fixed?

I was happy to have a name for what was "wrong" with me. Meds help. But knowing it will never be cured is a difficult pill to swallow.

[Victoria'smom]

I've always excepted it but I'm in denial to the severity.

I fall in and out of denial depending on the state I'm in. It's hard to feel on top of the world and like you have such a big diagnosis at the same time.