[Shamed16]

I'm new here and not sure if I totally belong. I do not have BP but my boyfriend does. Is there anyone on here like me that can give me some advice?

[Imah]

My advice would be, this place will allow you to read what experiences people with bipolar have. Deep thoughts, fears and feelings to simple things like -" I hate when my husband asks me if I took my pills". You may learn that people with bipolar are just people. What our mental illnesses do is take our basic personalities - and throw them into a big production at times.

If the person is cruel, they will be maniacally, or depressivly cruel. If the person is kind (like myself) they will be depressivly kind, or manically kind.

Bipolar doesn't make people behave. The basic personality within the person behaves - and the bipolar enhances.

[elevatedsoul]

of course you are welcome

[BipolaRNurse]

This is a great place to get your questions answered. Welcome!

[mathrye]

You are certainly welcome! Often I have trouble explaining myself, as manic-depressive emotions can be rather hard to put into words. Thus, I appreciate it when my partner takes time to learn from other sources too (good starting point: An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison).

In fact, my better half was the one who suggested (extremely helpfully) that I join a bipolar board, as I was (EDIT: as I am) still trying to figure out what was going on in my life/head. :- ) It helps to have more experiences to fall back on than just my own!

-:- M

[Daonnachd]

I think being able to ask questions, and generally observe, a great opportunity for you.
Welcome.
I would be willing to answer specific questions as a bipolar husband and dad. In fact, feel free to shoot me a private message even, if you prefer.

[meganb22]

Totally welcome! This a great place to get first hand knowledge about what it's like going through bipolar.

[brainzaps]

Originally Posted by mathrye

You are certainly welcome! Often I have trouble explaining myself, as manic-depressive emotions can be rather hard to put into words. Thus, I appreciate it when my partner takes time to learn from other sources too (good starting point: An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison).

In fact, my better half was the one who suggested (extremely helpfully) that I join a bipolar board, as I was (EDIT: as I am) still trying to figure out what was going on in my life/head. :- ) It helps to have more experiences to fall back on than just my own!

-:- M

As M's "better half" (<-- pretty debatable some days) I would highly recommend that book. It was an really intriguing read. We both read it (in a non-manic state) pretty quickly--each finishing the bulk of it in less than 3 days. As a person who does not have bipolar, I really appreciated the rhetoric used in the book. When she described a manic state I read that part quickly and found my heart almost racing as I finished it. It was incredibly intense. Obviously reading about it does not come close to actually experiencing it, but her language plus what M had told me gave me a better insight into what mania feels like.

(Caveat: the book brought out my hypochondriac tendencies very similarly to the way an abnormal psychology class might. reading it I found myself doing a lot of self-analysis.)

M read the book before I did so they could tell me whether or not the author's experiences were similar to their own. We thought it would be a bit counterproductive if I read about an experience that was entirely different than what M goes through. I have a desire to learn more about bipolar in general, but specifically in these beginning stages what to learn everything I can about M's specific bipolar experience.

As a person in a similar situation to the original poster, I suggest talking to your partner about their experience. People tend to have different flavors of mental illness and it's important to learn what those look like for your partner and how you can be the most supportive during them. I think coming to these forums is a fantastic idea... you are showing your partner that you care enough to educate yourself.

[Fuzzybear]

Welcome to PsychCentral!

Our site is a great site to find support for yourself and to find answers. You can check out this forum here for Bipolar specifically or you might also check out:

Partners of People & Caregivers Support - Forums at Psych Central

This a forum for those who have loved ones with MI. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Best Wishes!