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Married to someone with schizoaffective bipolar disorder?
My husband has schizoaffective bipolar disorder and currently I am convinced that he is in the middle of an episode. He started smoking weed heavily a couple of months ago (which we both know can throw him into mania, as it has every time in the past) His mood swings are fluctuating from one extreme the other several times in just one day. I thought about discussing all his symptoms but that would make this question extremely long. In short, when he is on the downside of his mood swings, he down right hates me. He makes heinous comments to me that are verbally and mentally abusive. He likes to share with me all the things he thinks is wrong with me and how i need to change myself in order for this marriage to work. One minute he is happy and satisfied with me and his life and the next he wants to separate or divorce and I am everything that is wrong with him and what he thinks is wrong with his life. I'm to blame for all of it, in his opinion. Recently he has been manically posting our "dirty laundry" on facebook for all our friends and family to see, basically attempting to destroy my image and character when he is in the down swing of his moods. When he is on the upswing, he will go back and delete his posts or apologize for posting his drama, yada yada yada.
It gets worse.... He booked himself an impulsive trip to the Florida keys and is currently there, snorkeling, skydiving, staying in an elite hotel, going to strip clubs and being down right destructive. I found an email of his where he was trying to get some girl to fly down and meet him there so they could "screw on the beach". He has blown through thousands of dollars of our savings and moved the rest into a bank account that i cannot touch. He had left me and our two children with $52 in the bank... Fortunately, I was able to get him to put some of the money back, which i then moved into an account that he cant touch. The entire time he has been in Florida, he has still been texting me, calling me, and messaging me on facebook. One message he seems calm and collected, then the next message he is falsely accusing me of things like cheating, or threatening me and saying down right hurtful things. I honestly think the only reason he even has moments of calm "normalcy" is because he has ativan that he takes when he feels he needs it... Obviously it's not a preventative drug, and its the only drug he is using to manage his disorder.
The couple times that I've been able to talk to him while he was "normal" I feel like I was able to get through to him that he may be going manic and that he is rapid cycling like it's nobodies business and that I think he needs to seek treatment as soon as he gets home. In those moments, he says he can agree, and that it all makes sense and that he will get treatment when he gets back. But there have been a couple times when he has texted me after a "normal" conversation, saying things like "f**k you, my feelings are justified, you're just using my disorder against me so that you dont have to take responsibility for your own actions".
He moves into his own apartment in a couple days and he is still talking as if this separation is going to be temporary and that in a couple months we will get back together after we take some space. This is where I'm faced with my struggle. For the few years that we've been together, I was always able to tell myself that as long as he managed his disorder, we would be fine, bc when he is in a good place, he's an awesome person and I love that person. But now I am considering that maybe I dont want to be faced with issues this extreme for the rest of my life. That I cant always trust him to manage his disorder, or that he wont have episodes of mania again in the future, and I just dont know if I have any more strength or desire to endure that kind of nightmare again. I love him but I dont feel like i deserve a life faced with these issues constantly.
Have any of you been married to or been in a relationship with someone with a mental/mood/personality disorder? If so, how did/do you manage it and is it even possible to build a lasting relationship with someone who is sick with this, or is separating the ultimate result?
3 Answers
- 7 years ago
Been there, done that. Previous spouse, undiagnosed until years after divorce (same diagnosis, btw). I also did the, "If she got help and was managed..."
I am sorry, I know you are hurting and do not not which husband you will come home to each day -or whether the kids will be alive when you get home. Sucks
Even though it hurt, I had to protect myself and my family. I had to let logic rule my actions, not my heart. You need to ask yourself some honest questions: given his level of dysfunction, is he likely to remain on meds? Given his level of dysfunction, is it likely that meds will offer enough of a difference for it to be safe. Remember, safety includes personal safety, mental safety, emotional safety, and financial safety. It does no good to have a caring person if you or both of you were in jail for financial problems.
Get a good counselor, and get a good lawyer. Not because you need to leave necessarily, but you need to know what the options are so you can make the sanest decision.
Whatever you decide, use your brain. Even if you decide to leave, your feelings of love will still be there, and your feelings won't make wise decisions.
- 6 years ago
Get a divorce , I was in the same situation with my ex wife, the accusations and drug use .they don't change and only make your life a living hell .and blame u for everything , believe me she said I was the bad guy .