When I first found out I was bipolar I was in denial for a long time. I did not even educate myself about it.... But that is the key to understanding, education on this disorder, and including your loved ones in your new found knowledge. Their love and support is very important to becoming stable. Try your best not to alienating them... Hope you enjoy this site.

I don't know how honest one can be on this site but I have created a horrible home life for my family. I have know I wasn't right for a long time,but more so the past couple years. The marriage is over and I have been seeing someone else. They have all pretty much told me I am not wanted or needed here. And now that I am bipolar, all of them,including my boyfriend(who had suspect I was bipolar for 2 years) have not been real supportive. Long story short...kinda overwhelmed....support low and no one to talk to...

I am so sorry for that, but if their is anyway to sit down and talk to them and help them in trying to understand that you were not yourself, the disorder created the unrestful household, and that you are trying to get better and need them in your life, maybe they will have the heart to forgive you and all of you can try to make a new start together....it's worth a shot.

I have tried to help my wife. She has incredible mood swings, she cries, and then becomes vicious. Throws things, destroys things that are precious to me (our wedding pictures, pictures of the kids, etc), lies without flinching, verbally abusive. She is taking Cymbalta. I went to he psychiatrist once. She was on Abilify, but felt that it was something to be ashamed of, so alas she stopped. The calm ended shortly thereafter. She filed for divorce. I am terrified of what she could do if she is with the kids alone, so I believe it is best for the children if I seek sole custody. I don't know what it feels like on the otherside, but I wish I could understand. Is she likely BP, or just an angry, lying, destructive woman?
Any feedback would be appreciated.

I'm glad you came here, Mictoria. I don't have any solutions, but here you'll be understood about the bipolar issues we all share.

to overwhelm, i get the same way and when the storm is over I can't beleive this was me. It is hard being bp there are so many moods to deal with. why I call myself 2people, never know who I going to be.bp is not something you can pretend with. If you study bp symts.you'll learn to reconize the signs. I take abilify and it hepls alot.I don't let the stigma worry me. good luck, twopeople

it is just like everything else in life, if you dont have it you can never know what it feels like. Just remember that not one feeling will last forever. Although it may seem like it. lol. Been there and still.

I have found that my wife is calm and gentle and, for lack of a better term, back to herself, first thing in the morning when she first wakes up. But then within a hour of so,WHAM. Any feedback would be terrific.

I know exactly how you feel mictoria, I wish people would just give me a break because everything is all so new

mictoria, welcome to this group
you may find at times, that this group is the ONLY place you are finding support, but it will help you to straighten things out in your "real" life and find the support you need.

i'm sorry, its the cold hard truth, some have been blessed with loving and understanding family and friends, ,but i would say the majority is not.

My first time here also. I have been posting on the BP group on NAMI. I have found many people do not understand or want to understand our illness. It's that stigma still associated with "mental illness."
Keep the faith! If your dr. is not helping you, consider finding another or perhaps a counselor. It took me a few times to find a good match. My phy. today is wondeful. He is a great listener and is always concerned about my med. management.

Do you have a Therapist, Mictoria? You will have more time to talk than just with a pDoc ( Psychiatrist) It takes both medicine and therapy to deal with this illness. Ask your pDoc for a recommendation for a Therapist if you don't know of one.

When I was first diagnosed I remember that I was still struggling to understand the illness myself. I think I was looking for acceptance from other people rather than for them to understand the illness. There will unfortunately always be people who won't understand. Gratefully we can find some people who will accept us for who we are even if they don't always understand.

I have no insurance so I started out by calling mobile crisis. Was with them for about a month. Now I go to a doc at a nearby clinic. First visit was cut short due to the patient before me. The second got cut short due to a meeting, I go to see him again Thursday. In the mean time my world has been crashing down around me. And no one understands what I am going through in my family...nor do they care,because of the damage I have done.