Very well said Darkstar. I agree.

Recently i have been dumped by my BP BF who i live with as he feels being single is less to worry about. I dont really understand this, i dont give him cause to worry, but maybe it will make sense to you

My Bf dumped me cos he couldn't handle the mood swings. We'd been together for a year and a half and it's taken a year and a half to get over him, i still miss him and wish we were together but i know we're not right together. I find it so hard meeting people and telling them about the BP, most just don't talk to me again, i find it's more effort than it's worth.

check out friends and family. There are so many of us who are prepared to deal with the BP, we are all just longing for our relationships to be stable.
Please dont give up on relationships, just tell us how it is and try not to push us away when its bad for you.

I am prepared to put up with it all from my BF except him being unfaithful and him being cruel when he needs to get away, the latter he does frequently.

Ignorance will prevent some people from accepting but if you explain calmly and your prepared to answer their questions and face up to their fears about the illness, many of us will accept that and love you with all our hearts x

no, relationships are not worth it, the rejection, the eventual leaving, the stress of trying to be "normal" i'm definitely not looking for another relationship ever, i'll never get over the last one, my kids and my few friends are enough.

im sorry that is your experience. I have never rejected my BF even in the face of some very hurtful behaviour, there are people out there who will be there for you although of course, some are happier alone.

A good relationship can certainly help. As many people know I'm in a long distance, soon to be no distance relationship.

Bad relationships can make it worse, again, I've been there too..but it was unmedicated.

I have heard the statistic several times that 95% of marriages with a bipolar person end up in divorce or failing or whatever.

Not to let that discourage you from pursuing a relationship... I myself was in a relationship for 6 years, we were engaged. I won't get into the details but I will say that I am happy as a single person, I have been single for about 5 years now and I still enjoy it. Not to say I wouldn't mind some companionship, but it is incredibly nice to be my own person and I feel like I am progressing more with my life now then ever before, even though I have no job, and literally am about 5% productive compared to what I could be. I feel as though I am learning more about myself and the world around me and having a clearer picture of things every day - I think this would all not be possible if I had a relationship that was anything similar to the ones I have been in.

I also believe there are women out there that would be perfect for me, but I have not meet one yet :(

w/o intenantly decieveing a person and befor I allow the relationship proceed to nexy step and following step of become affectionate, I always let the =man know up ft that I have medical illness that is treatable and non contagious and non life threating.
na am not going to decieve and allow a man to invest his time in order to snag him to where he has feelings stong enough to want to proceed in a relationship.
I treat dates like a job interview over coffee. yes I ask about STD's and no. of sexual parentners that include 69 and if hes takeing med are used lotion for std and has he used condoms during his relationship and during 1 - 9 day stands.
Interview over if he puts down his x and makes his self out to be the victum in his formor relationships - thats a Red flag that he a Jerk.

I have service of in home care service. My family,friends,neighbours,adult children etc are not my care providers nor daily assistance to be used. I care ablot my family, friends etc and about myself not to use them and not to cause stress and to interupt thier home lives.

I have a male companion of 5 yrs. we had seen ea other in community for 20ty yrs befor we started to get to know ea other. we where friend for 5 yrs befor we began a bf gf relationship.
when we meet, I told him that I had to get things in order to give my atty everything he will need for difrent things and that I was having spaced apart moments where my mind is - was in process of slipping and I carded enough about him to not even become just friends w him.
I had a mental slip and he was there to bring me items when I was in private rehab - mental health center.
he said that he had kept stopping by my home but he assume I was out and about w my friends, he had no clue that I was in the hospital. again its not other people jobs to provide medical assistance. It is those in medical profession to do thier jobs.
when I was in mental center the center call him being that his ph no was in my day planner.
He stated that he had seen me in community for yrs and he know of my reprotation and he always wanted to meet me and get to know me and that he appricated that I was up ft with him.

Even befor my companion & I opt to start dating he had researched data about mental slip and being a care provide and what he need to do to care for his self.
He also edu his self about BP and how to care for his self being that he would be in my enviroment.
Granted he drives me to & from my Dr appts and to get my nails & hair done and he will set w me when am not feeling well but he says he does so because he loves me and knows that am not useing him as care service and he has learnt how to care for his own health thur me.

Yes I love my man but I will never re marry. I learnt that lesson the 1st time.
IBecause I love him and care about him I reside alone and I perfer having my own life and my own space. Oh I do have a rm mate but we share a roof and thats it. I know he would call 911 if needed. Its not his job to watch over me.

will thats my 2cents.

well, I think the relationshit is definitely a stressor. It complicates even the simplest of things. But I love him and he loves me and we'll be married eventually.

He was with me through when all the bad symptoms started...there through my dx and still there through trying to manage things. So it all developed for him as it developed for me. He still doesn't "get it", but saners never do....and never can.

Take it slow. Just make sure that it's really what you want before you jump back into it. Good Luck!

Benitro, re that stat I looked into it. I've never found a proper souce but the most definated thing I found was that there was no evidence that bipolar marriage breakdown was any worse than unipolar marriage breakdown.

There is a bit more detail in the middle of my post here

http://www.dailystrength.org/c/Family_and_Friends_of_Bipolar/forum/7938075-intro-bipolar-long

Although I'm not particularly proud of this fact about me (although I'm not sure why), I am MUCH better in a relationship. My own self-care goes to shit when I am single (or even when in a long-distance relationship or living alone). Basically, if I live with someone else (even a roommate), I am better. If I am living alone (regardless of my relationship status),I am sicker. I am healthier when I live with someone who encourages me to keep to good eating, sleeping, working, and recreation routines. I am healthier when someone is aware of what is going on with me- and who lets themselves be "taken care of" by me, too.

I am currently married (hopefully for good this time!), we've been together for only 3 years, but have had a lot of stress in that time period (including moving across the country, me quitting my job, and being long-distance/separated for some of that time). Before I met my husband, I was in a 7-year relationship/marriage with my ex, and before that it was a 2-year relationship, and before that was a cruel and short marriage when I was manic and 20.

Sometimes being married causes stress- we have conflict, etc- but in general it is positive for me. For example, my husband often notices changes in my mood, or points out "disordered" speech or language...

Hanna...Lol! Did you mean to say "relationshit?" I love it. :-)

Oh, I always tell people (if I want to date them) right away about bipolar. I don't want them finding out later, after I've developed feelings for them, and then them running away or being an asshole about it. I'd rather know up front if this is the kind of person that can handle it or not. I told Jon (my husband) on our 2nd or 3rd date (but actually, since we were in school together, and I had made a comment about my hospitalizations in a class we had together, he already knew something was up.) I can't hide my meds, the side effects, weekly dr appointments, etc..

was only diagnosed 2 yrs ago, but since then....quite recently, I left our marriage! 14yrs married, 4yrs prior it was a long-distant relationship (my first & only). We learnt together about bp. To me the stress of my unhappiness and the dissatisfaction in the relationship triggered my manic period and led to hospitalisation. (may have had several breakdowns, not that ppl really knew-I did!) Now I have become much stronger, confident and would like to share my life with someone that desires to be with me, loves me for me.

*I also had a chuckle about the "relationshit! LOL