Loving Someone With dating someone with bipolar disorder: The Supports, The Stresses, The Challenges

The Details

Typically, love is not simple but is something we desire. It encompasses all types of emotional experiences that are unique to the individual couple. The presence of a loved one or partner living with bipolar disorder, can add a new emotional dynamic that can be more intense and difficult to predict. If you have been searching for the more specific supports for dating someone with dating someone with bipolar disorder, you are trying to discover how to best support your loved one, while still balancing the health of the relationship.

This article goes beyond the stigmas, judgments and the oversimplifications to present what it truly means to love someone with bipolar disorder.

The Definition

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that disrupts a person’s health and alters their mood, energy, and behavior. The illness is typically characterized by the following:

Elevated or increased mood and activity that can either be full mania or a lesser degree of mania (hypomania)

Fatigue and withdrawal symptoms that are associated with depression

It is important to understand that these mood changes are not simply “mood swings”. They can take a serious toll on someone’s everyday life, the choices they make, and their relationships with other people.

Taking the time to understand dating someone with bipolar disorder is the first step to successfully dating someone with bipolar disorder.

Loving dating someone with bipolar disorder: The Stresses, The Supports, The Challenges

There is always a fluctuation of emotions in a relationship. But, in a relationship with someone who suffers from dating someone with bipolar disorder, the experience of these emotional fluctuations is more intense.

In high-energy phases your partner may seem:

Energized and/or excited

Talkative and/or impulsive

More confident and/or more loving

In low phases they may seem:

Withdrawn and/or emotionally distant

Tired and/or unmotivated

Sad and/or overwhelmed

If your partner is unfamiliar with bipolar disorder, this emotional contrast can be confusing. Keep in mind that these shifts are part of the disorder and not how much they care about you.

The Most Important is Communication

There are many important aspects of dating someone with bipolar disorder, and communication is the most important.

Healthy communication means:

Feeling expressions without the intention of placing blame,

Questions for clarification versus assumptions of their intentions

Gentle and clear expressions of your needs

Listening with the intent to understand and not to judge

The intensity of emotions means that there is a high chance of misunderstanding, so the creation of a safe space for honest expression is of utmost importance.

Learning triggers and patterns

Dating someone with bipolar disorder is different for everyone, and the triggers can vary widely from:

Stress and/or the lack of sleep

Major life changes

Conflict with relationships

Emotional pressure and overstimulation

Learning about your partner’s triggers can help you both manage those difficult moments, but more importantly, it can help you learn how to support your partner’s stability.

Healthy support entails:

Being patient in tough times

Suggesting professional assistance where necessary

Providing emotional stability without assuming responsibility for the mental health challenge

It also requires:

Knowing and maintaining personal emotional limits

Caring for your own mental health

Preventing the tendency to exclusively care

The foundation of a healthy partnership is two healthy individuals rather than one person bearing the burden of mental burden.

Healthy support entails:

Offering professional assistance where necessary

Being reliable

Offering emotional assistance and remaining stable

Dating someone with bipolar disorder can be treated and the burden of mental caliber of your partner lessened with:

Therapy

Medications

Sleep Management

Encourage your partner to seek the above treatments, but do so with love. Support for the treatment is needed, but respect the boundaries of your partner.

Therapy of your partner can improve mental stability and assist in improving the overall stability of your partnership.

The biggest issue that your partner will face when dating with a mental health condition is the stigma with mental health. The greatest burden of misdiagnosing dating someone with bipolar disorder is blaming, distancing, and fearing.

Education will eliminate the stigma and assist people in bearing mental health conditions with the burden of love.

Every relationship has issue that require:

Teamwork

The burden of mental health of your partner and the unpredictable nature of your partner’s emotions will require: Patience

The healthy relationship will be strengthened with the love.

Building a Healthy Relationship

You can have a healthy dating someone with bipolar disorder if you both work on:

Respect

Honesty

Communication

Mental Healthcare Support

Boundaries

Love, in this case, is not about being perfect. It is about knowing the other person, and being flexible.

Final Thoughts

Engaging dating someone with bipolar disorder is intensive and a learning experience for all. It requires patience, kindness, and the ability to withstand the varying emotions of the other person.

Despite the challenges, there is every opportunity for a good relationship. Creativity, communication, and a positive mental framework create the perfect environment for a fulfilling relationship.