What would you do if?

Question

The person you have been dating told you they have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder?

Answer 1

depends on how long you've been dating and how much you care for this person and how willing you are to deal with this disorder.

Answer 2

I would talk with them in detail to find out what kind of Bipolar disorder they have before I make any decisions about the relationship. At that point you should make a decision as to weather or not you feel that you can deal with it or not. Some disorders are mild and can be controlled with medication and will not have an impact on how the other person relates. Honestly, if you have been with this person for a while and did not have a problem communicating there really should not be an issue.

Answer 3

Great question. I'm bipolar, and I would be very careful about telling someone I was dating that I was bipolar.

If the situation were reversed, and a date told me they were bipolar, I would take it as a sign of great trust, and a significant commitment. If I was serious about that person, I would try to find out as much as possible about the illness.

OK, so it's a mood disorder and a serious mental illness. It has a strong genetic component, but appears to be triggered environmentally. There are no diagnostic tests for it, just psychiatric evaluation. Most sufferers are not diagnosed until middle age, and it takes an average of around 8-10 years to get a correct diagnosis. Historically, figures suggested it affects about 0.8% of the population at some point, which makes it about half as common as schizophrenia. In recent years, bipolar disorder has become an 'in' diagnosis, and many more people are being diagnosed at younger and younger ages. As with ADHD, this fad may well pass with time, although for the moment many celebrities appear to be 'popularising' it.

It is characterised by episodes of severe clinical depression and mania or hypomania (for definitions of those, see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Current_diagnostic_criteria_for_bipolar_disorder ). The extreme end of mania often turns into psychosis, complete with hallucinations and delusions. During manic phases, the person's judgement and perception of reality is severely compromised, leading to risky actions with potentially damaging consequences (financially, sexually and relationship-wise). Untreated, episodes generally worsen over time due to an effect known as kindling. Untreated Bipolar sufferers are at a very high risk of suicide: 20-25% attempt it, and 15% succeed.

The cycles in bipolar disorder are much longer than people generally believe. Anyone whose mood changes from minute to minute is very unlikely to be bipolar. Bipolar 1 is characterised by mood episodes lasting many months, while Bipolar 2 has episodes in the region of weeks to months. Rapid and ultra-rapid cycling bipolar disorder is rare, and cycles last days to weeks.

There are many drugs available to treat the symptoms of bipolar (there is no cure). These are either anti-convulsants or anti-psychotics (personally I take both), and the most well known of these is Lithium. Most patients will go through a number of different drugs before finding one that works for them.

But if the person told me and I hadn't noticed anything about them that concerned me, I'd take it as a sign that they were managing their condition well.

Answer 4

It depends on how well you know this person,must not have known them long to find this out now.I'd find out if it is in the early stages,how severe the episodes can be and since being diagnosed , what kind of medication will be used.When you get all the info straight research it and then decide if this relationship is worth your time and emotions.

Good Luck

Answer 5

I'd ask them how long they'd known....if it was for a long time I'd wonder why they hadnt told me sooner.. If they had just found out I'd ask them if they were going to be on medication and I'd work it out with them. As long as they stayed on their meds and basically stayed the same as they were when we started dating (Im assuming if they were diagnosed, they would've had it all along, but just found out about it), I'd stay with them.

...and what is up with some of these answers?? bipolar doesnt mean you have multiple personalities, it basically means you have mood swings and a lot of ups and downs. Do your research people.

Answer 6

I would research the disorder on the net, then try and find a local support group for family and friends of suffers. If i couldn't find one Id run a small add in the local news paper and start one. Best wishes

Answer 7

I've dated guys who were bipolar. I would just be supportive, it's definitely not the end of the world.

Answer 8

I would get to understand the disorder, try to seek out someone professional you can talk to in order to understand your dates disorder and be sure that this is something you can live with in your relationship.

Answer 9

If I truly loved them and felt our relationship was worth the effort, I would research bipolar. I would also want to know how stable their moods are-

Answer 10

if I have been dating them for awhile and I've developed feelings for this person, then I would say I'm there for them and help anyway I can. I would also give them lots of hugs and get them a lot of sunshine (sunshine is good for depression).

If I have been dating for a short period of time, then I haven't developed any feelings for them, I would probably not see them again.