Bipolar disorder, also referred to as manic depression, is a disorder that is characterized by extreme mood changes that vary from depressive lows to manic highs, with periods of normalcy in between. People in a relationship with a person who suffers from bipolar disorder must be prepared for the sudden changes, which can appear for no reason. In addition, reports the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA), bipolar disorder often is a co-occurring disease with alcoholism, another problem that severely impacts close relationships.
Undiagnosed
The NIAAA reports that bipolar disorder usually goes undiagnosed for years. Thirty-five percent of those surveyed in an NIAAA report said that they went for more than 10 years with bipolar symptoms before receiving a diagnosis and treatment from a physician. The effects of the condition on a primary relationship such as a spouse can eventually end up in divorce because the behavior of the afflicted spouse is so unpredictable. With no treatment or ongoing medication to stave off the mood swings, a long-term relationship with a bipolar patient is extremely difficult, if not impossible.
Hospitalization
In their book "The Disordered Couple," researchers Jon Carlson and Len Sperry report that once a bipolar patient has received a diagnosis, couples can then arrange their lives around the symptoms of the disease and find ways to cope with the mood swings. They also learn how to maintain a regimen of medication to mitigate the extreme mood swings. Their research however, found that spouses of bipolar patients who had to continually place their sick spouses in the hospital became weary of the stress sooner than those who managed to stay out of the hospital. Hospitalizations cause financial burdens on the family and interfere with the daily routine.
Education
Because moods are so unpredictable and the bipolar spouse often is unable to express her feelings in productive ways, counseling for couples living with bipolar disorder is not always the best solution, Carlson and Sperry report. They found that teaching spouses about the disorder and the best ways to handle depressive or manic episodes was much more productive in helping to salvage the relationship. When spouses are taught how to recognize the signs of an impending mood swing, they can compensate and learn the right things to say to the patient and how to minimize the effects of the disorder on the daily life of the family.
