Dealing With A Bipolar Marriage

By Sharon Fisher


All mental disorders can be difficult to manage. When you are married to someone who is suffering from anxiety or depression, you may find that there are certain ways that you can cope with this. A bipolar marriage is sometimes more difficult because there is more that you have to know about this.

This especially relates to someone who has recently been diagnosed after they have been suffering from some depression. You may have realized that they have been having a lot of stress because of some issue in their life. However, this can come as a shock for both parties. It can be difficult to cope with on your own.

The couple may also have very different ideas of the treatment process. The person who has been diagnosed is naturally shocked an may not want to accept. They may not want to go through with the treatment process. Often, they are in a stage of denial and will not choose to take any form of medication. This can obviously cause complications.

When someone has this disorder, it is necessary that they are on medication. Their partner needs to be supportive and encouraging. However, it can be difficult when they are not in agreement. They need to work together, but when someone with bipolar finds that they are not able to accept the condition, it can cause more problems, and this leads to much chaos.

The individual who has been diagnosed will also feel guilty because they go through times when they are depressed and they don't know how to cope in their marriage. They don't know how to relate to their partner. It is important to know how to deal with these situations. Often group therapy can be helpful because one starts to realize that you are not alone in your ordeal.

Medication is also important for those who are battling with the disorder. However, some people who have been newly diagnosed often don't want to accept that they are ill. They may want to find a natural cure. This can create a form of conflict within the marriage. A person like this may turn to meditation or yoga, for example which is not always going to be effective.

The couple needs to work together along with a good psychologist. A psychiatrist should be able to prescribe the best medication. However, one must also realize that there are side effects and this can be frustrating in the beginning. This is where the spouse needs to be supportive and encouraging. It can be helpful to put yourself in their shoes because it is never easy.

At the end of the day, you need to focus on the marriage and not the condition. This is the main goal, which is not easy to achieve, but something to work towards. A psychologist may assign homework and tasks during the week, and this will keep the couple motivated during the sessions, because one must also realize that this is not an instant fix.




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