Yes, a marriage can survive and even thrive with bipolar disorder, but it requires significant commitment, education, communication, and professional support, focusing on treatment adherence, boundary setting, self-care for both partners, and viewing episodes as the illness acting, not the person. Success depends heavily on the affected partner's willingness to engage in treatment and the support partner's ability to manage stress and set healthy limits to avoid burnout, making it a challenging but achievable path for many couples.
Be open about bipolar disorder
If you spouse fully accepts the diagnosis and resolves to get treatment, you could begin working together and make the marriage stronger than ever. Many people with bipolar disorder have happy, successful marriages.
Here, mental health experts share seven common phrases to avoid saying to anyone with bipolar disorder — and the thoughtful, helpful things to say instead.
Marriage, Divorce and BP (Manic Depressive) It is estimated that 1 in 3 marriages will end in divorce, here in Australia. More sobering, however, is that it's thought that up to 9 out of 10 marriages will fail when one partner suffers from Bipolar (BP) disorder.
Bipolar disorder brings unique challenges — mood swings, communication struggles, financial stress, emotional burnout, stigma, and inconsistent treatment. These difficulties explain why bipolar relationships fail for many couples.
You can use a 48 hour rule where you wait at least 2 full days with 2 nights sleep before acting on risky decisions. Review your decision to avoid a tempting, but risky, behaviour.
If you have bipolar disorder, it's important to know what can trigger your high and low moods. This can include things like feeling stressed, not getting enough sleep or being too busy. There are some things you can do that can help to keep your moods stable.
How many hours should a bipolar person sleep? People should try to sleep at least 7 hours per night, regardless of whether they have a condition such as bipolar disorder.
Being in a Relationship with Someone Who Is Bipolar
Those with bipolar disorder may also engage in risky behaviors such as unprotected sex or extramarital affairs while manic. During episodes of depression, your partner may avoid sexual contact altogether.
The four behaviors that predict over 90% of divorces, known as Dr. John Gottman's "Four Horsemen," are Criticism, Contempt, Defensiveness, and Stonewalling, which erode connection, respect, and safety, leading to relationship breakdown. These destructive communication patterns, if persistent, signal that a marriage is likely to end, with contempt being the most damaging.
Moderate Stage: More frequent and intense episodes that disrupt daily life. Severe Stage: Extreme mood swings with increased risk of self-harm or hospitalization. End-Stage Bipolar Disorder: Constant, severe symptoms that no longer respond to traditional treatments.
These challenges can cause strain in a relationship for the person with the condition, as well as their spouse. It's common for someone with bipolar disorder to hurt or offend their partner or be controlling.
Perceived slights or rejections: Individuals with bipolar disorder may have heightened sensitivity to rejection or criticism, which can trigger intense anger responses.
Mood-stabilizing medicines help control manic or hypomanic episodes. They also may help depressive bouts. Examples include lithium (Lithobid), valproic acid, divalproex sodium (Depakote, Depakote ER), carbamazepine (Tegretol, Tegretol XR, Equetro, others) and lamotrigine (Lamictal).
The Takeaway. A poor diet can contribute to bipolar mood episodes, and certain food choices may help manage them. People with bipolar disorder should avoid or limit caffeine, alcohol, sugar, salt, and saturated fats.
Bipolar medication is necessary to manage mood swings and prevent a relapse of symptoms. Even if you are not currently experiencing mood swings associated with bipolar disorder, not getting the proper treatment increases your risk of complications when mania or depressive symptoms do occur.
As individuals age, bipolar disorder may change in various ways. Some people find their symptoms stabilize over time, experiencing fewer mood swings. However, others might notice an increase in frequency or severity of episodes, complicating their condition.
Childhood trauma
Some experts believe that experiencing a lot of emotional distress as a child can cause bipolar disorder to develop. This could be because childhood trauma and distress can have a big effect on your ability to manage your emotions. This can include experiences like: Neglect.
Bipolar hypersexuality most likely will occur during a manic episode. Not only can you have an extremely high sex drive during this time, but the sex you do have doesn't satisfy your desires, so you want more. As you're driven by your compulsive urges, you may engage in increasingly risky behaviors.
Brain Changes
Research shows bipolar disorder may damage the brain over time.
Experts have established that living with any mental health condition reduces your life expectancy by anywhere from 7–10 years . The life expectancy for someone with bipolar disorder is approximately 67 years old.
Those with bipolar I depression were mainly hospitalized in summer and winter, whereas for bipolar II depression most admissions for depression occurred in the spring and summer.
Watching someone you love struggle with Bipolar Disorder can be equally challenging and exhausting. Seeing your loved one experience hopelessness, frequent crying spells, social and career frustrations, and feelings of worthlessness can be heartbreaking.