diagnosed

My partner was diagnosed rapid cyclic bi polar 1 (acute) yesterday....we thought that this was coming...he now has become up one minute down the next and seems to now give himself the poetic licence to do this even more now. He has been pescribed Valpro and Senquil and has taken the first dose last night and seemed to be even worse. My questions is how do i now cope with this....He seems to be saying oh well im ill and that just the way it is....get over it...nasty like..help please
cheers

[hell1971]

Hi just wanted to say you have come to the right place, you will get support hear. Coming to terms with the diagnosis has a huge impact on an individual as well as the illness its self. I know it seems like your partner is doing this to be nasty but this may be your partners way of coping, do understand though that the mood swings are real and are very hard to cope with especially when changable so quickly, I have been in a mixed episode since dec and I found the not knowing how you were going to feel from one minute to the next almost impossible to bear. Medication doesnt work overnight and it may take a while to get your partner stable. All I can suggest at this point is that you look after yourself, learn as much as possible and be as supportive as you can be without sacrificing your own wellbeing.  Good luck

[LeftCoastChick]

I have to agree with hell1971 - the drugs don't immediately start, it takes a while to get into his system., so any behaviour that is going on is the illness not the drug not working. If you think he is uncontrollable, you can always take him into the ER or call 911 if he is a danger to himself, and if he is to you, call 911. They have special units to deal with mentally ill folks in most cities.  His behaviour now that he knows the diagnosis is really not appropriate, he's getting away with somethings and blames BP and not taking personal responsibility. ( unless he is having a psychotic break)

You need to set up strict boundaries with him, and if he chooses not to abide by them, you need to make certain choices to take care of yourself. I knew someone like that, blamed everything on the BP, all her poor and obnoxious behaviour. I used to work with her, and I finally told her, that hey I'm BP too but I would never act like that. I personally think she had other emotional issues as well, like a narcissitic personality disorder.

This is a really beneficial web page which has tons of info and links to more info.
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/bipolar_disorder_family_friends_support.htm