It is important to talk about the relationship between bipolar disorder and emotional relationships, as it can severely affect the social life of people with bipolar disorder.
Bipolar disorder is a complex definition of mood disorder, its most noteworthy feature is that people who present it constantly experience rapid and drastic fluctuations in their mood, are these fluctuations that prevent the person from feeling well?Even if it goes through states of euphoria that greatly affect its adaptability.
- These mood swings lead.
- Among other complications.
- To problems with emotional relationships.
- We mean the fact that emotional instability affects emotional relationships.
- Especially when it comes to romantic relationships.
- Because it’s hard to have a relationship with someone who goes through such a drastic mood.
- Changes.
To maintain an emotional relationship you must know the other, have understanding and flexibility, but also a certain stability (that is, to be, in a certain way, predictable). To refer to someone who is experiencing manic episodes and / or depressive episodes that are not directly related to their life experiences is a stone in the way of relationships.
Therefore, in this article we will explain what bipolar disorder is and how it affects the social circle and the satisfaction of the person presenting it.
People mistakenly refer to changes in their opinions, as well as in their thoughts or feelings, as traces of bipolarity, that is, we think that being happy one day and sad the next is “being bipolar”. But it’s not like that.
To be diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a number of diagnostic criteria must be met, statistics show that only 0. 5 to 1. 6% of the general population meets these requirements (Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality, 2012).
In general, having bipolar disorder requires a very high mood, impulsive behaviors involving significant expenses, radical projects or changes, and little need to sleep for at least two weeks.
So, being very happy or sad one day and not the next is not having bipolar disorder; we can have different mood swings or personality characteristics without it being a mental pathology.
Relationships with a person with bipolar disorder are complicated, however, when the disorder is controlled and the individual is stable, it is possible to have a 100% normalized life, in this sense people with bipolar disorder fall in love like the others, without any problem, unless they are in a manic phase, in which the mood is so euphoric and positive that it confuses feelings.
That is why, in general, the passion and the beginning of an emotional relationship are the same for all people, with the care of not starting romantic relationships in phases of euphoric mood.
Still, when we think about bipolar disorder and emotional relationships, the instability of feelings comes to mind, that is, if we are thinking of having a partner with bipolar disorder, it is very likely that we are thinking of a chaotic and changing situation. Relationship.
Nothing further from reality. Today, with psychiatric medications to stabilize mood, therapy and psychological support, the person is able to maintain a stable relationship, the relationship will have ups and downs like everyone else, but they can be deeper and more severe than those of other couples. The important thing will be how the couple and their environment will handle these moments.
“People with bipolar disorder fall in love like everyone else, without any problem, unless they are in a manic phase, where the mood is so euphoric and positive that it confuses feelings. “
The term bipolar is part of our common language. To joke or take things seriously, many people are labeled this way when they are actually far from suffering from a disorder.
In addition, bipolar disorder is not necessarily related to changes of heart, so when we think about bipolar disorder and emotional relationships, we don’t have to imagine a relationship in which ideas, attitudes, motivations and goals constantly change.
However, it is very important to consider that the energy of a person with bipolar disorder can change significantly from week to week, the level of energy or activation can easily change, which can affect a couple’s projects, such as the desire to make a particular trip.
Being in an emotional relationship with a person with bipolar disorder means adapting to changes in mental and physical activation, but if handled well, it is not an insurmountable obstacle.
While when the person is under control there are no big problems, it is necessary to know how to properly manage the relationship between bipolar disorder and emotional relationships, so there are some tips/aspects to consider: first, having a relationship with a person Bipolar disorder involves being very familiar with this mental illness.
Both sides of the relationship need to know what’s going on, how the disease manifests itself, and what to do during a crisis. For example, the partner of a person with bipolar disorder should be aware of signs that an episode of mania or depression may occur earlier.
In addition, daily stress levels should receive special attention as they are a trigger for episodes in which mood becomes extreme.
When considering an affective relationship, people need to find a balance in the distribution of tasks and responsibilities, so that there is no burden on the person with the disorder, the demands and the continuous feeling of not arriving on time increase the chances of failure or relapse.
“When it comes to considering an emotional relationship, people should know that the daily burden of tasks and work should be healthy and not too demanding. “
Therefore, people with bipolar disorder should have a very controlled routine, with hours of sleep and stable meals, avoiding sudden changes (Becoa and Lorenzo, 2001). They can go to parties and stay up all night, get up early, eat at different times on weekends; but if they start to feel “strange,” they need understanding and empathy because they’re not responsible for what they feel or cause.
Thus, having a partner with bipolar disorder involves a great effort of adaptation, on the other hand, the situation also improves if the person receives psychiatric and psychological follow-up, the more the partner is involved in the follow-up of the disorder, the less the relationship. Suffer.
Remember that more and more advances are being made in the control of mental illness and that, in principle, bipolar disorder is not necessarily an impassable barrier to a relationship.