Living with a bipolar partner

Huskyrunner

it is hard too get one but very very worth it the meds they can prescribe are much more appropriate too helping your oh.

i went too my gp and asked for the referral and got declined initially he wouldnt take on board what my friend had said whose a psychiatric nurse. I had too go through axa/via my work and pay too get counselling my counsellor made a recommendation via a report they sent too my gp, my gp then agreed too do the referral.

The nhs is really poor at dealing with people with mental health issues, it too 3 months too get diagnosis. Push your gp!!

Mrs_Ryan

My partner has psychosis and he's like that too. Everything is always my fault- he once blamed me for breaking the kettle when I was in an entirely different town and hadn't used the kettle that day (he had used it earlier before it broke) he has little to no short term memory and he too does the shouting thing when he can't find something. Like your partner my OH had a traumatic childhood, his mother walked out when he was a baby and both she and his dad fairly quickly remarried and had other children and he and his brother were forgotten about. I definitely do know where you're coming from! Hopefully you can get the right treatment soon.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Low vitamin D levels also affect mood and sleep; has he been taking the supplements? Was he 'better' when he was taking it, worse when he was or when the weather was better/he was eating better?

It's not an instant fix, so it will take a while for any changes to be ongoing. If things still don't improve after three months, then that would be a good time to go back to the GP.

I'd hesitate to fix upon a diagnosis of a lifelong serious mental illness when the doctor doesn't think so - it's got serious repercussions in terms of employability, driving, the medications prescribed - an incorrect diagnosis of bipolar could be more damaging than one made 12 weeks later after all other avenues are explored first.