My Fear of Dating with Bipolar Disorder

thank you for the information this has been the best information that describes my situation and yes the best thing is to get inform

I'm broke jobless had jobs fired from jobs because of my illness. So basically if I want to date I should have a therapist that isn't right or look for one I can't afford and when I date it's like we should see couples therapy. It's not fair to me or the other person so when ever I see a girl is attracted to me I turn away I avoid conversation instinctually. Relationships dating for bipolar people, it's real it's not fair much like nature like a female praying mantis eating its mate, it's instinctual mental illness as a whole is misunderstood in my mania I scare women away or they unrealistically attracted to me. It's painful I wish I had a disease that made me feel nothing instead bipolar a genius feak sex maniac. I've looked for help and it's not out there 2 years money spent insurance stops coverage so I'm reduced to this the internet. It's the look people give, the ones who know the ones who don't but that look like there trying to see past the illness a look of fear, worry, confusion like your a freak. Love in all this takes a fist full of pills and someone to put up with you. really? Put up with, with love, she wants security and I don't represent that so I let her go.

This article really hit the nail on the head for me. I have BPD2 and really have not dated for over 10 yrs due to it. I earned my B.S degree in Construction Engineering Tech and work for the U.S Air Force. I also retired out of the Army Reserves. So I keep myself pretty busy with work, and Taking college classes. I have learned that no one person can make you happy, that happiness comes from within. Yes at times I yearn to find that one special person, but most of the time it seems to elude me, so I just do what I have to do.

Just saying there needs to be some balance
That's all

I think when someone is down, the worse thing you can do is give 'em the 'ol drill seargent approach. Things happen when they happen. I, for one, am not gonna kick someone when they're down, recovering or tired. It looks like my other post didn't make it, but to summarize: no two experiences are alike, therefore, no two reactions are alike. Most importantly - don't make assumptions about what people feel, think, or experience. Just don't do it. Also, I had mentioned that plenty of caregivers have aired their complaints - and have taken over boards in the process. Sorry to be short with you - this whole topic is irritating and old. Please give it a rest.

Sorry Anon, but I don't feel marginalized OR dismissed but maybe I'm the exception to the rule. I was raised in an abusive environment rife with conflict (long before I was diagnosed with bipolar 1) so I had to decide early on whether I was going to let myself sink or swim, stand up for myself or else get trampled on. I chose the latter...

What is there to understand really when one is marginalized and dismissed? Renita, I get the whole devil's advocate approach, I get that loved ones have a hard time, but I don't think you're asking the right question.
How about "What is making this disconnect so difficult for both sides?"

So what are we who have a mental illness doing to understand those around us who don't have one? It seems to me that WE also need to use our common sense to find ways to be able to effectively interact with others as well, not all us us can afford formal therapy and how effective is it anyway if we don't bother to put it into practice what we've learned??? How about an article for that....

Let's face it for relationships to really work there needs to be an equal amount of give and take or at least and honest effort thereof by both parties. So what then does a loved one want/expect to get from a bipolar relationship? I'm curious.
There's a saying out there somewhere I've heard that goes something like this:
It's more important to seek first to understand than it is to be understood...

I realize this is a blog about mental illness but what bother’s me is that I keep I hearing over and over again in these aricles and blogs poor bipolar me, poor bipolar me, poor bipolar me nobody understands ME, ME, ME. I also have bipolar disorder and even I get tired of it so I can understand why so many loved ones who also read these blogs looking for a way to support their loved ones must feel and why they often leave their mentally ill significant other because it just becomes too much to deal with.
Let’s be honest, we ALL want to be loved and respected bipolar or otherwise. From what I’m seeing and hearing is that it’s mostly the loved ones who seem to be expected to give, give, give, while the mentally ill seem to get off scott free to take, take, take. How about an article for a change that invites some honest discussion about how it feels to be on the other side of the fence. There needs to be some balance to these articles. We are all affected by bipolar disorder in one way or another. And I for one would like to hear a little bit more from the significant others and how it affects them… Or would that be considered to guilt producing for the mentally ill person to bear. I for one, think not but then again that’s just me. Surely there is someway we can all learn to meet in the middle

I have been battling with Bi polar(Diagnosed ) 3 years ago. Its difficult for me because i always want to tell them first but i end up investing waay too much emotion into it, then when for e.g : A girl i met 3 months ago,we began to chat all the time and then my obsession came in,I always would get upset with her for not responding to my messages when we werent together meanwhile she was at the shop or something then the one day she had a male customer come in to her shop and i was working next door, and he tried flirting with her, she rejected him and i got so aggressive i attacked this guy with my fists ... and the sad thing was... we werent even dating... i feel like im gonna be alone forever cos i should trust people more but i just get so obsessed and paranoid almost instantaniously and it ruins everything for me... every day i go home i wanna cry and i dont know what to do... my medication has not been helping at all....if someone can give me a tip please its a real problem in my life and it makes me feel real depressed and i start to think peoples lives will be easier without me in this world. t.v.iddekinge@live.com

Hi Natasha, I just discovered your blog today and have been enjoying it. I guess I'm "high functioning" with bipolar disorder because I'm able to work at a career I enjoy with people that I like and who know my situation. However...I'm a 43 y.o lesbian, allergic to animals (is that a cruel joke or what), and terrified of ever trying to date again. I gave it up over 5 years ago. I think it depends on who you are and what you want. Dating for me has always been a bipolar trigger in the past, sending me into terrible spirals and resulting in taking a leave of absence from work more than once. So I had to decide if I could be happy on my own. Surprisingly, I am. Sure, I have my moments. But I have family and friends and ways to keep my life full. I decided it was far more important to live for me than to live for someone else. Good luck Natasha, I hope you find what you need. We're all different. I sure appreciate all these articles!

I am 44 and I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when I was 19. I am now engaged to be married. I have dated a lot of people over the years, but I have only really had successful relationships with others who have been diagnosed with mental illness. This is just how it has gone for me. I have had relationships with men without mental illness and they couldn't understand why I would take medications that had bad side effects. They were also concerned about me taking medications while being pregnant, and it was hard for some of them to understand why I didn't want to have children, after I made that decision.

Don't sell yourself short Phil. There's lots of fish in the sea...
Maybe your standards are too high. There's lots of people on disability that do volunteer work.

Sometime during the first ten minutes of my imaginary date: So, what do you do?
You mean work?
Yeah.
I'm on disability.
Oh, I'm so sorry, did you hurt your back?
No, I have bipolar.
Silence.
(It just isn't worth it.)

So how did this date go?

I have bipolar disorder and this has been a huge challenge in my life.

I must be very care free on that matter. I really don’t care. I do get a lot more preoccupied if someone tells me that he/she has bipolar type 1 or schizophrenia those two are the most difficult to deal with. Never the less, shouldn’t it matter the most creating a relationship first and know each other better before deciding if it’s that person you want to work on a relationship? If so, then it would be the right timing to tell what disorder you have. Maybe you two together are not “intimate relationship material”, maybe you are just friends, who knows? It takes a long time to get an idea of who you are dealing with. For me, character is everything. I am in favor of getting to know that person for at least 6 months before I decide what type of relationship I want or not. I think that telling on a 1st or 2nd or in few dates, that you have a stop sign for everyone that is ignorant about Bipolar, is a very bad identity card to pass on. You have a condition yes, but we always have to teach those in our life how to deal with us and what is happening when we need the space or just to be alone for a while. It’s not the end of the world to date a person with bipolar, relax and live your life without the fear of getting hurt, everybody gets hurt somehow, it calls living. You will hurt a lot more if you don’t even try. All the best to you.

I agree. This is all new to me. Having insight into what is going on and trying to communicate with people while having a heavily stigmatized illness is difficult. We can only hope for the best, right? Thank you for sharing this.

54 year old man has not dated for 10 years she has experienced illness previous don't want to hurt her but unsure of my attraction to her due to my unstable condition, had to have medication, s changed she is aggressive

Rejection can hurt. Think of it as a positive thing in that:
-you have been brave enough to try dating
-you have some more experience dating
-you didn't go ahead with something and get in too deep only to find out the person can't handle it.

Sounds a bit like an early miscarriage. Hopes dashed, but for the best, as carrying to full term would mean long-term heartbreak.