Bipolar Disorder, Trauma, and Love
A personal anecdote of how undiagnosed and mismanaged emotional and attachment systems can destroy even the most loving of relationships
There’s nothing more tragic than having mental illness and trauma shatter your deep love for and your perception of your partner, but that’s exactly what often happens within relationships where a partner has bipolar disorder and/or trauma.
At least, I can unequivocally say that about what happened to my long-term relationship.
When it comes to trauma and undiagnosed mental illnesses, one of the saddest parts of all is that you don’t see it coming.
It takes the average person with bipolar 8 years before they receive their bipolar diagnosis. That’s 8 years' worth of incorrect diagnoses, confusion, mismanagement, and potential heartbreak.
It took me 12.
I hesitated a bit to share my story because it’s so personal, but I found so many other stories online that helped me through my own journey. I hope that this can help someone else like those stories helped me.
So let’s start at the very beginning.
