u/ElizabethHiems

A decade ago my partner was given an SSRI, only took it for maybe 4 months but proceeded to have a period of behaviour so unstable they were almost hospitalised. They were given a diagnosis of PTSD.

But since then have showed a clear pattern of stable or depressed periods for 2 years or so broken by periods where they

Barely sleep
Want constant attention and talk at you for 40 minutes with out needing any response, talking at warp speed
Are excitable and agitated until they crash to sleep
Go on weird spending sprees
Have weird ideas

They have not been to see the doctor about it.

I get why, the previous experience with medication was not positive.

But prior to 2024 those periods were never angry or aggressive. They were never hurtful or unkind.

The one before this was complicated by grief due to the death of a close family member so I made allowances. We got through it.

So my big mistake. …

It seemed screamingly obvious to me that they have bipolar, but after a whole 18 months of depression. I encouraged them to go see a doctor. We expressed our concerns about what happened the last time.

They prescribed him a different SSRI. I didn’t do anything about it. I’m a health care professional, but not in mental health, I let my reservations stay silent. Now I’m in hell.

He doesn’t have a bipolar diagnosis, but I’m reading the posts here and that’s my life. It just never use to be so extreme.

My partner is suffering from a period of mania and possible psychosis. This morning he was arrested for destruction of property and while in custody transferred and assessed for possible sectioning under the mental health act.

He was told on transfer that bail conditions meant he could not contact me (wife) or come back home.

Following his assessment by the mental health team he was discharged with a plan for community psychiatric support and placed in a taxi home.

When he returned home he began smashing things outside of the house again. So the police returned and arrested him because he had violated bail conditions.

But he was sent here. He also doesn’t have anywhere else to go. Also he is supposed to be seeing the home team.

He needs help. I need to help him.