Husband behaving irrationally, violent, aggressive, mood swings and depression. Can he be suffering from some form of bipolar? What can I do?
Patient: Hi, i ve been married to my husband for about 10 years and always thought his behaviour was sometimes completeley irrational, he has been violent and aggressive, suffers from extreme mood swings and has periods of depression . I firmly believe that he may be suffering from a form of bipolar but when i try and approach him about his behaviour he gets angry and thinks that it is all in my head and there is nothing wrong with him. His mood swings are becoming more frequent and it is starting to affect our 8 year old daughter, he needs help but i can t get through to him as he thinks there is nothing wrong with him. What can i do? Doctor: Your situation is very difficult and I am deeply disturbed and sorry to hear about your suffering. It 's all the more painful because you are not the one with the problem, it's your husband. My first piece of advice to you is to protect yourself and your child from this man's outbursts. If you can, you should take your child and leave the house each time these outbursts occur. Notifying family members (and perhaps friends) of the situation will help to protect and support you to some extent. Your husband may indeed have bipolar disorder as you suspect, but more importantly he has a horrible lack of insight into his problem thereby making it impossible for him to understand his need for treatment. Because of this, his prognosis for improvement is very poor indeed. You cannot force him into treatment if he refuses it; however, a nicely written lawyer's letter on your behalf may help you. You may have to leave this man if he does not seek treatment for this intense problem. Best wishes and I hope things improve for you!