How to Live With a Manic Depressive Spouse

Living with a bi-polar or manic depressive spouse often feels like walking on egg-shells. The uncertainty of your spouse's frame of mind at any given moment causes huge amounts of stress. Worry over their safety and whether they will harm themselves also poses a great burden. Coping strategies exist that improve the quality of life for both you and your spouse.

Instructions

• 1

  Get your spouse diagnosed. An essential first step in dealing with a manic depressive spouse involves a complete medical check-up. A correct diagnosis enables you and your spouse to explain rather than blame. Blaming yourself or your mentally ill spouse helps no one. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of bi-polar disorder include violent mood swings that disrupt normal life, with euphoric highs and devastating lows.

• 2

  Organize your life. Routine helps those living with manic depression. Enforcing strict meal times, bed times, play times and chore times assists your spouse to overcome and manage her disorder. Also, identifying and eliminating triggers is a key factor in coping with the disorder. If staying up late leads to a manic episode the following day, identify it as a trigger and encourage your spouse to get plenty of rest.

• 3

  Enforce medications. Your job as a care-giver includes monitoring dosage and times of all medications. Do not give a manic depressive person charge of their own medications. Stick to a medication schedule to assist your spouse in managing the condition.