Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an extreme stress reaction to a traumatic event that can occasionally be classified as a disability. When that happens, the person living with PTSD can qualify to get PTSD disability benefits.

PTSD Can Be a Disability

The severity of the effects of PTSD range from relatively mild—only fairly disruptive to someone’s life—to severely debilitating. When PTSD’s effects are severely disruptive, PTSD is a disability. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth edition (DSM-5) the American Psychiatric Association (2013) warns that PTSD sometimes has extreme consequences regarding someone’s functioning:

• Social disability
• Occupational disability
• Physical disability
• Absenteeism from work/school
• Reduced educational and occupational success

Typically, PTSD prognosis, or expected outcome, is good. In fact, approximately half of all adults completely recover in about three months; however, some individuals live with it for a year or more, and some can live with PTSD for more than 50 years (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). When the effects of PTSD are severely life-limiting and prolonged, PTSD is a disability, and someone can receive PTSD disability benefits.

Types of PTSD Disability Benefits

The United States government operates two main disability programs:

• Supplementary Security Income program (SSI, or Social Security)
• Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).

Social Security provides financial assistance to people with little or no income, including people living with any mental illness, PTSD included. Having PTSD alone doesn’t qualify someone for social security, even if they can’t work. To receive SSI disability benefits for PTSD, someone must live below the poverty line and have minimal access to financial resources.

SSDI is the other federal organization that provides financial benefits. The difference between SSDI and social security is the income level and location above or below the poverty line. PTSD can qualify as a disability regardless of whether or not someone is living in poverty. People automatically earn SSDI by working long enough and paying Social Security taxes through their employment. Meeting these criteria as well as necessary PTSD disability criteria qualifies someone for disability benefits for PTSD.

General Requirements for PTSD Disability Benefits

Two paths exist to receiving disability for PTSD (Laurence, 2016):

• Meet the Social Security disability requirement, or
• Obtain a medical-vocational allowance

Social Security disability requirements:

• Experience near-extreme anxiety, or
• Experience emotional disturbance due to recurrent flashbacks, nightmares, or memories
• These experiences must interfere with daily activities, social life, or concentration
• Medical evidence provided by a doctor must include a detailed description the person’s PTSD, notation on what intensifies symptoms and how the symptoms affect his/her ability to function at home and at work, and documentation on how the person’s account of PTSD matches the doctor’s observations.

If someone doesn’t meet the full disability requirements, he/she may still obtain a medical-vocational allowance. Despite the fact that the above criteria aren’t fully met, if the person is unable to work due to the effects of PTSD such as sleep problems (and resulting fatigue), difficulty concentrating, memory problems, and more, he/she is eligible to receive PTSD benefits in the form of a medical-vocational allowance.

How to Get PTSD Disability Benefits

Help is available for people trying to secure PTSD disability benefits.

• Social workers and case managers are agents that advocate for their clients in many ways, including helping people through the PTSD benefits application process.
• Social Security offices in local communities provide assistance with the PTSD disability application process
• Socialsecuritylaw.com is an organization of dedicated disability lawyers that efficiently and quickly (as possible, anyway) help people secure disability benefits.
• Social Security Disability Advocates provides free evaluation and assistance for applying for PTSD disability.

If you prefer to complete the application process on your own, Social Security and SSDI each have websites that provide information, eligibility screening tools, instructions, and applications.

If you are a military veteran, you may qualify for PTSD VA benefits, too. Combat PTSD and military sexual trauma (MST) are two types of posttraumatic stress disability claims. These benefits are non-taxable and are not dependent on receiving Social Security or vocational-allowance benefits. Contact the National Center For PTSD for both military and civilian information.

When, despite time and treatment, the effects of PTSD don’t diminish and PTSD prevents someone from working, PTSD becomes a disability. When this happens, PTSD disability benefits can provide financial help by removing one very big stressor from someone’s plate that’s already full of trauma-induced stress.

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When it comes to bipolar in marriage, you might ask the question: can it ever work? All marriages present challenges, but the issues faced by someone with bipolar disorder and the knock-on effects on their spouse can be especially hard to deal with. Having bipolar in a marriage does not mean the bipolar-affected relationship is doomed to fail, but it does mean you need to take care to protect the partnership. With this in mind, here are some of the common challenges faced by bipolar people in marriage, along with some coping strategies.

Bipolar in Marriage: Common Issues and Challenges

People who are bipolar in marriage have many issues to contend with. Not only do they have to manage their own bipolar symptoms and triggers, but they also have to navigate their spouse’s reactions and feelings. Being married to someone who has bipolar also has its challenges, especially during episodes of mania or depression, where the person may act out of character or engage in risky behavior.

Challenges for people who have bipolar in marriage include:

• Not feeling their partner understands: Having a chronic mental illness can be lonely, and many people with bipolar disorder feel at the mercy of their symptoms. This can be hard to explain to someone who doesn't have the disorder.
• Detachment from the relationship: Mania and hypomania in bipolar disorder can cause excessive spending, hypersexuality, risk-taking, drug or alcohol abuse and, in some cases, delusional thinking. All of these symptoms can cause the sufferer to feel detached from their relationship while leading to long-term problems such as debt, addiction, and infidelity due to bipolar symptoms.

Challenges faced by partners of people with bipolar include:

• Communication problems: During depressive episodes, people who are bipolar may struggle to communicate, or they may not feel like talking at all. When manic, however, that same partner might talk impossibly fast or be difficult to calm down. For all of these reasons, communication can easily break down when there's bipolar in a marriage.
• Exhaustion and stress: Living with someone who has bipolar disorder can be exhausting, and there may be times when you feel worried about your spouse.

It's important to remember that people who are bipolar are not ill all the time. In between episodes, there may be periods of stability, when a person's mood is neither "up" nor "down." Bipolar also exists on a spectrum, and many people manage life and relationships just fine when they're engaging in treatment.

What Are the Bipolar Marriage Divorce Rates?

Divorce rates in a bipolar marriage are sobering to read, but it's important to remember that the statistics don't apply to everyone. There are exceptions to the rule, and if you're getting treatment for your illness and being open and honest with your spouse, your marriage has every chance of succeeding.

According to a 2003 study, it is estimated that around 90% of marriages where one person has bipolar disorder end in divorce.  That doesn’t always mean that bipolar disorder is the cause of the marriage breakdown, but it does indicate that bipolar is a factor.

Bipolar and Marriage: Can It Ever Work?

Bipolar and marriage can work, and there are plenty of couples who can attest to this. However, all relationships are fragile, and the challenges can be severe when one partner has bipolar disorder. With this in mind, here are some tips to help you navigate bipolar in marriage:

Set boundaries: The rules of marriage don’t change because one of you has bipolar disorder. Both of you need to set boundaries around what you’re willing to deal with.

Be supportive: Your support doesn’t have to be unconditional, and you have a right to draw lines around what you deem acceptable. However, you do still need to be supportive and compassionate towards one another. If your spouse has bipolar disorder, encourage them to seek further help or treatment when appropriate, but don’t push them.

Don’t place blame: Whether it’s you or your partner who has bipolar in the marriage, the illness is just that – an illness. It’s nobody’s fault.

Encourage honesty: No matter what, honesty is an important quality of any marriage, and this is especially important when one of you has bipolar disorder. If you have bipolar, make a pact with your partner that although you may need to deny your symptoms or the severity of your illness to others, you will be honest within your marriage. Your partner should be your ally and the best advocate for your mental and physical wellbeing, so they need to know the truth – however hard it may be to hear.

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Many family members of those with a mental illness feel guilty about their feelings or situation. Learn about the causes and effects of guilt and how to deal with guilt.

Supporting Someone with Bipolar - For Family and Friends

Nearly all relatives of people with mental illness feel guilty, at some point, about their relative's or their own situation. Although it may never completely disappear, the feeling can be significantly reduced.

Causes of Guilt

1. Blaming yourself or regretting your feelings (especially anger), thoughts, or actions regarding your ill relative
2. Feeling bad about having a better life than your relative does (survivor guilt)
3. Society's ostracism of families who have a relative with a mental illness

Effects of Guilt

1. Depression, lack of energy for the present
2. Dwelling on the past
3. Diminished self-confidence and self-worth
4. Less effectiveness in solving problems and achieving goals
5. Acting like a martyr, in an effort to make up for past sins
6. Being overprotective, which leads to your relative's feeling more helpless and dependent
7. Diminished quality of your life

Deal with guilt by developing more rational and less painful ways of thinking about the situation.

1. Acknowledge and express your guilt with an understanding listener
2. Examine the beliefs underlying your guilt. (For example: "I should have done things differently when he was a child"; "I should have noticed the signs sooner and done something to prevent it"; "I should have never said that to her."
3. Counteract these false beliefs, using the information you have learned about the causes and course of mental illness
4. Try not to dwell on the past
5. Focus on how you may improve the present and the future for yourself and your ill relative
6. Remind yourself that you deserve a good life even if your relative may not be fortunate enough to have one

When it comes to supporting a loved one with bipolar, sometimes you have to deal out a little tough love.

Supporting Someone with Bipolar - For Family and Friends

It's often pretty rough trying to cope with a manic-depressive loved one. You want desperately to help them, but sometimes the usual notions of what it means to help someone backfire. In fact, they are quite likely to backfire and so, take the word of one whose been on both the receiving and the delivering end of the following advice - it works.

• Always keep firmly in mind that your loved one's illness is not YOUR problem, and it's not your fault. Be firm in refusing to take any abuse from your bipolar loved one, but be there as a safety net if things go badly off-center. Your presence is needed as a sounding board, as someone who can confirm or deny which behaviors seem disorder-related and which are life-adjustment problems. Most of all, your presence lets the ill person know that being angry at this beast of a disease is okay, but being abusive toward others is not.

• Don't give in to the poor-me whine. Hard truths and painful honesty toward the bipolar person are better than commiseration at this time. This doesn't mean one should be cruel. Now is not the time to rehash old pains and sorrows, nor to place blame - there is none. But do think before you automatically, and unthinkingly, agree to everything a newly diagnosed, and really angry, bipolar says. While you think you may be helping, in fact, you will cause harm. Realize you may be a testing ground for someone who is desperately trying to get a toe-hold on how to exist as this new, medicated person. For that reason, it is particularly important that you be honest in a positive way.

• Give the person breathing room. Yes, you need to keep aware of impending depression, but acknowledge the grief involved in this battle to come to terms with bipolar disorder. No matter how much you think you know about what your loved one is going through, you don't, you can't - and you never will. No good will come from suggesting that you do. Try to understand their immense pain and give them plenty of room to grieve for everything that once was, and now no longer is.

When someone is depressed, it is difficult for them, but also difficult for family and friends to know what to say and do. Below is a list of suggestions that we hope you find helpful.

• DO learn everything you can about this disorder. The more you know, the better equipped you will be to know what to expect.
• DO realize I am angry and frustrated with the disorder, NOT with you.
• DO let me know you are available to help me when I ask. I'll be grateful.
• DO understand why I cancel plans, sometimes at the last minute.
• DO continue to invite me to all the activities. I never know from day to day or minute to minute how I will feel and just because I am not able to participate one day does not mean I won't be able to today.
• DO feel that you have the right to ask about my doctor or therapist appointments - but DON'T ask me if I'm taking my medications if I'm legitimately upset about something.
• DO continue to call me, even when I only seem to want a brief conversation.
• DO send cards, notes, and other reminders of our friendship or relationship.
• DO offer me lots of hugs, encouragement, and love, even when I seem to withdraw.
• DON'T tell me I look too good to be depressed. I may be really fighting here to stay above water.
• DON'T tell me you know how I feel. Each of us is different and two people with this disorder can feel totally different. Pain is a relative thing, this includes emotional pain. DO let me know that you understand or that you can relate to what I am saying.
• DON'T tell me about your Aunt Margie or the friend of a friend who is managing in spite of this disorder. We are not all the same and I am doing my best.
• DON'T tell me to "pull myself up by the boot straps," "snap out of it," "what have you got to be depressed about," "you have so much to be grateful for," "there are a lot of people worse off than you," "happiness is a choice," or the likes. Believe me, if I could "snap" my fingers and have this depression be gone, don't you think I would have done that a long time ago? Don't you think I would choose to be happy?
• DON'T tell me not to worry, that everything will be all right or that this is just a passing phase. This is happening to me right NOW and things are NOT all right!
• DON'T ask me how I feel, unless you really want to know.
• DON'T tell me about the latest fad cure. I want to be cured more than anything and if there is a legitimate cure out there, my personal doctor will let me know. Also, don't call my doctor a quack and encourage me to throw out my medications.
• DON'T count me out. This could be the day that I'm ready to accept an invitation.
• DON'T give up on me.

Bipolar depression feels slightly different for everyone. Some people experience extreme and prolonged periods of depression, while others report minor to moderate dips in mood following a manic or hypomanic episode. For some, depression is manageable with the right treatment and lifestyle, but for others, it can be debilitating. All people with bipolar disorder experience depression at least once, as it is part of the diagnostic criteria, but what does bipolar depression feel like?

What Does Bipolar Depression Feel Like in Bipolar I and II?

What does bipolar depression feel like? That depends on who you ask. Bipolar depression feels different from regular depression because it is accompanied by periods of mania or hypomania.

Like many other mental and physical health conditions, bipolar disorder exists on a scale. We all experience periods of low moods and times where we feel more energetic and elevated, but in people with bipolar disorder, the two ends of the scale are more extreme. Episodes of depression and mania (or hypomania) can be triggered, or else they can occur with no apparent cause.

There are three main types of bipolar disorder, and depression symptoms vary between diagnoses.

• Bipolar I
  
  In bipolar type I, people typically experience dramatic highs and lows. Periods of depression may be chronic and debilitating. Like regular depression, bipolar depression is characterized by low energy, extreme fatigue, "brain fog," crippling guilt, self-doubt and lack of interest in activities and daily tasks. People with bipolar type I are also at risk of suicidal thoughts and actions.
   
• Bipolar II
  
  Many people with bipolar disorder experience more depressive episodes than manic ones. For bipolar type II, the ratio of time spent in depression versus hypomania is 35:1. This is one of the main differences between bipolar I and II, along with “up” periods never meeting the criteria for full-blown mania.
   
• Cyclothymia
  
  In cyclothymia, people tend to cycle between short periods of mild depression and hypomania. Cyclothymic depression is not as severe as bipolar depression, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to deal with. Antidepressant medications and mood stabilizers can be used to treat cyclothymia. People with cyclothymia have a 15-50% risk of developing bipolar disorder, so it is important to report any new symptoms to your doctor if you have this condition.

Living With Bipolar Depression

Living with bipolar depression isn’t easy. Not only can depression be debilitating, but combined with episodes of mania or hypomania, it is also exhausting and unpredictable. Someone with bipolar disorder may wake up one day unable to get out of bed due to severe depression, but they may be energetic, restless and impulsive the next.

Some people with bipolar disorder also experience rapid cycling, in which there is a pattern of distinct and short-lived episodes of mania and depression. For an individual to be diagnosed with rapid cycling bipolar disorder, they would have to experience four or more depressive, manic or hypomanic episodes in one year. This is mentally and physically exhausting and can lead to other issues such as substance abuse, financial problems, over or undereating and relationship troubles. Living with bipolar depression and maintaining a job, home and solid relationships can be extremely difficult.

Bipolar depression is often confused with unipolar or "regular" depression because there are more depressive episodes than manic ones.  Hypomania can also be confused with feeling "normal" or energized. People with bipolar disorder don’t always respond to antidepressants, so they may be misdiagnosed with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) rather than bipolar depression, meaning they don’t always get the right support and treatment.

Tips for Coping With Bipolar Depression

• Learn your triggers: Knowing your bipolar depression triggers can help you avoid depressive episodes. Many people with bipolar depression stick to a daily routine, make sure they get enough sleep and avoid alcohol and non-prescription drugs to manage their symptoms.
• Do your research: Understanding your illness is key to learning how to manage it. If you know the patterns and symptoms to watch out for, you can put support systems and tools in place to help you get through depressive episodes and minimize their impact on your life.
• Eat well: Studies show that what you eat really does influence your mental health. Talk to your doctor about maintaining a healthy diet and make sure there are no foods you should avoid if you are taking any medications.
• Build a support system: Have a list of numbers you can call if your depression becomes severe. Have these numbers on your speed dial so you can find them easily. These might include bipolar disorder support groups, friends and relatives, hotline numbers, your doctor and your therapist. Don’t be afraid to reach out to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) or the emergency services in a crisis.
• Create an emergency depression kit: When you're feeling well, make a list of all the things that help you when you're in a depressive episode. These might be your favorite books, TV shows, songs, takeout, or reading letters from friends. Refer to this list when depression strikes.

However you experience bipolar depression, there are ways to manage your symptoms and make living with bipolar depression a little easier.

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Many bipolar support groups are offered online as an alternative to in-person support groups. While in-person bipolar support groups do have advantages, they aren’t available or feasible for some people. Read on to learn about online bipolar support groups, including chatrooms.

What Is an Online Bipolar Chat, or Support, Group?

Online bipolar disorder support groups are very much like in-person bipolar support groups but they don’t have the limitations of time and space. The online support groups are generally free, in real-time and can be offered by large organizations such as the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) or by smaller groups.

Like in-person support groups, bipolar online help groups offer:

• A place to share experiences surrounding bipolar
• A place to discuss bipolar coping skills
• A place to make connections with others and offer hope

According to the DBSA:

“These virtual meetings are just like the DBSA support groups offered by our affiliated chapters and provide the same hope, help, and support needed for a lifetime of wellness and recovery.”

Online bipolar support groups also often exist specifically for loved ones or welcome loved ones into their groups.

Why Choose an Online Support Group for Bipolar?

Remember, online bipolar support groups are not the place to go if you’re in crisis. If you’re in an immediate crisis call 9-1-1, go to an Emergency Room or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at: 1-800-273-8255.

Bipolar groups online have advantages for some. For example, a person may not be able to attend an in-person meeting due to the time it is offered or its location. Similarly, someone might not be able to attend in-person groups because they are not available in a specific area. (If you can’t find a support group in your area, the DBSA can help you set one up.)

Considerations When Signing Up for an Online Bipolar Support Chatroom

Most online support groups for bipolar disorder require you to sign up for access. Various pieces of information are required, but a real e-mail address is a minimum. Keep in mind that whatever you say online will be there for all to see so you may wish to protect your personal details. For example, when you choose a screen name that others will see, you may wish to pick something other than your real name.

Remember that you never really know who you’re talking to online so never give out details such as banking information or where you live.

A List of Support Groups Online for Bipolar Disorder

There are many places to find free, online bipolar support groups, but here are some (many of which have sections for loved ones):

• Through the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
• Through the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
• Through HealthfulChat
• Through DailyStrength
• Through BP Magazine

Bipolar self-help and support groups can be found in most towns in the United States and online (see here for more information on online bipolar support groups), and many people find them a very helpful part of their bipolar recovery. Families of those with bipolar disorder can also find support groups and they, too, often find them helpful.

What Are Bipolar Support and Self-Help Groups?

Bipolar support groups are a place where people with bipolar disorder or their family members can meet others like them and discuss the issues associated with their illness. These groups can be led by:

• Peers (those with bipolar or a loved one)
• Trained group leaders (usually also with lived experience of bipolar disorder)
• Professionals, such as psychologists

Bipolar support groups usually last about an hour, sharing at them is optional, and they are typically free of charge.

Benefits of Bipolar Self-Help Groups

There are many benefits to support groups for those with mental illness or a bipolar support group for families.

Firstly, people often feel alone when they deal with mental illness either as a loved one or the person with the illness. People feel like they’re the only one who is sick and that they’re the “craziest” person in the world or a “freak” (How to Deal with the Stigma of Bipolar Disorder). When you meet others with bipolar disorder and see how alike they all are, there is relief in knowing that you have a community and not one of you is a “freak” or “crazy.”

Secondly, people in bipolar self-help groups often share coping techniques with each other. So while one person may share a stressor that he or she is having, another person in the group may suggest a bipolar disorder coping strategy that can work in that situation.

Thirdly, people often develop social bonds in support groups. While some with bipolar disorder isolate themselves on a regular basis, meeting others like them can form friendships that exist outside the support group.

These benefits are very similar to the ones that loved one's experience. They, too, need community and need to meet others like them. They also need to learn coping techniques for dealing with the challenging situations that often arise when being close to a person with a serious mental illness like bipolar disorder.

Where to Find Support Groups for Those with Bipolar and Their Families

You can find a support group near you with these resources:

• Through the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
• Find your local NAMI
• Find a NAMI family support group
• Through the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)
• Through a local mental health group (contact your county mental health or social services agency)

In the United States, both NAMI and the DBSA run support groups in many places both for people with bipolar disorder and their families. Additionally, they are good sources of information on mental illness. If one is not being run in your area, they can usually help you set one up.

Local mental health groups, charities, and healthcare organizations also often run bipolar and family support groups. To find a support group near you, it’s often helpful to check with your doctor. It can also be helpful to use this Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator (offered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA]).

See also "Help for Bipolar Depression: Where to Find It"

Depression not only happens in many lives but it may happen at any age. Recent data indicated about 12% of adult women per year and 7% of men per year are depressed. Depression happens even in the young; about 2.5% of children and 8.3% of teenagers in the US currently have depression.

It is vital to recognize that young people can get sad, lonely, self-critical and lethargic. Many parents just do not realize children, say 5 to 12, can get depressed or have a mental disorder. That means that children often do not get treatment for their problems. In total about three million adolescents in the US are depressed. Most people know teenagers get depressed but the majority of teens still do not get treatment. We either don't recognize the signs of depression in children and teenagers or we don't realize the importance of getting them psychological help until something dire happens, like drug addiction or a suicide attempt.

The same things can be said about the 20% of the elderly who report having depressive symptoms. For instance, among 85-year-old white men, the suicide rate is five times the national average (NIMH, Depression & Suicide Facts). Many people believe sadness just comes with getting old, that it is inevitable. That is not true. It is true that the elderly often have diseases and physical conditions that make them unhappy but they may not be suffering a depressive disorder. Their physical discomfort could be treated (but sometimes it isn't because old people are expected to be depressed). Therefore, for a variety of reasons, many elderly people are undiagnosed and grossly under-treated.

Depression is not only fairly common in all ages, but it can also, of course, occasionally be very serious. Like Abe Lincoln as a young man, the misery can be so constant, so intense, and seem so endless that one wants to die--to escape the pain. As William Styron writes in his book, Darkness Visible

the word "depression" is a bland clinical label and such a wimp of a word compared to the raging storm inside the victim's brain. Most of us non-depressives can't truly know the torment involved; we can't imagine it any better than a blind person can imagine a Sequoia tree. Major depression is enough to force you to stay in bed, to withdraw from others, to dwell on your misery, and to have very few pleasant thoughts.

In the U.S. one person every minute attempts suicide, half a million of them require emergency room treatment. One person every 24 minutes dies from intentional self-injury. That is a total of 30,000 each year. About 15% of those diagnosed with major depression eventually die by suicide.

There are more suicides than murders in this country. According to author Kay Jamison (2000), who has written several well-known books on depression and suicide, during the Vietnam War (1963 to 1973) almost twice as many young men under 35 (101,732) were lost to suicide as were lost in the war (54,708). Even among teenagers, suicide is the third cause of death, exceeded only by accidents and homicides. An estimated 500,000 teenagers attempt suicide each year, not counting suicides disguised as "accidents" (McCoy, 1982).

Suicide is so regrettable because it is a permanent, desperate solution to a temporary problem. What a loss to the world if Lincoln had killed himself. What a blow to each family in which such an unnecessary death occurs.

Infidelity is common in bipolar disorder, and sadly, it can inflict lasting damage to a bipolar relationship. Of course, there are many reasons for infidelity within a marriage or committed relationship, and it’s important to remember that having bipolar disorder does not mean you can’t be faithful to a romantic partner.

Extramarital sex is often described as a symptom of mania in bipolar disorder, but while these symptoms can explain infidelity, having bipolar disorder is not an excuse to cheat. The more you understand why bipolar disorder and infidelity are so common, the faster you can treat your bipolar symptoms and seek help for this common issue. With this in mind, let's look at why bipolar and infidelity often co-exist and find ways to combat the problem.  

Bipolar and Infidelity: What’s the Truth?

Here’s the truth about bipolar and infidelity: being bipolar doesn’t mean you will be unfaithful to your partner, but it does make infidelity more likely, according to statistics. If you have bipolar disorder, that doesn’t mean you get a “free pass” to cheat – nor does it mean you should chastise yourself if you do have sex outside the relationship. Just like everybody else, people with bipolar disorder have to accept responsibility for their actions while learning from their mistakes.

Infidelity is a little more complicated for people with bipolar disorder, mostly because this kind of behavior is usually fuelled by mania. The cause of the infidelity is not so much about the person but about their symptoms, such as poor judgment, lack of impulse control and hypersexuality – all of which are hallmarks of a manic episode. In fact, “sexual indiscretions” are such a common marker of bipolar illness that this symptom is listed in the DSM-5’s diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder.

Statistics on Bipolar and Infidelity

Although recent statistics on bipolar and infidelity are sparse, a 1975 study that looked at lifetimes of sexual experience found infidelity to be more common among people with bipolar. According to the figures, hypersexuality was reported in 57% of individuals who experienced mania, while 29% of people with bipolar disorder had cheated on their spouse 10 times or more.  

Statistics on bipolar and infidelity can be sobering, and it often feels like the odds are stacked against relationships where mental illness is a factor. Fortunately, the most problematic and dangerous symptoms of bipolar disorder are the easiest to treat. Mania in bipolar I, for example, can be controlled and stabilized with medication, so long as you comply with your doctor’s advice and follow your treatment plan.

Medication might not be the whole answer, however, and it may take a while for you and your doctor to find the long-term drug and dosage that's right for you. If you still find yourself (or your partner) engaging in destructive behavior, such as lying and having sex outside the relationship, you may wish to consider counseling. Whether you go alone or with your partner, a therapist or guidance counselor can help you understand any underlying reasons for bipolar infidelity, while also helping you identify and avoid your triggers.

See Also:

• Tips for Making Your Bipolar Relationship Work
• Bipolar in Marriage: Can It Work?

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