M
MindyNBiff
Member
Hello, I am new to this site and need some guidance. My spouse suffers from what we think is bipolar disorder. He had his first episode at age 46 that hit us like a freight train and required hospitalization. He was one meds for about a year after that but "felt really good" so stopped. We thought that maybe it was a one time period of psychosis. Flash forward to now, 3 years from the first episode and here we are again. This time he had a mixed episode where he would be energetic and super creative and then irritated and angry the next moment. He went missing and was picked up by law enforcement after he had walked for 14 hrs in the cold. When he returned he told me he wanted a divorce. For a few days he was in and out of the house doing mystery "chores" and in a manic state. He acknowledged that he "had a short circuit" in his brain. I tried everything to get him to take meds, herbs, go to hospital, see a counselor, go to accupuncture etc. He agreed to see a counselor that he had seen a few years ago and asked me to make him an apt because "phones scare me". I happily agreed, left the house for 1 hr and when i returned he was gone. I filed a missing person report and he was contacted by law enforcement in another state. He had flown to another state with nothing but the clothes on his back! They brought him to hospital but was discharged after a few hours. Nobody has seen or heard from him since. That was 10 days ago. I have reached out to friends in that area, called numerous hospitals, jails and hotels, and have tried to do damage control. I am distraught, angry, frightened, devastated and heart broken. I want to know that my best friend and spouse is safe. I do not know if he really wants a divorce or of it was the mania blowing things out of proportion. We have a pretty stable and happy life together, we just have a few minor relationship issues, aside from the BPD. Please let me know what you think i should do, or is it just a wait and see situation? How long do these episodes last if untreated? Will he ever reach out to me or is my spouse lost forever?