Do some on-line research into symptoms etc & then ask her what her symptoms are when she's not on & when she is on meds. Then discuss how others treat her & what makes her feel good/positive & bad about how others treat her.

Bi-polar like virtually everything is still unique to each person in some ways so talk to her!!

From personal experience, be careful. Go back and read the thread called dating and bipolarism. It's basically a timeline of what I went through from february up until now.

If I would have known then, what I know now, I never would have even entertained the thought of dating the gal I did. It sounds like your situation is starting out in a similiar way to mine. Everything seems perfect, you seem to have everything in common, she makes you just feel great about yourself. My advice is to protect yourself and don't get too wrapped up in it all. I did, and it's not fun.

I'm not saying your gal is going to go off of the deep end. I'm not an expert in bipolarism or anything close. I'm just sharing my experience.

I don't know...Maybe I just wear rose colored glasses...

I've met a guy that's bi polar, we get along great and all that...

It's hard because it just seems like being bi-polar is just this huge awful thing like it's the plague, from everything that i've read here and all that he's said...It's like, I have this and stay away because you might catch it.

I've done research, i've found famous people that are bi-polar and pretty successful...And i'm sure there are people all over that have it and live a normal life as much as they possibly can...

I just don't like the fact that everyone sees it as a death sentance, that it's just hopeless and not worth it. It's not worth time and effort to get to know someone just because they have a disorder that they can't control? It doesn't seem fair, to the person with the disorder or the person willing to get to know the person with it.

All of my advice is given off of personal experience. Now, I realize that all people with bipolarism do not behave the same, but there are often similarities.

Now I really tried to get to know the person I was with. I made more than enough effort, was more than patient and understanding, more than I should have been. I put up with the mood swings, the binge drinking, the constant lies, the excessive spending for 3 months. I tried to understand what she was going through. Of course, after we broke up, she was engaged to another man not less than a week later to a supposed "friend". I think it would be a crime for me not to at least share those things with a person venturing in to a relationship. Not that those things are going to happen, but the potential exists for it.

On the other hand, if you're into putting your heart into something and then having it ripped out, then go ahead. Personally, that's too much for me to handle.

It is definitely worth the time to get to know the person on a friendship basis, but if you're considering entering a dating relationship, that's a different story. I am personally still friends with the woman that I dated. I still keep in touch with her, to see how things are going. She tells me that she loves me, and wants to spend time with me, even told me she wanted to sleep with me on one occasion, yet she is engaged.

Hi, I am married with a bipolar woman and I will talk to you from my point of view, I don't know if the situation of your woman is similar to my wife´s situation wich is extremly serious and is not been treated as should be untill some weeks ago, but I will tell you than I am getting divorced and that´s my lifetime best decission, run for your life if you dont want to be the second victim of that desease. Sounds cruel but I talk from the point of view of the one who suffers the bad worlds, the economic breakdown, the dozens of lovers, (some day maybe you will find yourself going to take aids test because is impossible to know if she had the necessary common sense to use a condom) the tears, the awake nights, the hits. I have to say that I love her like I never loved anyone in this life but I have realized that first of all I have to love myself and think that I am still young and that I have a whole world wanting to be discovered, and that maybe some day i'll find a woman who could really love me.
Also I have to say that I know that all this happened because she has a desease that makes her act like that, but is not my fault not to be able to trust her anymore althoght as I said I really love her.

Soma, bipolar doesn't make everyone act like that. It really angers me off when people stereotype bipolars because of one experience. Not everyone with bipolar acts the same!!!!!!

I could not agree with you more! You take a 50% chance in any relationship, bipolar or not, a person with or without bipolar's mind can crack @ anytime, I have seen this! Just like with alzheimers disease this is not the real person, this is the disease but people know when they take medication and have a disease such as bipolar that they should not drink alchohol. As usual I am kind of off the topic forum but what I would like to know is, what is the difference between bipolar and schitzophrenia(sp) or is it the same as they used to call children retarded and now they call them special?
Sincerely,
sandy

Hi I just would like to say that my mom is bipolar. Not all people with bipolar are like this! It hurts me to read some of this stuff because they arent insane! They are normal people that can lead normal lives if their disorder is treated correctly! The best you can do is to love and support them through their highs and lows because thats all that they need... If their meds aren't working correctly for them... They should seek medical attention. My mom with through all of that and she had to change meds all the time... Now she is doing great and she is happy and leading a great life! My mom is a wonderful person and she is so smart, she just recieved her 3rd masters degree... This one is in health law... I couldn't be prouder of her! =)

i was just explaining my situation, as I said i´m talking from my point of view, I never said that averybody with this desease is like this, and of course I know that she is not free to choose the way she acts and I know that her situation seems to be very very much worse than other peole with bipolar, so please don´t get angry with me as I was just sharing with someone interested in a relationship with a bipolar what might he could find someday like I did, but I don´t mean that everyone acts like that I never said that, I was just talking about my wife, but if someone could understand this from my topic my apologies as english is not my mother tonge.