Depression, Bipolar or Neither?

[dplc2012Participant]

My husband has been acting strange the last year and a half.

He is very unhappy, started drinking (which he never did) and going out everyweekend with his friends. He used to be  a very family oriented, responsible stay at home happy fun person.

Currently he is very unhappy but cant explain why he is unhappy.  However, he  feels that there is nothing wrong with him and he is fine and not depressed or emotionally unbalanced.

I have known him 15 years and he is acting like a completely different immature, not family oriented, reckless/irrational person.

His father, grandmother & grandfather have all died within a 2 year period and I personally feel in my heart that those deaths maybe have taken a toll on him and something is wrong with him. He also had a rough and emotionally disturbing childhood…is it possible that his repressed feelings are now affecting him in his 30′s?

Is it possible that I am the one who is crazy or is my gut instinct correct?

 

[Brian Hunter, EPPModerator]

I am not a doctor, but it does not sound like he is Bipolar.  And it sounds like your gut instincts are correct.  It actually sounds like a “mid life crisis” of sorts.

A person works and does all the right things and lives how they are supposed to live.  Then a day comes and they realize they are not where they thought they would be in life or are not where they wanted to be in life.  And they realize all their work and efforts did not result in what they had expected.  So they say “screw it”, and let up on themselves.  Depression is usually a part of this, but not always the main part.  I suspect he does have some depression.  But mostly I think he is suffering from a huge dose of Disilusionment.  He is like “why make myself suffer and be perfect when it does not give me anything in return”  “and we all just end up dying sooner rather than later anyway”.  And so yes, the deaths also have something to do with it.

He could do with some counseling, lots of understanding, and he just needs to come back more toward center.  He has over corrected.  He just needs to moderate and adjust.  He will never be that same person as before, but he can also avoid being a train wreck if he can get some self control back and get re-inspired in life.  He needs a re-boot.

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Brian Hunter
http://www.brianhunterhelps.com
http://www.facebook.com/brianhunterhelps

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