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Bipolar and Hyper***uality

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    Bipolar and Hyper***uality

    Hi,

    My life has been a roller coaster for years, with a year or two of things going well before it absolutely collapses. I've tried university twice and flunked out both times. I've hurt family and friends, gone thousands into debt, and recently lost my job.

    A few months ago the pieces were finally put together (I had finally gone in for depression a little less than a year before) and I was diagnosed with Bipolar II. Looking back, I can see the signs that I never saw before, or ignored.

    My wife and I had been together for almost 9 years by this point and was thrilled to finally understand what was going on. We got married slightly over a month ago (which we had been planning actively for the last year, and intending to do for the previous 8, waiting to get settled).

    My hypomania showed itself in really bad spending and hyper***uality. In addition to bad spending practices normally, I was always trolling for porn on the internet and would hit sprees where I would sign up to a bunch of sites whether I really was interested in them or not. I would then, feeling guilty, hide what I had done, and the stress of that would get me going again, becoming a constant cycle. Unfortunately, I could never bring myself to discuss this candidly with anyone, as I felt utterly ashamed.

    Needless to say, my wife would be horrified and upset, but she would forgive me and try to help me get better. I would for a while before falling back into old practices.

    I'm in treatment now, seeing my doctor weekly, but I've found that I'm still falling back into my old habits.

    I honestly don't know what to do. I am at the point of asking if he can prescribe some form of chemical castration, since everything that I have been acting out about has had to do with my *** drive.

    My wife and I have never actually had ***. We have done what might be called very heavy petting on occasion, but never penetration. On top of having decided to wait for marriage early in our relationship (something I had decided on long before I met her actually, even with my hyper***uality, which I didn't recognize as being such), she also has a condition that causes penetration to be painful (and which she now has a treatment for but which she stopped because it was uncomfortable over a year and a half ago and which she has not restarted).

    At the same time, we are close, constantly touching, kissing, and telling each other "I love you" (even after 9 years, which our friends amazing). We constantly tease and "molest" each other.

    But my wife hasn't been in the mood for any form of ***ual activity since a few weeks since we got married though. She spent our wedding night day sleeping (literally, the entire day except to get up for two or three times to eat, which she had earned after the stress of planning the wedding and finally getting a chance to wait), and was just too tired for weeks after. She's been more than up for teasing and molesting me, but nothing beyond that, even the heavy petting.

    I've tried to make it clear to her that I want to be intimate with her. Not because "I've waited long enough", but because I care about her and want to share that. She says she wants it too, but that she doesn't know what's stopping her. Then she does no research or anything. I've tried everything I could think of, and we have had very long talks about *** and what we want, but she never feels up to it (though she can be an absolute tease up until very moment it might get serious, at which point she feels too tired). I realize that women often have a low *** drive, but she absolutely insists that she wants to, but gets too nervous if things actually get serious.

    So I find myself trying to "handle" things myself, but I often find myself getting manic and taking hours and start my spending sprees again.

    I have never been with another woman, and thankfully, I have never had or even considered having an affair. My hyper***uality has been limited to pornographic websites, but never interacting with anyone else but my wife. In that I feel lucky, but the financial results are just as bad. Not only does it hurt our finances, it drains my days away and leaves me frustrated (as anything I do by myself is a poor shadow for even the most limited thing I do with her).

    I absolutely love my wife and hate hurting her this way. At the same time I feel that my *** drive is too out of control and am at the point of seriously considering something to eliminate the drive. I don't think I would care if it was permanent (though I know I actually would). Yet, anytime I talk like that she apologizes for not being a good wife and failing in her duties (which causes me to do everything I can to assure her that I love her but explain what I'm feeling), and then does nothing to change. It took me suggesting chemical castration to get her to suggest that we should see a *** therapist.

    I don't know what to do. If I had to chose between having a *** drive and hurting my wife, or having absolutely no *** drive, I would pick no *** drive (I love her that much). My *** drive is driving me nuts and... I guess "enabling" destructive behaviour I truly want to avoid, but beyond some form of drive elimination or my wife becoming more willing to be fully intimate (which I don't think will happen anytime soon).

    I feel really lost on this one and would appreciate any help.
    Last edited by Blackburn; November 1, 2009, 08:15 PM.

    #2
    Hi Blackburn,

    I was hyper***ual in my teens and early 20's but I was not diagnosed then and I just felt greatly ashamed of my behavior. It's been hard to put aside the memories. Getting diagnosed and understanding hyper***ual during hypomanic helped a lot. You should take it easier on yourself.

    I think a therapist would be good for yourself and your wife and not necessaril
    a *** therapist; there may be other issues at play. Chemical castration sounds a little extreme and, from I heard, it doesn't always completely take away ***ual desires and I'm not sure you could find a doctor to do it.

    I wonder if there is a 12 step program for pornography. Might be something to be worthwhile to look into. Again, don't be so hard on yourself.

    Comment


      #3
      Hello Blackburn and welcome. I'm not real sure what your question is/are. If it was my wife I would take her to a gynecologist and discuss with him/her what the solutions were. Both of us together in the room with the doc. Then I would go from there.

      Bipolar aside, If I was young and was celibate for 8-9 yrs, I would have a few problems being hyper***ual as well. ( I'm old and I would have that problem)

      A simple blood test will tell you if your testosterone level is abormally high, bipolar can still cause hyper***uality, but a testosterone test will rule out other possible causes. Take Care. paul m
      "Alone we can do so little;
      Together we can do so much"
      Helen Keller

      Comment


        #4
        Hello Blackburn and welcome,

        I just want to say thank you for bringing up this subject and keeping it proper.

        I am not sure that chemical castration would be of help as it is more to do with the physical and not the mental aspect of ***uality.

        Hyper-***uality is a symptom of BP, but you might be able to get better support from a *** addiction support group. *** therapist might not be a bad idea also. Not just for yourself but for you and the miss's

        Woody

        Comment


          #5
          Hi and welcome Blackburn. Thanks for your honesty and courage in sharing, and as Woody has mentioned, in a respectful way.

          Not being male, I can't totally get how you feel. However, as a female I'll stick my neck out and say that I'm not sure the problem is all yours. There are reasons for a newly married woman not having *** with her husband. I don't know what they may be for your wife, but they are there, and I hope the two of you can together get whatever help you need to sort things out.
          uni

          ~ it's always worth it ~

          Comment


            #6
            Hi Blackburn and welcome to these forums where, as you have admirably done, you can bring up a subject that's painful to you and have others share insights about it.
            I, too, had a very high *** drive, for a female, because of the hypomania, but in my case it was also complicated by having been ***ually molested when I was young. Promiscuity is a result of having been introduced to ***uality before you're ready to know about that stuff.
            I agree that your wife should see a gynaecologist at least to make sure it's nothing physical - if it's just a psychological issue, then maybe she could talk to the GP about getting some counselling, either with or without you. At least you are both relating in other ways that shares some sort of intimacy, but it would be nice if you could go "all the way" in your marriage.
            I wish you all the best in your efforts to overcome this.

            Comment

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