Blaming his horrible actions on his mental illness


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  • #941942 Reply
    Stephanie

    Ive been with my boyfriend for two years. He’s a 41 year old cop with PTSD and a TBI, three children, all by different women. Divorced twice. I’m a 31 year old attorney with no baggage. Up until this April our relationship seemed perfect. He was the most caring partner I’ve ever had. And honestly the only one I’ve ever felt was a real partner. I had always looked for.someome who understood by work and he more than understood it. We were ride or die, especially when it came to our professional lives.

    In April I learned he had been cheating on me our whole relationship. When he finally ended it with her because we were about to move in together she posted everything on Facebook. I found it in me to forgive him because monogamy to me isn’t everything. Not long after though it was like he emotionally imploded. Became paranoid that in the future I’ll hold it against him and leave him and became obsessed with a man I saw prior to him but that we still work closely with. He ended it with me and I was a mess. After about a month he missed me and came back.

    For a month and a half hour relationship seemed better than ever. He even told me he WAS going to marry me, which before he said he wasn’t sure whether he would ever want to again. Then I got a call from the other woman again. Apparently she convinced him to talk to her and he cheated again. He then tried to tell her it was a mistake and end it again and that’s why she contacted me.

    I again stayed and was over it after a day. But I did ask if he wanted an open relationship because if he keeps doing this it’d only be fair for me to as well since when we were apart plenty of men tried to date me. A few days later he told me that me saying that rly bothered him and asked about who these other men were and how they contacted me. I told him but also said I haven’t spoken to any of them since we got back together. A few days later he again imploded, said we’re over and to go find one of my younger and better options.

    Two hours after telling me this he continued to call me for the next three days like normal, like he never said any of that. I finally asked if we could hangout and he told me he wants to spend some days apart to see how it feels. I lost it and told him to stop calling and texting me.

    That same night he called me to recommend I cancel our upcoming vacation. I again lost it and sent him paragraphs about how I do nothing but try to make him happy, giving him examples and how he’s going to miss me when everything starts reminding him of me. I also told him multiple times to leave me alone until he gets his head out of his ass. Unfortunately, I ended the slew of texts that it was upsetting to me he can’t even care enough to respond.

    Unfortunately, I feel in my gut he’s going to come back again and I’ll go back. I blame these issues on his mental health and tell myself I can’t blame him for it. So I feel like I’m dying in the meantime and don’t know what to do. Before everything really.blww up he agreed to couples counseling and maybe even meds for once. I don’t know what to do.

    #941943 Reply
    AngieBaby

    Cheating repeatedly but refusing an open relationship is nothing to do with mental illness. That’s character. His is weak.

    What is so attractive about this man to you?? Getting involved with a man with this much baggage was a great mistake. You keep sticking around for whatever he dishes out and that’s not on him, that’s on you. Neither one of you seems to be emotionally healthy enough to be in a relationship and in fact it appears you’re both toxic to each other.

    You need to end with him, block and get into therapy. I know it’s’ easy for me to sit here and say that, but how much more of this are you going to tolerate?? You’re two years in. It’s not going to improve but only get worse.You have to take control of your life and stand up for what’s good for you.

    #941944 Reply
    Stephanie

    Unfortunately, I am in therapy already and it doesn’t seem to be working..logical me knows you’re right and I need to run. I think I crave the partnership and feeling of having a teammate in personal and work life he gives me. I was in a far more abusive relationship before this and my ex did NOT understand my work or how much it impacted my emotions. This man does. I keep telling myself he is a good man because I’ve seen it, aside from these past few months. And then I end up telling myself his mental health is why he gets in his head and does awful things. I don’t know how to get the logical me to takeover and do what’s necessary I guess.

    #941945 Reply
    AngieBaby

    Then you need to try another kind of therapy. This is very unhealthy, damaged. He’s just less abusive than the last one, which isn’t saying much. Three children with three different women and two divorces plus mental illness and repeated cheating – this guy is major bad news.

    Again, you have to decide you’re willing to learn to value yourself and stand on your own two feet or you’re going to have a lifetime of abusive relationships. You’re young enough to change. Continuing to say yes to him is saying no to yourself and in fact continuing to associate with him is abusing yourself worse than he’s abusing you. Think about that.

    #941946 Reply
    AngieBaby

    I meant to say this is a very unhealthy damaged man. You can’t fix him and you can’t change him. And the harder you push him to get help the more he will resist. He has to get into therapy and on medication because HE wants to, not because you nag him into it.

    #941948 Reply
    Raven

    What were you thinking?!

    This. Is. A. You. Problem.

    #941949 Reply
    Ewa

    This man who you portray as this understanding, caring man has zero and I will repeat that ZERO respect for you and he will never have, because you don’t respect yourself.
    You claim he has mental illness, I am sorry to say this but it seems like you are the one with mental illness. It is ok to want someone to love you, be there for you etc but he is not your man and he will never be. It is a massive red flag when someone has 3 kids with 3 different women, why would you even want someone with a baggage like that.
    is he super rich or something?

    #941950 Reply
    Maddie

    Your logical self may not be in the driver’s seat, so to speak, because you’re getting stuck somewhere and not processing your emotions fully so they can’t catch up to the more rational side.

    You’re blaming his mental health, he’s not blaming it, right? Is there anyone in your very long ago past you needed to excuse when they acted unforgivably towards you but also had mental health problems, so that’s how you (or how they) justified and explained away staying attached? Or are you even thinking about it that way because you yourself need compassion around your own mental health issues, especially after having abusive exes you haven’t fully had time to recover from?

    Mental health issues are an explanation but not an excuse for unmanaged bad behavior. These questions are ideas to consider and explore with the therapist if you haven’t already and they resonate with you (but it’s all more complicated than some internet comments can help you with). Try another therapist if you’ve been seeing this one regularly for at least a few months but don’t feel you’re clicking or making any progress at all.

    And this guy is really, really bad news, so try your best to stay completely out of contact with him. He’s not going to help you heal from what you’ve been through or be capable of being a good long-term teammate, even if he sustained it for a little while (and he didn’t actually, since he was always cheating). He probably managed to seem like it for a little while with his ex wives, too…

    #941977 Reply
    Stephanie

    Since reading all of your thoughts, I already have an update. Think I finally reached my breaking point and am done.

    He saw me from afar this morning and told me I look good and hope all is well. I didn’t respond.

    Few hours later he text me to tell the guy I was seeing BEFORE him to tell him you’re welcome because he can have me back now.

    Yep. Isn’t that nice?

    #941978 Reply
    Raven

    Block him.

    #942000 Reply
    Ewa

    this guy has issues but it is not your job to fix him as he is ok living his life like this, please block him, he is a waste of time

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