Reply to DC dating someone who has been in mental institution

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]DC came home from first year at a northeastern college and they have a significant other (been dating since October). through casual conversation reveals that the significant other was committed to a mental institution for an attempt to take their life. This was when the individual was in middle school. DC told me the SO is on medication and it is all under control. Never encountered this type of situation before. Is this a major red flag? Or can people overcome these types of demons from a young age? [/quote]

No, this will be a lifelong problem for them. But your kid is only dating them so I'm not sure what you're worried about.[/quote]

Not necessarily. The tween/teen years can be a tumultuous time and who knows what stressors there could have been in their life.

I made an attempt when I was 15 (had a lot of upheaval going on in my life), almost succeeded, and spent a few days inpatient. It was a huge wake up call to the fact I really did want to live and actually gave me coping strategies. Listening to other people’s struggles (during the group counseling) also gave me a lot of empathy for how hard life can be for so many people. I was on an antidepressant for a while, but eventually no longer needed it. I’m now a totally happy, well adjusted mini-van driving suburban mom. You’d never guess I ever had any mental health problems.

However, I did not tell DH about any of this until we’d been dating for a long time. If someone is coming out the gate sharing this and indicating it’s still a current struggle that could be a different story. But sometimes mental health issues really are acute and not a lifelong battle. We should be careful not to stigmatize inpatient treatment.[/quote]

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