Being married to someone with bipolar disorder can be difficult enough.  Bipolar medications can definitely interfere with your sex life and cause other problems as well; however there are several ways to be intimate in your bipolar marriage.

Many people associate intimacy with sexual intercourse, or making love – so, yes, I'll admit that sex is one of the ways to be intimate with your spouse who has bipolar disorder.  It is also one of the easiest, simplest, and quickest ways.

However, there are other ways, and these are more creative and may take a little more work on your part.

Part of the joy of being best friends, of being intimate, is enjoying each other's company.

I know a married couple, who both have bipolar disorder, yet they do something special to keep the excitement (intimacy) alive in their marriage.  Every Friday night, they have "Date Night."  This Date Night doesn't have to be anything extravagant, or even expensive. 

As a matter of fact, they tell me that they don't even have to go out to have a good time.  One of their best Date Nights, so they say, was getting a pizza and playing Backgammon!  But intimate, yes it was – just the two of them, enjoying being together.

Here are some suggestions for intimacy:

• Take a long walk together
• Look at photographs of yourselves
• Listen to quiet, soothing music while holding each other
• Watch a video while snuggling on the couch
• Have a "slumber party" on the living room floor
• Remember good times you've had together
• Tickle each other until you've laughed yourselves silly
• Give each other a backrub
• Take a bubble bath together
• Take a long shower together, washing each other's back
• Sit together quietly, just holding hands
• Talk about the good times you've had
• Talk about your hopes, dreams, and wishes
• Talk about everything and nothing

These are just some suggestions for intimacy, but you know each other best.  I'm sure you can come up with more on your own.