Mental health, dating and relationships

Couple with baby Talking about mental health with a new partner or even a long term loved one can be daunting.

Our recent survey found that

three quarters of people (75%) living with a mental health problem would feel scared telling their partner about it for the first time
one in ten respondents said it took them over a year to finally tell a new partner about their mental illness, which shows that people still feel afraid to open up about something that affects one in four of us.

But with good advice and understanding, being open can be the key to a strong relationship.

Read Shea's top five tips fordealing with mental illness in their relationship >>

Video: talking about bipolar on the 5th date

We've produced a short film with theatre company Likely Story to take a look at fear and stigma in relationships. You might have seen Likely Story pop up at one of our roadshows that took place around the country in 2011.

This short film takes a light hearted approach to relationships and mental health, showing a woman telling a new boyfriend that she has bipolar disorder on their fifth date. The video is a quirky way to spread awareness of how mental health can affect different areas of people's lives, and how being open about it at the start can set things off on the right path.

Personal experiences: dating, relationships and mental illness

Bipolar disorder, dating and relationships - So, emboldened by the sight of great food and her smile, shamed by bringing her out to look after a seemingly sulky child, then, buoyed by a momentary, magical lifting of the numbness (as predicted earlier when watching her daintily nibble cake), I carefully explain some of these things I've talked to you about.

Depression, relationships and stigma - I suffer from mental illnesses it’s hardly a chat up line or something you can slip into conversation yet it is something that affects my everyday life.

A couple holding a baby Time to Change More than words: How to approach mental illness in a relationship - together - When I met my boyfriend, I had been diagnosed with bipolar for about four years, and in that four years, I had refused to date or even get close to anyone...

Step by step, day by day: living with depression in a relationship - My second bout of severe depression started when I was happy with life. My girlfriend of over ten years had just moved in with me in London where I had started working two years before...

Looking back to darkness - It all started in October 2000 when I gave birth to a wonderful baby boy, the son my husband and I had wanted so much. I didn't find the pregnancy the joy I had thought it would be and the birth was a living nightmare...

One of the hardest conversations I’ve had and one of the best things I’ve ever done - I met James when I was 21. We were friends for many years before we started a relationship. I believe I had suffered undiagnosed episodes of depression since my early teens...

Eric, a Time to Change blogger

Love, honesty and bipolar: "He keeps me out of hospital, he loves me endlessly" - David was separated and looking for a new relationship. He contacted me through MSN in the December of 2003. We sent a few messages back and forth, nothing exciting...

Depression: "I couldn't pretend I was ok and smile at everyone" - My depression struck when I should have been most happy. I had a job I loved, was still in the honey-moon stage with my boyfriend and we had been settled in our first flat for a couple of months...

Valentines Day: Couples talk about mental health and relationships - To celebrate Valentine's Day, we asked some of our bloggers to talk about how they manage the issue of mental health with their partners. Read on for some good advice, some home truths and some tear-jerking loveliness!

Video: Liz and Julian talk about depression

Partners Liz and Julian remember the first time Liz told her boyfriend about the secret of her depression and discuss how talking about mental health together has helped their relationship bloom.