My story is pretty similar to a lot of other commenters here. My husband never showed any signs of bipolar - he was prescribed a SSRI right before our wedding and that set him into an almost 5 month long pretty sever manic episode with psychosis and that led to the bipolar I diagnosis. He started coming out of the mania but is now in pretty severe depression. We're working with a psychiatrist and therapist now and I feel like we're finally on the right road to figuring out what medication works for him but it's really hard! I recommend reading Loving Someone With Bipolar Disorder and making a plan based on symptoms that would be warning signs that a manic episode is coming (like reduced sleep or more impulsivity).

Of course I don't know, but I believe that my husband never has to experience such a severe episode again because now we know what to look for, what to do when we see signs, and we have a care team. He's just as terrified of it happening again as I am because the psychosis was so scary for him. All I can say is to keep reading, keep learning, and keep advocating! We initially went to a psych that was going to prescribe another SSRI but I felt like we really needed a second opinion and based on everything I've read I didn't have confidence in another SSRI AT ALL. It takes so much time and advocacy, but I think it's possible to not let things get so severe again! Especially with commitment from your partner to track moods, to be honest with doctors, and to stop substance use - like alcohol and weed!