My (21 F) boyfriend (21M) is struggling with mental illness. He says he's depressed, and other times he says he has bipolar. I don't think he has been diagnosed properly, so I can't tell you what he has. He does go to therapy every week and is on/off meds. But here's the story:

He's sort of my high school sweetheart. We dated early in high school, and then didn't talk until three years later when we got to university. (our universities are close in proximity and we both live in our hometown). After that, we've been dating on and off for about two years. It's nice to be with him, because I thought I had lost him forever after high school but he is the absolute love of my life. We were very young when we first dated, about 14 years old and I have loved him ever since - I only dated one person between us dating in HS and just recently.

The only problem is, he keeps breaking up with me. At first, when we started dating again, I was shocked and hurt and get really sad for weeks at a time. After being with him now for some time, I realize that he's mentally ill and pushes me away everytime something is wrong with him. I don't want to be with anyone else, I completely love him and am thrilled that we've found each other again. Even people we went to school with root us on, but they don't know what it's really like or how he treats me.

He's a bit abusive when he breaks up with me. He says that I'm controlling and a demanding bitch, and that I need to grow up - which I really am not. I don't make him buy me things, or drive me places or do things he doesn't want to do. I listen to him, comfort him and support him. I'm not flawless, but I'm also not any of the things he says to me. It hurts, but then he comes back and says that it isn't him, and he doesn't know how to control himself. The scary thing is, before this break-up, like the day before, we went out on a date and hungout for a few hours, laughed, got some coffee, took a walk by the lake, made-out for a while, and he played with my hair and told me he loved me and I dropped him off back home. The next day, he breaks up with me and tells me all that terrible stuff. It's like there was no warning.

Is anyone else in the same boat, or know how to deal with this? Nowadays between break-ups, I accept it. I used to get really hurt and beat my self up over it and get extremely depressed. But now I understand. However, it's been a month since our latest breakup and we haven't gone that long between break-ups before. Is there any way I can also help myself feel better too? I know that it's temporary, but I can't eat or sleep or study or function.