Nicolette wrote:
"A 'Carer' may need to accept that the 'Sufferer' may not always be available but a 'Sufferer' needs to learn to try and verbalise this somehow so the 'Carer' can understand."

Wow, if only my boyfriend could have done this, it would have made a huge difference to me. My therapist tried to help me see that he couldn't, just because of who he was, and because he didn't have that level of self-understanding. But Nicolette is right - I bet he could have learned.