Would you stay with this guy?

[LadyRadiator2.0]

I have been dating this guy for seven months and he is very good-looking, smart, and an excellent cook. He has a highly stressful job as a suicide hotline counselor and he is currently working full time and going to grad school to be a therapist. I have tried to be supportive and to help him deal with his stress, but he sometimes has pretty bad mood swings and he takes a lot of his stress out on me without realizing it. He sometimes snaps at me, gets defensive for no reason and sometimes he gets annoyed over little things and I don’t understand why. We almost broke up recently because had some sort of nervous breakdown and we had a fight over nothing. He was abused by his parents as a child and he has a lot of issues, including a past suicide attempt. He says that his difficult past is exactly why he wants to work with clients and help people who are going through these things. I have feelings for him but I feel overwhelmed and I don’t know how much longer I can deal with his ups and downs. We have not talked for a few days and he just sent me emails explaining that he realizes that he isn’t dealing with his issues very well and he bought 4 self-help books. He told me that he wants me to be happy and although he wants to be with me, if I’m not happy and if I need to be with someone else, he understands. He said that he feels ashamed of how he has been acting under stress and he says “I wish we could have met during a much better time in my life”. I am torn about this and I don’t know if I want to be with him or not. Would anyone want to be with someone like this?

[basilandthyme]

Nope, I would not be with someone like this. When in a relationship, I value a predictably calm and gentle nature in my partner.

Yes, it is sad that he was abused and yes, it's probably contributed to the person he is now - but this relevant to your decision. The important thing for you is finding a partner who you love and who treats you well.

[Agnus]

You say the guy is learning how to behave better and going to have a better job? It's up to you. Personally I would stay if I see any progress. Keep notes.