She was also my first serious relationship too. I had a year long work/travel visa for Germany and she was studying in Berlin for a year. After we had to go back to our own countries, we tried long distance only to agree to be friends instead. We had frequent long video calls over the 6 years we had known each other. We were very close while living our own lives in our own countries.

As painful as it all was, I was able to reflect deeply about the experience and come out of it knowing how better to care and protect myself. It also made me realize what traits I actually value in other people. When those people started showing up in my life, I knew exactly where to spend my social energy and it was worth every bit of it.

I'm glad your partner was able to admit their faults. That at least shows they were able to self reflect. Hopefully things are better now for everyone.

Unfortunately mental health isn't easy, clean or simple for anyone involved.