The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day earlier this month was mental health in the workplace. Addressing this topic is hugely important in allowing people with mental health conditions to have the confidence in seeking the help they need, while still fulfilling their role as an employee. Companies that help their employees successfully...
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Coping Strategies
Crazy?
October 5, 2017
Danielle Workman
Recently I had a book signing for my recent book. Following the reading portion of our event, I opened up the floor to a question and answer session. It was fabulous, lots of fantastic questions and ideas tossed around the room in a conversation-like format. Something stood out to me during that group conversation that I want to share and...
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How Do You #MindYourMind?
October 5, 2017
Danielle Workman
“And now we will inhale, and as you exhale, move forward to Down Dog.”The voice of the yoga instructor was an octave too high and the cantation style tone of her voice was almost painful as she chirped her way through this short session of televised yoga. As I shifted my hips into the air and positioning my head towards the floor, I grumbled and...
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Recovery Days . . . Absolutely! #BeBrainFit
October 5, 2017
Emily McGuigan
Some days, I feel energetic and like I can accomplish everything I set out to.Some days, I wake up and feel like I didn’t even get a chance at having a good day. I have no desire to get out of bed or talk to anyone or study or go to the gym or read or think.Some days, I just need a break.And that’s okay.It took me years to start realizing that it...
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#MindYourMind: Find Your Balance
October 4, 2017
For the last seven years, I was more stable than in the past 20 all put together. Nearly three years ago, I started eating more healthfully. A year and a half ago, I started running and strength training. Then I started obsessing over my weight and my food and increasing my workouts to one hour seven days a week on top of working a full-time...
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Help! I’m 17, I Have Bipolar Disorder and I Don’t Know What to Do!
September 25, 2017
By: Julie A. Fast
Congratulations on your diagnosis. I know! Most people don’t send out a party announcement when they hear they have bipolar disorder, so I am congratulating you for being so honest and open about having this illness.I remember my first bipolar disorder mania. I was 17 and in Europe. It was sunny and life was so perfect. I...
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What Impact Does Bipolar Disorder have on Your Family?
September 18, 2017
By: Diane Dweller
Parents, siblings, and spouses have written numerous books, articles, and blogs about family members coping with bipolar disorder. Hundreds of books on this manic-depression illness have been written by medical professionals and counselors. Many patients write about their challenges of living with mood swings.Q. Who does not write about the...
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"Bipolar" Is The Wrong Word
September 5, 2017
By: James Phelps, M.D.
“Bipolar” is the wrong word. Worse than inaccurate -- it’s directly misleading:1. Depression is the main problem for most folks. Bipolar should be called “Depression Plus."2. Depression and manic symptoms frequently occur together, in “mixed states."3. Many people with “unipolar” depression also have manic symptoms.4. There is no dividing line...
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5 Things I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me When I Was Diagnosed
September 1, 2017
By: Danielle Workman
I’ve said it in many other posts and even in my book, but the day I received my diagnosis and was told I had Bipolar Disorder, I truly felt alone. The days that followed, the feeling remained. The more I searched online and the more I dug, the worse I felt. I longed for someone to tell me that things were going to be okay. That life wasn’t over....
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Finding Solace in Art Therapy
September 1, 2017
By: Emily McGuigan
“If I could say it in words there would be no reason to paint.” ~ Edward HopperAs an artist with Generalized Anxiety Disorder(GAD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), I have primarily used drawing and painting to help me cope with and explain traumatic or stressful events in my life, but also to discover who I am as a person. Art allows me to...
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New to Dual Diagnosis? – Five Critical Life Hacks
August 25, 2017
By: Conor Bezane
There are 5.7 million bipolar people in the US, and 60 percent of them are addicts, according to the Epidemiologic Catchment Area study. Co-occurring addiction is more common in bipolar people than in any other psychiatric group. We drink and use drugs to stabilize our moods or to replicate the feelings of mania. I was diagnosed bipolar...
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