Brandy Higgins, RN, BSN is the writer of Live Mentally Well - Better Living Thru Mental Wellness. Lifelong mental health survivor and former mental health nurse. Live Mentally Well is impacting our community and the world by empowering, encouraging, and educating one person at a time to end stigma for good. She writes about Mood...
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Life After Psychosis
March 11, 2019
By: Allan G. Cooper
Do you know what it feels like to help NASA calculate the speed of light? Or, maybe you know what it's like to find a formula that makes nuclear fusion possible. How about being the sole person responsible for averting a disaster that would crash the entire internet. Do you know what that's like? I do. Well, I know what it's like to believe I am...
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Allan G. Cooper
March 11, 2019
In 1995, Allan was teaching English in Japan enveloped by a culture he adored and well on his way to achieving his dream of being a completely fluent Japanese speaker.His carefully laid out plans were derailed at the tail end of the year when he experienced his first psychotic manic episode at the age of twenty-five. His family had to travel to...
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Lay Our Burden Down
February 26, 2019
By: Jayson Blair
When I first went to a therapist office, a little more than 15 years ago, there was an intake form that included a long list of conditions under a question about family medical history. Diabetes? Check. Heart disease? Check. Auto-immune diseases? Check. Cancer? Check.When I reached the section on mental health disorders – depression, bipolar,...
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When It Rains...
February 22, 2019
By: Laura Sanscartier
...it pours. Or at least it does in my case. I bet it does in a lot of cases out there. I wish I could meet each and every one of you and give you the biggest hug. What am I talking about? Multiple diagnoses, often called comorbidities. It's when God or the big unicorn in the sky or whomever is running things decides to give a...
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Wellness & My Mood Disorder
February 20, 2019
By: Liz Wilson
“Mindfully focusing on wellness in our lives builds resilience and enables us to thrive amidst life’s challenges.” National Wellness InstituteWellness is a relatively new construct that encompasses our level of connectedness to the world around us. It involves our social and support networks and relies on our commitment to our personal recovery....
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Are You a Perfectionist? Bipolar and Perfectionism May Go Hand in Hand
February 15, 2019
By: Conor Bezane
A perfectionist strives for that which is flawless. Impeccable. Immaculate. My name is Conor, and I’m a perfectionist. I also have bipolar disorder.According to Psychology Today:Perfectionism is a trait that makes life an endless report card on accomplishments or looks. A fast and enduring track to unhappiness, it is often accompanied by...
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The Power of Peer Support
February 11, 2019
By: Allan G. Cooper
“Psychiatrists can tell you about the ocean by reading about it and seeing it in their practice but we know what it's like to be in the water”.This is how my co-worker Ray explains peer support. We work for an agency called OBAD, the Organization for Bipolar Affective Disorder, in Calgary, Canada. We facilitate drop in peer support groups for...
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Managing School While Feeling Depressed or Manic
February 8, 2019
By: Sydney Batt
Students living with Bipolar disorder have challenges not many people see or understand. Features of bipolar disorder make it tough to thrive in school, so it may feel like a lonely battle in the classroom. School stressors can contribute to triggering episodes of depression or mania. What happens when you are having a serious mood swing and still...
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Sydney Batt
February 8, 2019
Hi, my name is Sydney Batt. I am from the Sacramento, California area and I have bipolar II disorder. I was just recently diagnosed at the age of 18, and since then I have been looking for creative outlets to connect with fellow people that also have bipolar disorder. I provide a younger outlook; I am a college student with many school stressors....
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