...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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Dear Future Self
February 5, 2019
By: Natalia Beiser
Dear Future Self,Don’t give up on your dreams. This will be the most difficult time in your life. You have worked hard to be successful, but you feel cheated as you are locked in a psychiatric ward with bars on the windows and a stainless steel bathroom. But everything will work out. You will have to go through a few doctors...
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No Two Wellness Journeys Are the Same
January 21, 2019
By: Laura Sanscartier
"I feel fantastic!""Life is so good!""Look at how well I'm doing!"Have you seen a status like this on Facebook or Instagram and felt revulsion toward the person who wrote it? Believe me, I've been there. For many people, wellness means that life couldn't get any better, and is skyrocketing. But for those of us with bipolar disorder,...
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Finding the Correct Psychiatric Treatment
January 17, 2019
By: Carissa Martos
For the first time in a decade, I’m on a new mental-health medication.This is a huge event for me, as I have navigated most of my life as someone with anxiety, bipolar, PTSD, and chronic pain with…close to nothing, chemically. I’ve been on daily clonazepam, at the same .5 to 1mg dose, for 8 years, and aside from a brief stint on Cymbalta for nerve...
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Maintaining My Mental Illness is a Lifestyle
January 14, 2019
By: Andrienne Kennedy
If someone had asked me five years ago how do I manage a mental illness, I would have not been able to give an answer. For years, I was uneducated about mental illnesses or mental health all together. That changed back in 2014 when I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, as well as bipolar disorder. Although, I was shocked and ashamed I...
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