It seems innocent enough on the surface, but let’s take a closer look. Imagine you’re going through a rough time. You feel that downward swing in motion and you are overwhelmed. You’re doing your best to take care of yourself and your responsibilities, but that leaves little energy for much else. Underneath it all, you just want to be left alone,...
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By: Geoff Crain
How Are The Two Related?According the the National Institute of Mental Health, bipolar disorder is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels and the ability to carry out day to day tasks.If you have bipolar disorder, the shifts in mood and energy levels may lead you to experiment with drugs and alcohol as a means...
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By: Conor Bezane
It was in rehab in 2012 that I decided to carry the flag for the mentally ill. I’d received my diagnosis of bipolar four years earlier and ended up in treatment because I was drinking two six-packs of beer or two bottles of wine — or more — every night. I was also smoking crack with homeless people a couple times a week and, for good measure,...
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By: Liz Wilson
A cursory look at the research demonstrates that there is still misinformation in the entertainment industry in regards to mental illness, too few role models who are public about their mental illness/es, and that measurable strides have been made by advocates and TV/Film personalities to change the old, stigmatized portrayals of people with...
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Solitary Confinement and Mental Illness
May 18, 2018
By: Carol R. Ray, Ph.D.
The jails and prison systems are the de facto mental health institution (Abramsky and Fellner, 2003). There is a prison within the prison, that those with mental health conditions, are subjected to. That is the practice of "solitary confinement". Solitary confinement is defined as, isolation from personal interaction with others, in addition...
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An Excerpt From Beautiful Bipolar
May 17, 2018
By: Danielle Workman
To the Beautiful, Bold, Bipolar;The culture of today is fast paced, moving at a breakneck speed. With the technological savviness of social media sitting in the forefront of most of our minds, our culture has come to not only know but expect perfection. Anything less than perfection is deemed unworthy; a curse.Photos are edited repeatedly until...
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Mental Health Care Packages
May 14, 2018
By: Christine Saenz
Ever since my diagnosis of Bipolar II back in 2010 I’ve worked really hard to get family and friends to understand that people with mental illness should be shown the same kindness and compassion as someone with a physical illness.When I was admitted to the psychiatric hospital for one of the worst manic episodes I had ever experienced I remember...
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By: John Poehler
I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder type 1 back in 1999. I use this as the official date to the start of my journey. Before then, I was just treading water to try and keep afloat. My symptoms actually began in the early 1990’s.My diagnosis took a large weight off my shoulders. You see, I was incredibly happy to find a name detailing my...
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Why Me? Bipolar Disorder
May 9, 2018
By: Nancy Travers
If you’ve been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, it’s important to understand there are many forms of depression. Basically, Bipolar Disorder involves episodes of depression and mania. Bipolar I Disorder involves severe mood swings while Bipolar II involves milder episodes of hypomania that alternate with severe...
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Bipolar Disorder Is Not My Fault
May 8, 2018
By: Natalia Beiser
When I experienced my first manic episode at eighteen, my family was oblivious to my struggle. My mother stated that I had done something to bring the illness onto myself. She expressed that she believed that the trigger was that I had previously drank alcohol as a minor. She even sought out a minister to see if I had become...
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