Over the years of dealing with bipolar, I’ve had to learn a lot on how to manage this disease and not let it get the best of me. Stress in life is evitable; those who work face it from their bosses. We face it from our families, balancing the many responsibilities we hold. We face it from financial struggles. We cannot control when the...
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Genetic Overload!
October 15, 2014
I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder over ten years ago. At the time, I wasn’t aware of any genetic component as I was an adopted child. Within my adopted family, there was a high incidence of alcoholism on my maternal mothers side, with most of her siblings having alcohol difficulties whilst her own mother and two of her siblings had suffered or...
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The Scary Diagnosis
October 14, 2014
I was 19 when I first heard the suggestion that I was bipolar. For me, this was a liberating announcement and not a scary one. Here was an explanation for what was happening to me. The loss of control over my emotions, and progressively my actions, was now explainable and in some cases excusable. It was also not a surprising diagnosis. ...
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Jane T.
October 14, 2014
I am a Canadian journalist, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and acute anxiety almost ten years ago. Since then, I have learned my triggers, and coping techniques and have incorporated these techniques into my daily life. Having grown up with a chronic life-long illness, and having had several added on before and after my bipolar diagnosis...
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The Two Villains of Anxiety
October 14, 2014
.and then unexpectedly there's calm, all I thought I knew about myself and the World becomes the fleeting thoughts of Man under siege from his own mind. The storm has passed for now. I have spent the better part of 3 years researching aspects of my condition that help me manage my symptoms and fully embrace the terminal aspect of having a...
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Mantra and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
October 8, 2014
I read a study once that stated the incidence of obsessive-compulsive disorder was 10-fold greater in bipolar patients than the general population (see more at: http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/bipolar-disorder/anxious-bipolar-patient#sthash.RRY1nBjh.dpuf). This made me take pause and observe my own obsessive-compulsive thinking, as I have bipolar...
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Just Don't It
October 8, 2014
As I’m sure you noticed, I’m using a grammatically incorrect title, but I couldn’t resist. (May my seventh grade English grammar teacher forgive me!) During the 1980's a trendy Nike ad campaign caught the world's attention with the tagline “JUST DO IT!” Nike's message was loud and clear: there were no excuses when it came to...
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Art as a Kind of Therapy
October 7, 2014
Even before I knew I had bipolar disorder, I have always loved art. I used to spend my afternoons in high school (I was unschooled) wandering around the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, where I grew up. Since moving to Saint Louis for college, I have spent many mornings, afternoons and evenings in the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Pulitzer, the...
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Dullness
October 2, 2014
I want to talk to you all about something that I experienced very intensely when I first started taking medication. What happened was I felt a very strong dull feeling inside. I was no longer feeling the lows, but I was also no longer feeling the highs either. So, I was just left with a sort of bored feeling constantly. I will admit, it was...
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