The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard...
My girls were three and five the first time I was admitted to a psychiatric facility. I had just crashed from my biggest manic episode and the fallout from my poor decisions had thrown me into a horrible depression. The year prior to this, I had had a...
Three years ago when I started this blog, my intent was to help as many bipolar parents as I possibly could. I wanted to share my experiences and feelings in hopes that others may be able to use what I am going through to feel less alone and be able to cope just a...
World Bipolar Day (WBD) celebrated its inaugural year on March 30th, 2014 the birthday of Vincent Van Gogh, who was posthumously diagnosed as probably having bipolar disorder. The vision of WBD is to bring world awareness to bipolar disorders and eliminate...
First of all, before I take off with my diatribe, if you happen to have bipolar and you use the wording I’m about to discuss, please do not take offense. That is the very last thing I want to do in this blog. I merely wish to play devil’s...
When you lose someone in your life that is close to you, there’s a part of you that dies as well. As I was entering my 20’s, I knew that there would come a day when my parents weren’t with me anymore. It still didn’t seem real. It felt like if I just...
Ever wonder if mental illness affects some groups of people more than others? Why do I have Bipolar Disorder, and my friends do not? Did I do something to cause it to happen? Was there something I could have done to avoid it? Maybe it’s totally the fault of...
And sometimes it’s me! Anyone who is around me when I’m in a mania knows that I’m loud, speak rapidly and make sure that everyone knows that I’m the expert on any subject that comes up. My wife thinks that the resemblance is...
And sometimes it’s me! Anyone who is around me when I’m in a mania knows that I’m loud, speak rapidly and make sure that everyone knows that I’m the expert on any subject that comes up. My wife thinks that the resemblance is remarkable…. ...
I am going to touch upon a subject in which I might offend someone I know. I’m willing to take this chance, however, for if I influence anyone who may someday take action if given the chance, I will be thrilled. If someone you know is hospitalized in a...
When you hear or read the word fast (in relation to food), what immediately comes to mind? If you had mentioned the word fasting to me a couple of years ago, I would have instantly thought of one or more days without food and/or water. The word fasting...
We often hear people speak of the “chicken or the egg” theory. Which came first? The same can be asked of which comes first in people that are both overweight and depressed. Which came first? I know that I was overweight as a child. Was I...
It’s very frustrating when you can’t get medical attention because of the medication you are on. Here… Let me explain. Over the weekend I moved from my three bedroom house into a two bedroom apartment. There was a lot of sorting, packing, lifting,...
On Wednesday, December 11 of 2013 I ended up somewhere I never thought Id be again…in a psychiatric hospital unit room in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. After having a manic episode. It was also the exact same unit that I was in during my last manic...
Doris was the prettiest woman among my friends. She was the kind of girl who always made people stop breathing when they first met her. She is the kind of girl who always gets the boy, be it the soccer team captain in Hong Kong or the football star in the states. She...
Every New Year people become rather obsessed it seems with making new years resolutions. Many seem to think it is natural to suddenly make long and unobtainable lists of the things they ‘should’ or ‘must’ be doing. ‘I should be slim’ is followed by hopeless looks...
Middle of the Road Rapid Cycling War & PeaceMy name is Roger and I suffer from Bipolar Disorder 2. This blog almost did not get written. I informed Ashley at the International...
After being a fan of the International Bipolar Foundation blogging community, it is an honor to share my perspectives about living with bipolar disorder with you. I wish to help you feel less alone in living with this mood disorder, and to emulate the I.B.F.’s mission...
As far back as I can remember, we have always been fed the same philosophy about life. You grow up, go to college, meet the man (or woman) of your dreams, get married, move into a big house with a white picket fence, and have a whole gaggle of kids. That’s...
Every time I hear I Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Peas ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSD4vsh1zDA ) I am instantly energized. It brings me back to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver which I was fortunate to go to. I went to some events and heard this song...
Last week I attended a talk at the Wellcome Collection. For non-Londoners, the Collection houses the phenomenal range of medical objects gathered from around the world by Sir Henry Wellcome in the late 19th and early 20th century. It also plays host to relevant events...
When you go through a divorce it is inevitable that you will split everything. That includes time with your children if you have them. Every other weekend isn’t that bad. It was in the beginning. Believe me, it took a while for me to get used...
I dont know about you, but this time of year is always tough for me. I am sure many of you can relate to a seasonal pattern for highs and lows bright, sunny, energetic spring and summer almost always brings about the same in me, and so why wouldn’t dull,...
As a writing teacher, I often get the question, What should I write about? My response is always, Write about having nothing to write about. Believe it or not, most of the time, these students end up with something they actually wanted to say and just...
Having Bipolar Disorder is hard enough. From day to day, from moment to moment, we are always adjusting, monitoring. Am I getting manic? Is this depression creeping in? Should I talk to my doctor about a medication change? We are constantly trying to find that perfect...
Dear Dr Third Eye aka Dr I don’t want your drama!Albert Einstein once remarked that ‘insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results’. I have often thought of the aptness of this quote, as I perpetually visited psychiatrists. The...
I often have wondered to myself about the possibility of Bipolar Disorder being eliminated, cured, completely dealt with and stricken from the record. After living with the illness for most of my 41 years I have little faith this will happen in my lifetime, but it...
I will attempt to try to describe it the best way I can. When I am cycling and in a low mood, I become angry as it appears to arrive out of nowhere. One moment I am feeling fine, then boom without any warning it rears its ugly head. I imagine it as a super villain who...
Christine resides in Houston, Texas where she was born and raised. She is employed full time as a Senior Human Resource representative and has worked at the same company for 13 years. She was an accountant for most of her career, but decided she needed a change of...
This year has been particularly difficult for me. When depression hit, it hit hard. When it rains, it pours ? as they say. Right as I thought I was pulling myself through, I hit rock bottom. With sinus infections and chronic migraines all year, it’s no wonder...
It has taken me a long time to get where I am. It has been 34 years if you take into account my whole life, 18 if you start from my first venture into the world of psychiatry. More than half my life, just to be here. But here is a great place and was worth the...
DISCLOSURESTOP and read the following clearly. This article may be troubling to somebody thinking about suicide. This article is about personal and factual experiences regarding suicide. Please do not read if you are in a dark place and feeling suicidal. Suicide...
As some of you may know, my 21 year old bipolar son was incarcerated last March during a manic episode where he did something that was, in his words very stupid. He was in the midst of denying his illness and he was running with the wrong crowd, and self-medicating...
My daughter is 11 yrs old. We’ll call her Bug. Bug was diagnosed bipolar when she was 7. It has been a long, difficult road of ups and downs since then. We went through three schools before anyone would listen to me enough to give her an I.E.P. Finally at the end of...
This week I wanted to highlight an artist who both creates art and has been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. While searching the Internet I came across Darren Stein, an Australian artist and poet. Although Stein was previously diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress...
Recently, I went to my first mental health support group meeting. I must admit I was nervous. What would people talk about? What would people think of me? Would I have to talk? If so, what would I say? Though I’ve never been afraid to speak my mind, this was...
This is one of the hardest blog topics thus far. This topic of Medicare is so complicated and this topic could go on forever. I have summarized the information that I feel will help others understand the in’s and out’s of Medicare, which is very difficult for those in...
I think one of the less talked about aspects of Bipolar Disorder is what happens when one is stable. I mean we hear lots about both the depression side and the mania/hypomania side. But ,what about life as a stable person? Some call it remission. No depression and no...
I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder eleven years ago. Over the years, I have become familiar with my symptoms and I’m actually good at recognizing them for what they are (which is a good thing) and addressing them. One of the main issues I have always had are my...
What is it about stories of past episodes in our life. We all love to tell them. The amazing thing is we retell and retell the same stories to our family and friends as if they constituted a fresh audience every time.My in-laws are well into their seventies and,...
I get stigma on a very regular basis. This in turn severely limits, or even extinguishes, the support that I need. I’ve learned most people are not even aware when they’ve said something hurtful, damaging, or founded solely on falsehoods. People assume there is enough...
I can hear movement in the house as I lie in bed, trying to convince my mind and body that it is time to get up. The front door opening and closing as my partner leaves to take his regular walk across to the local newsagents, music coming from my daughter’s room, her...
I don’t like running. To be honest, I began running out of vanity. My ten year high school reunion was coming up and I refused to look as if I’d just bore two children when I walked through that ballroom door so I started running. Walking just took too...
Today I am focusing on Evanescences song Lithium. Lithium is a drug sometimes associated with bipolar disorder since it has been fairly successful in helping stabilize manic and depressive episodes. Lithium was first used to treat mania in 1970. Kay Jamison wrote...
I recently had cause to look back at the first ever blog post I wrote about my mental health. It’s called A Tale of Two Beasts, and it’s an exploration of the interplay between the feelings of anxiety and depression I was struggling with in April 2011. I wrote it just...
Let me first start by saying I am writing this blog from the John Hopkins Psychiatric Unit, in Baltimore, Maryland. They allow the patients to have their, IPAD, cell phone, and laptop. I decided to submit this blog because daily I find that even those individuals who...
More and more doctors, researchers, school programs, and the media are working to educate the public to overcome this unnecessary disgrace.You Need to Do Your PartEvery time the topic of mental illness comes up in conversation or in public, one more person has the...
Im often asked what gave me HOPE through my darkest years and what gets me through rough patches today. There are several key techniques and practices that have helped me throughout the years, and Im not hesitant to implement them today when I need them. Aside from...
I can always tell when I am dealing with renovation construction while in a hypomanic mood. It costs money, lots of it. My landscaping job started at $5000+-. Add a walkway and entrance pad of hand laid stone on a whim. $12,000+- total. Add an irrigation system...
I shall be with you in a moment Henrietta. Dr Black-Boots walks past, forced smile; giving others around her the impression, she is hurrying. I am not convinced.She enters a room to the right hand side of the waiting area, the small, claustrophobic duty room. I can...
