Author: Melissa Howard Growing up, I believed society placed a great deal of value on being “nice.” Being nice often seemed to mean saying “yes” to the requests and expectations of others, regardless of the personal cost. There was an unspoken pressure to please...
Author: Adam Flesner The most underrated thing I do for my bipolar brain is a slow, deliberate run through the woods. Me, my dog, and a dirt trail at a pace where I can still hold a conversation. Heart rate elevated. Breathing heavier. Sweat coming eventually. It took...
Author: Melissa Howard As spring is upon us, we’re welcomed into longer, brighter days—a hopeful reminder that summer is just around the corner. For many, this seasonal shift brings renewed energy and optimism. But for those living with bipolar disorder, the...
Author: Anonymous Anosognosia is a neurological condition in which a person is unable to recognize their own illness. It is often misunderstood as denial or resistance, but it is neither. It reflects impaired awareness caused by changes in brain function, and it is...
Author: Jillian LaFrance, PhD When people hear the term bipolar disorder, many immediately think of mood swings. It is a phrase that is often used casually and inaccurately, sometimes as a shorthand for normal emotional ups and downs. For those who live with the...
Author: Melissa Howard Receiving a bipolar disorder diagnosis can be overwhelming. While a diagnosis may offer clarity about past symptoms and behaviours, the realization that medication is often a long-term part of achieving and maintaining euthymia can feel...
Author: Matthew Palmieri When I finally accepted my bipolar diagnosis, it felt liberating. It came only after years of denial and confusion—after cycling through patterns of self-destruction and the inevitable rebuilding I’d need just to get back on my feet. For most...
Author: Lexie Manion In 2019, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after a serious episode and hospitalization. I’ve been thankful to have found the right regimen of medications and support to keep me well. My medications especially help me as I trust to always...
Author: April Mansilla I once sat down with my former self and asked her a question. What do you dream of? She told me, in a meek voice, that she didn’t have dreams anymore. They had been taken up by bipolar. By the constant swing of ups and downs. There just wasn’t...
By Nicholas Duran, LMHC Living with bipolar disorder while the world feels like it is falling apart can feel overwhelming—sometimes even impossible. Many of us experience emotions intensely. We are deeply attuned to the feelings of others, often highly empathic, and...
Author: Maria Mainelli Ding. I get a notification on my phone. It’s snowing out and I’m curled up in a chair that’s slowly fraying, matching my patience for being trapped inside. There’s a chill leaking through the shoddily built window frame, reminding me we’ve been...
Author: Matthew Palmieri Dating with bipolar disorder sometimes feels like everyone else got the rulebook and I didn’t. Breakups hit harder. Rejection lingers longer. I’ve been through a lot: relationships that ended in disaster, a marriage that unraveled under the...
Author: Camelia Porrata I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in November 2022. Before the diagnosis, I used to self-medicate with alcohol and medical cannabis. After being diagnosed, I continued drinking almost every day and mixed it with medication at the same time....
Author: Nicholas Duran I often return to the same question: How do I keep living when so much has been lost? The answer, for me, has never been simple. It has been forged in the layers of trauma, the long corridors of grief, and the unpredictable tides of bipolar...
Author: Matthew Palmieri Coming to Terms Over the last few years of stability, I’ve found myself feeling both peaceful and a little heartbroken. Peaceful because I’ve finally accepted my diagnosis. Heartbroken because I spent so many years fighting it. Every time I’d...
Author: April Joy Mansilla I enter the unit armed with a cart of creative tools. These are not just brushes and paints, but instruments of self-expression and hope, my hope and theirs. I am an expressive arts teacher in Acute Psychiatry at St. Joseph’s Healthcare...
Author: Minnie Almader Trigger warning: This content contains a description of a near accidental drowning. For some people a trigger can affect them by shutting down or feeling numb. Others may feel a lot of anxiety in their body. The body and mind work together but...
Author: Matthew Palmieri Bipolar disorder leaves a trail of collateral damage—during both depression and mania. From the outside looking in, it must be confusing. It can feel like I’ve been temporarily abducted, replaced by a version of myself that has no reason, no...
By Melissa Howard I was still a child when I realized my moods were different from other kids my age. This awareness came even before the traumatic accident I experienced prior to my eleventh birthday, the medical negligence, and the two additional—yet...
Author: Mihali Mqushulu Imagine this: you’re fresh from your psychiatrist office, still placing the plaguing thoughts in your mind that confirm a new life and identity — you have been diagnosed with manic depression. A few things then cognitively jump at you: Am I...
Author: Tom Luker I used to find joy in the cracks of the world, In shadows that danced, in leaves as they twirled. A puddle was poetry, rain sang in rhyme, Each moment a treasure, unmeasured by time. Back then, the wind whispered secrets to me, The stars told me...
Author: Maria Mainelli Atlanta-based comedian Maria Mainelli turns the ups and downs of bipolar 1 into sharp, honest, and hilarious storytelling. In this Q&A, she shares how her diagnosis shaped her creativity, her comedy, and her outlook on what it means to be...
Author: Matthew Palmieri There’s nothing quite like the rush of a manic episode—the clarity, the boundless energy, the feeling of being untouchable. Ideas come faster than I can process them. Sleep becomes optional. Music hits differently. The world feels like it’s...
Author: Major General Gregg Martin, US Army (Retired), PhD, with his wife Maggie and son Phil In my book, Bipolar General: My Forever War with Mental Illness, I capture “Family Perspectives” in the Appendix. My wife Maggie and our three sons explain that they just...
Author: Kimberly Pratt I exit my car and shut the door. I’m in the San Francisco Bay Area and it’s hot outside. I glance ahead and see a sign that indicates a 12-step meeting. That’s the space, I’m here, that’s where I need to go. But I’m different. I’m not just an...
Author: Lexie Manion I have been in remission from bipolar disorder for six years now. The last major mood episodes I experienced due to bipolar disorder were a depressive episode a few years ago and a hypomanic episode a year ago. It’s been important for me to stay...
Author: Matthew Palmieri When I look back on my past behavior—especially during manic or depressive episodes—it’s hard not to feel shame or embarrassment. Even after some recovery and ongoing acceptance, there are moments I still cringe over. As much as I’ve accepted...
Author: Melissa Howard Opening up conversations about mental health as a family can feel daunting, especially when it involves complex conditions like bipolar disorder. Yet, as my spouse’s reflections reveal, beginning the conversations early and creating openness can...
Author: Melissa Howard Living with bipolar disorder (BD) creates many unknowns—variables that shape my life in ways that those without a mental illness may never have to consider. BD doesn’t just affect my day-to-day; it impacts my entire family. Every decision I make...
Author: Jillian LaFrance, Ph.D. Bipolar disorder is often portrayed as dramatic swings in mood and behavior, typically characterized by episodes of mania or hypomania and depression. But for many, bipolar disorder exists quietly behind a guise of competence,...
Author: Anonymous Pediatrics was my first encounter with human reality. The first language through which I learned how to heal. It was a medicine of contact, of play, of kneeling down to meet childhood in its own world. I learned to crouch, to connect,...
Author: Matthew Palmieri Disclosing the Illness So now, with a clearer and more honest outlook, I find myself asking the question of, ‘Should I let this person know about this thing that might impact our relationship?’ It’s a divisive topic I often come...
Author: Mihlali Mqushulu What is the first thing that comes to mind when we think of “advocacy”? A career based in the realms of law and justice? A high standing profession that can be practiced by those who are academically qualified right? Sounds a bit...
Author: Major General Gregg Martin, US Army (Retired), PhD -OWN IT: EMBRACE your condition – no shame or embarrassment – it’s okay to not be okay. -LEARN all about your condition – on-line, videos, books, conferences, discussions – become an expert on...
Author: Matthew Palmieri Challenging Misconceptions When I first started sharing my personal experience managing bipolar, I felt both relief and ongoing trepidation that if people around me now knew I had a mental illness, I’d be seen as too much...
Author: Charles Kelly When I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, there were certain people I had to inform. With some individuals, the decision wasn’t really mine to make. My parents, my girlfriend, my boss, and those who witnessed my manic episode needed to...
Author: Major General Gregg Martin, US Army (Retired), PhD Dear Bipolar Friend: I never asked for or wanted you in my life — but you wanted me. I wouldn’t wish you on anyone, but… after much pain, you have ended up being a blessing. You elevated me for...
Author: Charles Kelly I sometimes found myself frustrated at work, looking for temporary escapes from the modern madness of life. I tried stress balls and taking walks on my lunch break, although these had minimal effects on me. I remember reading something...
Author: Jillian LaFrance Navigating the world with bipolar disorder can sometimes feel like walking through a hall of mirrors, where distorted reflections of reality constantly challenge your perception. For those unfamiliar, bipolar disorder is often shrouded...
Author: Charles Kelly Before my manic episode, I was completely unaware of how I came off to others. My ego controlled every part of my life. If something did not go my way, I would defend my position, even when I knew I was wrong. Classmates, coworkers, and...
Author: Che’ Lang When I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I thought it was safe to assume there were only two sides of this medical condition that I would have to manage; mania and depression. Hypomania was also commonly depicted by my psychiatrist,...
Author: Mihali Mqushulu What does it mean to possess something that is partly unaccepted by a society? Holding with you, the one thing that induces cold glances from strangers and familiars. Are you an outcast, a non-contender? No. You probably just have a...
Author: Matthew Palmieri Living with bipolar disorder often feels like walking a tight rope. Always on alert that an episode is pending, I am constantly vigilant to any shift in routine or sleep that may disrupt the balance I’ve achieved since fully accepting...
Author: Matthew Palmieri Accepting a Bipolar diagnosis can take many years. Some may never come to terms with the illness, living in denial while it wreaks havoc on everything held dear. I know that was me for about 9 years after I was diagnosed.I wouldn’t even...
Author: Vasavi Kumar Living with bipolar disorder has been a tumultuous and unpredictable journey, filled with highs of mania and lows of depression that have left me feeling as though I’m on a rollercoaster ride that I can’t get off. The intense...
Author: Melinda Goedeke Unfortunately, like many, I have experienced trauma in my life. So much so that I often see life as just a series of traumatic events. Some wounds are bored so deeply that they are firmly lodged within my soul. Those are my private...
By: Sam Bowman Struggling With Time, Energy, and Relationships The most prominent symptoms of bipolar disorder are the highs and lows you can feel at any given time. Going through episodes of mania and depression can take a toll on your mental, emotional, and physical...
By: Trevor Simonson If you are anything like me, you struggle for consistency. My life runs in peaks and valleys. So many valleys. A never-ending game flirting with progress, but always feeling like I am back at square one. Square one. It isn’t real. We are always...
By: Cassandra Stout It seems everyone and their mother is traveling these days. And that includes those of us with mental illnesses. For those of us living with mental health conditions, especially bipolar disorder, breaking from our usual routine can have disastrous...
How to Make a Dopamenu to Give Your Brain the Stimulation it Needs Have you ever found yourself doom scrolling the internet, desperately seeking stimulation for your depressed brain but being too tired to think of a healthy way to do that? When we’re depressed, our...
