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: Charles Kelly For most of my life in high school and college, I made friends with my undiagnosed bipolar disorder in the driver’s seat. Therefore, when I got my diagnosis, I couldn’t be the fun, energetic, and laughable person I once was....
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...
As we celebrate Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s crucial to start conversations that matter. This month, we’re reaching out to our community to discuss important questions surrounding men’s mental health. Let’s raise awareness,...
Author: Matthew Palmieri It’s no secret that if left untreated, bipolar illness can have a devastating impact on relationships. So when symptoms take over, it’s crucial to start looking at the triggers that lead to a change in thinking and behavior. A few...
Author: Lee Formella After being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, there were many emotions that ran through me immediately, and for a long time thereafter. Among these feelings were two that were hard to overcome; confusion and defeat. I was confused about what...
Author: Lee Formella “Pain nourishes your courage, you have to fail in order to practice being brave” – Mary Tyler Moore If you were raised anything like me, you were told to be strong, be a man, be tough, do everything yourself, provide for those around...
By: Steven W. Wilson It arrived out of nowhere. Like a cloud opening, engulfing me in fluffy white nothingness. Descending from above and swallowing me whole. The year: 1958. I was a fourth grader residing in Delaware, Ohio. Overnight I tumbled from a life filled with...
Screen print art is used with permission of Conor Martin Part III of V: dealing with depression and psychosis After resigning from command of NDU, I spiraled then crashed into a depression that was increasingly characterized by diminished energy, hopelessness,...
Formerly known as “manic depressive illness,” bipolar disorder is a term that, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), comprises a cluster of related disorders that are characterized by distinctive and extreme shifts, or...
Author: Gregg F. Martin, PhD, Major General, US Army (Retired) Written in honor of the service and sacrifice of the US Military for Memorial Day, 2022 In the epic World War Two film “Saving Private Ryan”, Army Captain and Ranger John Miller (Tom Hanks) lies...
Author: Neil McCarthy Life experiences, including a regular meditation practice, have shown me that all life predicaments and mental states will pass in time. But more than just meditation has seen me through tough times; music has served as a constant,...
Author: Gregg F. Martin, PhD, Major General, US Army (Retired) World Bipolar Day is on 30 March. This is a day to focus on a serious mental/brain illness that afflicts 60 million people worldwide; and even more because statistics for children are not counted...
Author: Major General Gregg F. Martin, PhD, US Army Retired As World Bipolar Day approaches on March 30th, let’s build on our momentum and progress and keep it going…for years to come! By no more than one percent of separation, we all know...
Author: Major General Gregg F. Martin, US Army Retired The Army I joined the US Army in 1975, at age 18. My motivation for entering the US Military Academy at West Point was first and foremost, to obtain a top-notch education on a full scholarship. Once there, I...
Author: Gregg F. Martin, PhD, Major General, US Army (Retired) Bipolar disorder can strike virtually anyone, regardless of gender, race, education or class, from pre-teens into our sixties. It is an equal opportunity destroyer of lives and health, marriages and...
“Resign or you’re fired… You’ve done an amazing job, but you need to go get a mental health exam.” Author: Gregg F. Martin, PhD, Major General, US Army (Retired) It was mid-July 2014. I was 58 years old and after more than three decades in the Army, I was...
Author: Ben Davis I have Bipolar Type II. Receiving that diagnosis changed my mental health trajectory for the better. Although it’s a big part of who I am, it’s not all of who I am. I am more than my diagnosis, and so are you. While I recognize that my story is...
Author: George Zou As a 30 year old single man, I can tell you Bipolar Disorder affects men in a special way. Having a Bipolar Disorder diagnosis means staying away from the lively parties and concerts. During this Covid pandemic, Bipolar Disorder has prepared me for...
Author: Bryson Hays Sometimes… I forget. I lose my memory of what it is like. I have forgotten what drowning feels like. Afloat on a lifeboat of medications, I forget what my world used to be. I barely remember the thrill of adrenaline that comes with inhaling...
Author: George Hofmann Men have a poor track record for seeking mental healthcare. The result is higher levels of disability and higher rates of death by suicide in men than in women. Men are less likely to seek treatment than women are, and they seem much more bound...
Author: John Budin As a psychiatrist living with bipolar disorder, I have been both a care receiver and a care giver. Over the span of my career, I have treated many men with bipolar disorder having the luxury of viewing them through the lens of being both a clinician...
Author: Cory Anderson As a therapist, I thought I would be well equipped to handle anything marriage threw my way, including my wife’s bipolar II diagnosis. Well, I was wrong. Even our journey of getting this diagnosis was long and fraught with potholes. I imagine a...
Author: Scott Walker On the last weekend of August this year, friends and I were doing an overnight hike on a small mountain here in Banff, Alberta, Canada. It fell within a day or so of a full moon. As the sun set the moon rose. It was so beautiful! With the cloud...
Author: George Hofmann It seems that today a man with a mental illness in his middle age is without a voice. So many of the stories told about the struggle with an incoherent mind are from the point of view of the young and mostly female. For so many older men the...
Author: Zachary Burton The California hills were quickly turning to gold. Our weekends were filled with barbecues, swimming, and late nights around our fire pit. Life couldn’t be better. I certainly thought so, as I hurtled toward my PhD qualifying exams in the late...
