Author: Nicholas A Duran, LMHC I want to run through the city. Then I want to lie down in the street. I’m sitting in the park, crying. I’m fighting for my life. One minute we’re celebrating our anniversary— I’m happy, in love, present. The next morning I wake up to...
Anonymous asks: Can showing up for someone who’s struggling be a learned skill, and how can it make a meaningful difference in their life? How we support others is a skill that indeed can be learned. I think some of the wisdom from the modality of therapy,...
Author: Love K The first time I heard about someone having bipolar disorder was my first boyfriend, Manny. Manny and I had an attraction to each other like no other. He was the only boyfriend I ever considered marrying. Manny and I would get into somewhat explosive...
Author: Terri Cheney For as far back as I can remember, I’ve been susceptible to intense, erratic bouts of emotional turbulence. It wasn’t until I was 34 that my unpredictable swings of mood and energy were finally recognized for what they were: classic bipolar I...
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: 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: Gareth Coetzee Dedicated to my grandfather. The day he passed, he passed his soul to me for safekeeping, for mine was broken. For the boy who tried, but could not help losing his heart to a wretched world And to the heartless lion, who thought with no...
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...
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: 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: 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: 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: Jamie Hopkins I was nine years old when six-time Olympic medalist Clara Hughes stopped in my town on the final days of her cross-Canada bicycle tour – an initiative with a goal of starting conversations and ending the stigma surrounding mental...
Author: Matthew Palmieri It took me close to a decade after my diagnosis to come across the literature that would completely change the way I looked at my struggles with bipolar. After spending years not necessarily in denial—but operating under the assumption...
Author: Jillian LaFrance PhD Bipolar disorder is characterized by dramatic mood, energy, and activity level shifts, which manifest as mania or hypomania (elevated mood) and depression (lowered mood), is associated with neurotransmitter imbalances (serotonin,...
Author: Jamie Hopkins As is the same with so many varsity athletes, training and competing takes up the majority of my time and energy, but more importantly, my passion and purpose. So, when I found myself hospitalized with a mixed episode while in the midst of...
Author: Matthew Palmieri Managing a mood disorder while maintaining a steady job often feels like a balancing act. There have been times when I felt I had been stable for a significant period, only to suddenly face a manic episode. These episodes can cause me...
Author: Mallory Beckwith, LPC Can two individuals with bipolar disorder have a healthy relationship and make it work? The answer to this question is yes. But it may take extra time, effort, forgiveness, compassion and even counseling. Take my husband and I for...
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: Angela McCrimmon Read Part I here In laying down my resilience, I found a new “normal”. I developed new routines and I learned what feels right for me in my body, mind and soul. 2021 was an awful year in many ways, but it was profound in the lessons it...
Author: Jessie Bucci Feeling alone and even misunderstood can be one of the hardest realities of experiencing a mental illness, and living with Bipolar disorder. I remember driving somewhere with a friend and passing a psychiatric facility which prompted her to...
Author: Abigail Lehman A question that I have asked myself and have struggled to answer for most of my life. Why don’t I fit in? Why don’t they feel the same way I do? Am I being dramatic? Am I the problem? I would ask myself these questions as I found myself in yet...
Author: General Gregg F. Martin, Phd, General Major, US Army Retired From my teenage years on, I benefitted from what was a positive personality: high levels of energy, enthusiasm, drive, extroversion, positivity, happiness, and optimism. This was the...
Author: Major General Gregg F. Martin, US Army Retired My brain burst into full-blown mania in 2014, at age 58. This “late onset bipolar disorder” is rare, with only about five percent of diagnosed cases occurring this late in life. I may have had undiagnosed...
Author: Melinda Goedeke I have two children. One is low key, mild-mannered, and has a half tooth. The other is high-key, wild-mannered and has a double tooth. Both are brilliant, beautiful and better than me, but one is living, and one is dead. Laura died from bipolar...
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...
Author: Cassandra Stout I used to look at the new year, especially the month of January, with trepidation. When I was but a young college student dating my then-boyfriend–and now husband of several years–I had not yet been diagnosed with bipolar I...
Author: Dayna J. It’s common knowledge that fifty percent of marriages end in divorce. Psychology Today cites that statistic as high as ninety percent when at least one partner lives with bipolar disorder! I am grateful to be beating those odds and celebrating my...
Author: Maria Eva Jacobs My name is Maria Eva Jacobs and I have lived with Bipolar Disorder my entire adult life. I’m here to tell you, there is life after diagnosis! Though still on medication, I live today in remission and while that is not a perfect walk, it is...
Author: Melinda Goedeke I remember when my daughter was 22, and she started talking about wanting children some day. This was cause for celebration as Laura often didn’t believe she had a future; her bipolar disorder caused her to live fast, talk fast and...
Author: Violette Kay There are many reasons one might choose not to disclose their mental illness at work such as the fear of being judged and seen as a liability or the fear of losing your job. But you might not want to disclose it because you feel it is on a...
Author: Eliora Mae Baker Dating is not always pretty, and love is hard at times. The difficulties of being in a relationship with someone diagnosed with bipolar disorder are many. Is a relationship with someone with bipolar completely out of the question?...
If you suffer from bipolar disorder, then you may already know how difficult managing romantic relationships can be. Even being a partner with a bipolar disorder sufferer is difficult. The manic and hypomanic phases of the disease can include lapses in judgment,...
By: Natalia Beiser Dear Chad, In the early 1990’s, we were such good friends. Outside of my family, I have never cherished anyone more. You supported me through a chilling hypomania and a catastrophic mania. You watched me deteriorate during medication trials and...
By: Courtney Davey, MA, LMFT The holidays are a wonderful time: family, friends, feelings of good will etc. However, these additions to your schedule also can create high levels of stress. Holiday movies are notorious for making gags out of the difficulties with...
By: Conor Bezane I feel a lot of pressure. Pressure to take my meds and stay on them. Pressure to be a good son, brother, and uncle. Pressure to be a man. Pressure to conform and lead a healthy, happy life. It’s tough, but I’ve learned to maintain composure and grace...
By: Allison Strong When I first did intake for group dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), I sorta ‘flunked.’ Temporarily. It was determined that I’d been traumatized and I was transferred to their Trauma Resolution and Integration Program (T.R.I.P.) for individual...
By Mamotladi Ivy Matloga My name is Ivy Matloga and I am a public servant and an author. My brother lives and copes with a mental illness. I just released a novel, a work of fiction, inspired by my brother’s illness and the observations I have made, as well as...
By Jen Teh In a recent conversation with a good friend, we talked about a mutual friend who appeared to be showing signs of bipolar disorder but who was quite closed to the possibility of a problem. The conversation meandered to what it was like when I was first...
Q: How do you support your partner when, in the midst of a hypomanic episode, they tell you that they want to end the relationship and move out on their own? How can you tell if that’s what they’re truly feeling, or if it’s a result of their episode? Beka: From a...
Long time married couple Ron and Beka Owens answer your questions about relationships and bipolar disorder. Do arguments about issues in your relationship with your husband ever trigger manic or depressive episodes? How do you deal with any issues you may have if you...
Remission and recovery from any mental illness, addiction, or both, bring with them, for most of us entirely new gifts. Some of us are fortunate enough to find a whole new way of living, one which we have never experienced or imagined possible. Not all days are easy,...
Relationships are hard, with or without bipolar disorder, but adding bipolar disorder to the mix just makes it feel that much harder. Before either rushing into a relationship, or avoiding them altogether, you might find it useful to hear a bit of advice from someone...
