Category: Uncategorized

A Letter to My Self – From Che’

Hey there Che’, I know there has been a lot going on lately, and I just wanted to travel back in time and let you in on a few things you’ve realized over the last 20 years. Buckle up and get a pen and paper, you’re going to want to take some notes. If you feel like...

A Letter to My Self – From Mihlali

I’m sure at this age you have no idea what’s about to happen. Your life is about to take a turn, not for the worst, but for the betterment of your growth as you enter young adulthood. So let me give you a few tips that will assist you in navigating this Where do...

A Letter to My Self – From Ricardo

Hi young Ricardo, It’s your teen years, and they’re the most difficult ones. There’s a lot of shyness (as part of your personality), discomfort in groups of friends because of your acne, and your insecurities. And you don’t know yet that you will have your...

A Letter to My Self – From Subrina

To my newly diagnosed 16 year old self: There is so much I wish to tell you and warn you, in hopes of preparing you for the journey to come. But even now, 18 years later, tears come to my eyes thinking of the path I have traveled to reach this very moment. I wonder...

A Letter to My Self – From Gregg

I wish I had known that I was born with what I call a “bipolar brain.” My whole life I have been living on the “bipolar spectrum.” For decades, my brain was gradually changing, and my subclinical bipolar condition growing ever-close to clinical bipolar disorder (BD)....

A Letter to My Self – From Andrea

Dear Andrea of the past, You know how you’ve wanted to die for the past few weeks? That horrendous feeling in your stomach that the world is out to get you? The inability to sleep? The agitation? Guess what – you have bipolar disorder. I know you’re...

What Are Your Top Self-Care Practices?

What Are Your Top Self-Care Practices?

My current favorite self-care practice is small outings by myself to explore local places. Going to public spaces like bookstores and farmer’s markets, even just to walk around for a bit, is a great way to combat isolation and change the environment around me. I also...

Starry Night Sponsorship Opportunities

Starry Night Sponsorship Opportunities

Starry Night 2024 Sponsorship Opportunities $25,000+ STARRY NIGHT SUPPORTER 10 guest tickets – Logo or family name prominently featured on event signage – Logo or family name displayed on event screen – Recognition in program – Verbal...

How I Overcame Hospitalization to Help Myself, and Others

How I Overcame Hospitalization to Help Myself, and Others

November 12, 2024 at 10:00 AM PT Register for the free webinar with Paris Scobie here. In this webinar, Paris Scobie shares her story of how she went from being a patient struggling from inside the walls of a psychiatric hospital newly diagnosed with bipolar to...

Carlsbad Marathon

Carlsbad Marathon

January 19, 2025 – We want to see you! We invite you to meet-up with IBPF, mental health advocates, and individuals with lived experience at the Carlsbad Marathon! Join us at our ocean view volunteer tent as we support the runners, make new friends, and promote...

Find Your Smile

Find Your Smile

by Surabhi Verma   The number of people with declining mental health is unfortunately increasing rapidly. Getting more isolated and fatigued, many people have been caught in a web of mental struggles. Day by day, this web grows, yet manages to stay hidden in the...

I Can Be Even More Vulnerable

I Can Be Even More Vulnerable

by Katie Garrison   Heart racing, tears falling, hands shaking. I will never forget that day in April of 2021- I have never experienced such hopelessness and fear. I could never have imagined that the most vulnerable and terrifying moment of my life would...

Sophia’s Mindful Stitches

Sophia’s Mindful Stitches

by Sophia Hasan   Throughout my high school years, I have discovered the powerful impact of creativity on my mental health. When faced with academic and social pressures, engaging in creative activities became my safe place. Whether it was crocheting, sewing, or...

Morgan Matheson: Mindful Monday & Self-Love Selfie

Morgan Matheson: Mindful Monday & Self-Love Selfie

Social media has become a powerful tool for connecting with friends and building a sense of community. Though, social media usage can have both positive and negative effects on mental health. On one hand, social media can provide a platform for people to connect and...

Rachel Benson: Care to Share – A Guide to Healthy Conversation

Rachel Benson: Care to Share – A Guide to Healthy Conversation

One click. One share. One like on social media can send an individual into a spiral of spinning anxiety over their body, actions, and words. The damage social platforms cause to the minds and hearts of teenagers across the world is devastating and detrimental to the...

Micah Gatewood : Real Athletes Talk

Micah Gatewood : Real Athletes Talk

Mental health plays a very big role in everyone’s life. There are some people who have theirs in mint condition and appear to be well put together, and there are others who cannot bear to go on with their lives anymore. In my 17 years of being on this earth, I...

Diving into Bipolar

Diving into Bipolar

By: Melinda Goedeke Spying on a lobster the size of my leg while gently swaying back and forth 70 ft. below the sea is both exhilarating and meditative for me. I even secretly like the anxiety of knowing that with each breath my oxygen is depleting. I swim swiftly...

Managing the Challenges of Bipolar Parenting

Managing the Challenges of Bipolar Parenting

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...

A Father’s Love

A Father’s Love

June 19, 2022 Dear Dad, This Father’s Day I want to celebrate your role in my life. Especially how you helped me through my bipolar diagnosis and functional recovery.   Three years before I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, you shared some wisdom with me that...

It Ain’t Easy – Meds and Bipolar Disorder

It Ain’t Easy – Meds and Bipolar Disorder

By Melinda Goedeke I laugh sarcastically every time I watch a commercial about medication for the treatment of bipolar disorder. Unkempt young men and women are shown in dark, depressing places with vacuous eyes and downtrodden faces until they take the miracle...

How Bipolar Disorder Helped Me (Until It Didn’t)

How Bipolar Disorder Helped Me (Until It Didn’t)

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...

Conditional

Conditional

By: Neil Mccarthy The brief—but fictional—scenes in this piece show the bias with which people with bipolar (or any mental illness) can be treated. With some luck, maybe we can evolve into a new way of treating people who are already suffering. — The Director of...

Signs: Everywhere and Nowhere

Signs: Everywhere and Nowhere

by Melinda Goedeke I’m often asked whether or not I saw the signs. What I hear in that question is blame and responsibility; assignment of fault. I didn’t see the signs because there weren’t many to see; I saw Laura – my delightful, radiant, and complicated...

How I (Mis)managed my Bipolar Disorder During my Pregnancies

How I (Mis)managed my Bipolar Disorder During my Pregnancies

Author: Cassandra Stout Trigger Warning: This post contains a discussions of suicide. If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide, please: Call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 Text TALK to 741741 Or go to...

Stepping Beyond Self-Stigma

Stepping Beyond Self-Stigma

Author: Christina Chambers First of all, Happy World Bipolar Day! In light of this year’s theme “Bipolar Together”, I would like to talk about moving beyond self-stigma to find connection and support. For me, the biggest barrier to connection with others became...

Hope with an Accurate Diagnosis

Hope with an Accurate Diagnosis

Author: Ellie Chiorino In this article, to celebrate World Bipolar Day, my deepest hope is to make you feel less alone if you were ever misdiagnosed and/or have encountered an incapable psychiatric provider along the way. I see you. I hear you. Your experience is...

Lithium and Dialysis, Part V

Lithium and Dialysis, Part V

Author: Natalia A. Beiser Disclaimer: The experiences expressed herein are those of this writer. I appreciate the feedback that has been given to my other blogs on this topic, and I am writing now to address some of the questions and comments that were brought up but...

Sunny “Seonwoo” Um

Sunny “Seonwoo” Um

Technology platforms have been frequently villainized in the teenage battle for mental health. For years, news outlets have screamed, “Social media opens the door to cyberbullying!,” alongside numerous similar headlines. However, in the age of the pandemic, we’ve all...

Ogechi Muruako

Ogechi Muruako

As a member of the Black community, I have noticed a stigma towards mental health. Mental health has been perceived as a sign of weakness, and people fear the thought of being judged for having a mental health condition. But why? Where does this come from? The Mental...

Dohyun Kim

Dohyun Kim

Have you ever wondered why most people avoid talking about their mental health problems? The answer is much more complex than it seems. One factor driving this phenomenon is the perceived social stigma surrounding mental health. In today’s day and age, it is...

IBPF’s Worldwide New Year’s Eve Extravaganza

IBPF’s Worldwide New Year’s Eve Extravaganza

Don’t ‘Drop the Ball’ on your health, celebrate in style with IBPF at our Glitter Gala! December 31st, 11 AM PST – 1 PM PST Additional Timezones include 2 PM – 4 PM EST, 7 PM – 9 PM GMT, 8 PM – 10 PM CET, and 9-11 PM IST! Join...

Savannah

Savannah

Something I am Proud of: It was March 2016. My apartment was chosen, and my boxes were packed. My move-in date approached, but my mood took a turn for the worse. I didn’t end up moving out on my own anytime soon. Five years later, my little sister began applying to...

Lauren

Lauren

Something I am Proud Of: I am proud of not giving up on myself eight years ago. After my first hypomanic episode, I was often confused and frustrated, as I tried to find the right treatment team for myself. Eventually, I found providers who have helped me not only...

The Importance of Peer Support

The Importance of Peer Support

Author: Lisa MacDonald I was diagnosed as a young teen with a mental illness but I hid it from others. I was so ashamed and embarrassed about it. Even my best friends didn’t know how badly I was suffering. I didn’t realize this until much later, but...

Pilar’s Corner

Pilar Cárdenas-Gimber One of my favorite aspects of IBPF is how it unifies us as a global community, providing resources and shepherding us through the maze to wellness. “Pilar’s Corner” was conceived to be a specialized section of the website dedicated to moments or...

Maria Fernandez

Maria Fernandez

Something I am Proud Of: I thought I was going to get married to him, until I realized I was hypomanic and only in love with a dream. I thought my best friend would always be by my side, until she chose not to be, and died by suicide. I thought I had the independence...

HUGS for Kids

HUGS for Kids

Our HUGS for Kids Program is more important than ever After more than a year of lockdowns and uncertainty brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, children’s mental health has been greatly affected, and together we have the opportunity to provide comfort and hope to children...

Power Your Mind | Recovery International

 Recording Available February 15 2021 @ 8AM PST   This webinar will be presented by Angela Sullivan, Director of Power Your Mind Being a teenager can be tough, and the added stress of COVID-19 is creating high levels of anxiety, depression, and anger among youth....

Bipolar Disorder and Coping During COVID-19

Bipolar Disorder and Coping During COVID-19

Author: Stanley Clark The COVID-19 pandemic still causes fear and uncertainty worldwide. Although the lockdown measures may help slow the disease’s spread, it may also cause greater mental stress. People with bipolar disorder may have a more challenging time coping...

Annie Pan

The phone call came in late May. I wasn’t home at the time, but I learned about the contents of the call from my parents: school was going virtual. I was ecstatic; not only had school gone completely virtual, classes had also shortened from roughly six hours to four....

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