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....
High school is not easy. As soon as you step foot on campus as a freshman, you realize that this is nothing like High School Musical. The older you get in high school, you begin to face mental stressors that neither Troy nor Gabriella warned you about. With advanced...
According to Zoe King, writer for Nami Wake County, social isolation can “cause or exacerbate mental health conditions.” Having finished their five-month summer break, students are returning to school in person or by computer. For the first time in history, half the...
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: Sophia Falco I delve deep into the dreamland of my imagination. I embrace envisioning light flowing throughout my body, and soothing my mind edging out the darkness that has taken up residency for far too long. The beauty of the natural world speaks to me in...
Author: Trishna Patnaik written on behalf of Mr. Pradeep Kumar Pattnaik When we talk about a mental illness, we look at it clinically. Is it absolutely clinical and practical though? Have we looked at it from the eyes of the person who is going through the pain and...
Something I Am Proud Of: In my early years of diagnosis I never thought I would live past the age of 21, I was living a destructive lifestyle and never took managing my illness seriously. I turned my whole life around by putting a stop to my destructive behavior,...
By: Sydney Batt After three months of my diagnosis of having Bipolar II disorder I decided to join a group therapy that was specifically for people that have mood disorders. In the first session of this therapy we learned the importance of nutrition and diet. I was...
By: Conor Bezane A perfectionist strives for that which is flawless. Impeccable. Immaculate. My name is Conor, and I’m a perfectionist. I also have bipolar disorder. According to Psychology Today: Perfectionism is a trait that makes life an endless report card on...
By: Natalia Beiser Dear Future Self, Don’t give up on your dreams. This will be the most difficult time in your life. You have worked hard to be successful, but you feel cheated as you are locked in a psychiatric ward with bars on the windows and a stainless steel...
By: Andrienne Kennedy If someone had asked me five years ago how do I manage a mental illness, I would have not been able to give an answer. For years, I was uneducated about mental illnesses or mental health all together. That changed back in 2014 when I was...
By: Tosha Maaks Remaining balanced when you live life with bipolar disorder isn’t some magical trick and it isn’t some tricky formula that only those who have super powers have figured out. However, stability I can say is a magical place to be after years of living in...
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: Sydney Waltner More than half of all Americans will be diagnosed with a mental illness in their lifetime. But not everyone will receive the help they need. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, only forty percent of adults and fifty percent of...
By: Jamie Park Dear Minister of Health and Welfare, I am writing to express my grave concerns over how the nature of mental illness is generally perceived in my country, and how such perception, in turn, has directly penetrated the legislative process in enacting or...
By: Elena Hirsch Dear Congressman, Illness of any kind can be devastating, causing pain and suffering not just for the affected individual, but for family, friends, and all of those around him. But while insurance companies are quick to provide a treatment route for...
By Allison Clemmons Hatch One of the most difficult seasons for many is upon us. Those of us who celebrate Christmas, not just those of us who grapple with the symptoms of bipolar disorder, have a tough time maintaining any sort of cheerful disposition, for a...
By: Lori Lane-Murphy Halloween is long over. Tell that to the demon climbing up my ribcage. I’m not sure even the Exorcist himself stood a chance against the terror that clutched at me last night with determined fingers and the express purpose to bring me down. I...
By: Liz Wilson “International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3) is an international observance promoted by the United Nations since 1992. It has been celebrated with varying degrees of success around the planet. The observance of the Day aims to promote an...
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: Laura Sanscartier In the throes of my bipolar depression and psychosis, all I wanted to do was die. This has happened multiple times in my life. I have attempted suicide multiple times. I was sure that the only way to relieve the stress on my spouse and family was...
By: Tosha Maaks I am a lucky suicide survivor. In 2008 I tried to end my life after a hard day at my job. I came home, and I said good-bye to my children, and I climbed into bed to snuggle with my middle child and say my good-byes to him. My husband knew something...
By: Andrienne Kennedy “As you get older, you will discover that you have two hands. One for helping yourself, one for helping others.” – Audrey Hepburn Last year was a pivotal year for me. I was 39, and really started thinking about my 40th birthday which would...
By: Kam We all hear the word ‘bipolar’ bandied around today when describing someone who is indecisive or even describing the weather when it doesn’t seem to know if it wants to rain or shine. Comments like these show a lack of understanding about the...
By: Liz Wilson Without breadcrumbs to find my way back depression often leaves me lost in the abyss. Kay Redfield Jamison described holding death as close as dungarees… And I wear you my friend like a battle scar, a gentle reminder of where I’ve been… And I know that...
By: Conor Bezane I used to be rail thin. Skinny jeans and all. Ironically, since getting sober seven years ago, I’ve developed what might be mistaken for a beer gut. It’s not drastic, but I have definitely changed from a small to a medium shirt thanks to my potbelly....
By: Danielle Workman October 21st is Check Your Meds Day. This is one of those daily holidays that I actually feel is very helpful to anyone on medications at all, not just medications for mental health. Checking your medications throughout your treatment is something...
By: Andrienne Kennedy Before I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, I was clueless. I was clueless about mental health and mental illness. My knowledge on the topic was non-existent. The reason why I did not know about mental health or...
After suffering with what she thought was just depression for over 20 years, Andrienne Kennedy was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and generalized anxiety disorder back in 2014. For the 1st couple of years, she was in deep denial of her diagnosis because of the harsh...
By: Alexis Zinkerman I was chatting with another bipolar friend this weekend on the phone and the topic of conversation turned to jealousy. And I started to wonder how many other bipolar people struggle with the green-eyed monster old envy. Is this a feeling that goes...
By: Sasha Kildare Can we turn around the negative media portrayal of bipolar disorder? At times I am discouraged because of the way television dramas and some bestselling memoirs portray bipolar disorder. They tend to show only its negative, extreme aspects. While...
By Eleora Han, PhD Sometimes life doesn’t turn out as you plan. I learned this the hard way. I was living a secure, comfortable life. Married and about to graduate with my doctoral degree, most of my thoughts were focused on the family we would start together....
Dr. Eleora Han is a licensed clinical psychologist and writer whose work focuses on depression, bipolar, and stress related disorders. As a doctor, patient, and person living with bipolar disorder, she understands firsthand the pain that it can bring and the critical...
By: Ryan Heffernan Dear Dad, Can you hear me? You don’t have to answer that. I can feel your spirit every day, moving as a battlefield wraith through my wartorn life. Sometimes you’re my blooming, purple Jacaranda tree, sometimes you’re a star constellation gently...
By: Laura Sanscartier Dearest Laura, I call you dearest because I know you don’t believe it about yourself, but you are dear to so many. Right now, at 19 years of age, you want to cease existing, and you’re trying to figure out how. I want to tell you to...
By: Natalia Beiser Writing a book has been one of my bucket list goals. However an autobiography about my life may not be of interest to many readers. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder twenty four years ago. I consider myself to be a walking wealth of knowledge...
By: Liz Wilson Sobriety is the number one precursor to my success at Recovery. As an ex addict and person living with bipolar disorder, the International Bipolar Foundation has given me the opportunity to research and report to you on issues such as dual...
By: Danielle Workman I used to believe that I had to stay alive for the big things. For the most important people in my life, for those big, enormous reasons that everyone tells you to stay alive for. It felt more like a responsibility and less like an actual reason...
By: John Poehler I have a unique perspective when it comes to suicide. I am the survivor of multiple suicide attempts. It is difficult for me to admit this, but my goal is to help anybody in a situation where they are contemplating suicide. There is no need for me to...
By: Tosha Maaks September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and so many things come to mind when talking about this subject. I personally am happy to say I no long experience suicidal depression but many people with bipolar disorder have thoughts of suicide...
By: Conor Bezane I am a writer. I am a blogger. I am a music aficionado and a tennis player. I am a television producer. But I am NOT bipolar. I happen to have the bipolar condition. Many of us always say our illness doesn’t define us, yet it’s hard not to catch...
By: Ryan Heffernan Mental health is hell of a thing. Changes a man, truth be told. Kills some too. I have done serious time at the mercy of my bipolar moods. But mercy is probably the wrong word. Because mercy is noticeable mostly for its absence. But then that’s not...
Ryan Heffernan is an Australian author and writer. His latest work is a dreamy, soulful, funny and ink black bipolar memoir, Clown & I (2018). Clown & I is a unique and confronting exploration of Ryan’s magical and magnetic life with bipolar disorder,...
By: Liz Wilson Dear Supporter; You are the Mother who answered little Liz’s incessant questions when my curiosity exhausted everyone else. You listened to me and that made me feel important and validated. Gave me a thirst for knowledge that remains insatiable to this...
By: Lori Lane-Murphy I turned 50 this year. That’s cause for celebration. I have been on this planet for 50 years and experienced the highs and lows that come with a half a century of living. I continue to experience the highs and lows of living with bipolar disorder....
By: Alexis Zinkerman Part One of my post on nutrition interviewed Dr. Drew Ramsey about the medical nature of eating healthy. Part two interviews Peri Gershoni, a dietician for Psynergy Programs who is working on her Master’s degree in Dietetics in the UK and writes a...
By: John Poehler Going to university is an extremely fun and exciting time of life. Most students juggle an intense class schedule, social life, and dorm living. For the most part, it is the first time a student will be away from their home for the first time. Let’s...
By: Tosha Maaks Music is a special thing when you have a mental health disorder like bipolar. When you are feeling manic it works off some energy but when you are feeling depressed it really gives you something to look forward too. Recently I was going through a bad...
By: Laura Sanscartier Dear John, I need to write you a letter of thanks. Though we’ve swapped emails for years with snarky jokes and little life updates, it’s time I thanked you. Truly. I was a soprano who smoked constantly, swore all the time, and wore inappropriate...
By: Emily McGuigan Realizing when an episode is approaching terrifies me because I never know how long it’ll last or the intensity it will be this time around. Mine are anywhere from two weeks to a month long depending on life circumstances. As much as I try to stop...
