By: Mamotladi Ivy Matloga I recently watched a programme on television wherein a young lady was talking about how in her understanding, there is no such a thing as mental illness. According to the lady, mental illness was nothing more than plain witchcraft. “People...
By: Danielle Workman The best advice I had ever gotten in regards to my diagnosis came from my father. It was a dark and gloomy day, in those long months between winter and spring. “You need to spend less time fighting your bipolar and more time working with it.” He...
By: Conor Bezane Artificial happiness. That’s what I thought I’d be getting into if I went on antidepressants. I have to admit I was scared to even go there. Would I become a zombie? Would my emotions be flattened? What about apathy? Turns out these fears were, for...
By: Kryss Jobes There was a time in my life when I had a breakdown. I sought help in caring for my daughter before things got too bad. But after that it was a continuous downward spiral until I wasn’t me anymore. I had run away, to live in the back of my mind, while...
By: Vicki Taylor In Part 1 of the 2 part series I wondered whether there was a link between having a Mental Illness and developing Dementia. I was genuinely concerned, as I felt I was experiencing more than the normal “aging” memory issues. Other cognitive issues...
By: Janet Coburn You often hear it said that a good belly laugh is as effective as a dose of antidepressants. You read author Allie Brosh’s account of her depression breaking when she couldn’t stop laughing at a piece of corn she noticed under the...
By: Michelle Vasiliu My experience of bipolar I suffered from major depression from my late teens but I wasn’t diagnosed with bipolar till 2007 when I was 40 years old. My form of bipolar is largely about extreme depressive episodes and less frequent hypomanic...
By: Natalia Beiser In my experience, I have found there to be a direct correlation between food and bipolar disorder. When manic or hypomanic, I have observed that not eating is easy. The more that I don’t eat, the more weight that I lose and not eating makes me even...
By: Mel Bonthuys Taking a deep breath, I walk into the waiting room of the Doctor’s Office. It’s full of people and I can feel the panic rising in my throat but my appointment is any minute now and I have to check myself in. Standing in the queue at the...
By: Abigail Abraira-Burklin The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day earlier this month was mental health in the workplace. Addressing this topic is hugely important in allowing people with mental health conditions to have the confidence in seeking the help...
Wendy Ward, Executive Director, The Youth Mental Health Project SAY IT FORWARD 2017 October 8th – 14th Mind your mind…it depends on you to stay in shape #MindYourMind #SIF2017 We all have mental health – the same way we all have physical health. We believe mental...
Dr. Steve Hinshaw Award-winning UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco Proffessor Steve Hinshaw speaks out about the huge need to combat stigma after reflecting on his father’s recurring mental illness and the doctor-enforced silence surrounding it. SAY IT FORWARD...
Danielle Workman Recently I had a book signing for my recent book. Following the reading portion of our event, I opened up the floor to a question and answer session. It was fabulous, lots of fantastic questions and ideas tossed around the room in a conversation-like...
Danielle Workman “And now we will inhale, and as you exhale, move forward to Down Dog.” The voice of the yoga instructor was an octave too high and the cantation style tone of her voice was almost painful as she chirped her way through this short session of televised...
Emily McGuigan Some days, I feel energetic and like I can accomplish everything I set out to. Some days, I wake up and feel like I didn’t even get a chance at having a good day. I have no desire to get out of bed or talk to anyone or study or go to the gym or read or...
Serena Goldsmith One very important thing I learned over the course of my mental health recovery journey, which was reinforced by my professional work and training as a peer support specialist and clinical social worker, is that I cannot separate my mental health from...
Kristian McElroy Fighting for my mental wellness and resilience everyday tells me I’m making my overall well-being a priority; everyday, I’m intentionally choosing life, and becoming a champion of the life I am living — whatever that looks like at any given...
Beka Owens For the last seven years, I was more stable than in the past 20 all put together. Nearly three years ago, I started eating more healthfully. A year and a half ago, I started running and strength training. Then I started obsessing over my weight and my food...
Julie is the author of Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder, Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder, Get it Done When You’re Depressed and The Health Cards Treatment System for Bipolar Disorder. She is a columnist and blogger for BP Magazine for...
By: Julie Fast Congratulations on your diagnosis. I know! Most people don’t send out a party announcement when they hear they have bipolar disorder, so I am congratulating you for being so honest and open about having this illness. I remember my first bipolar disorder...
By: Vicki Taylor Diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder I, Social Anxiety Disorder, Depression, Panic Disorder, General Anxiety Disorder, PTSD, and a slew of other medical issues not related to psychology, I became concerned about developing Alzheimer’s Disease or Dementia...
By: Diane Dweller Parents, siblings, and spouses have written numerous books, articles, and blogs about family members coping with bipolar disorder. Hundreds of books on this manic-depression illness have been written by medical professionals and counselors. Many...
By Doug Colbeth I picked this title because the first thing you do after your acceptance of a bipolar condition is to focus on your own treatment (not others). However, after you have developed your own program for managing your condition, it is very worthwhile to...
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month in May 2017, IBPF held a blog/vlog contest for the opportunity to have your work published in addition to our normally scheduled content.
I have always been open about my mental illness, especially my experiences with psychosis and paranoia. I can’t see any reason why not to. It is scary when attacks happen, but I find it somehow alleviating to the soul to share what’s going on with me, or...
Award winning author/blogger (http://www.mentalhealthadvocate.net), Mental Health Advocate, Christian Counseling Coach, and Writing Coach. Vicki M. Taylor has filled her life not only with her writing but expanded it to include mentoring others and supporting them...
By Zach Morgan This blog was originally published for the Daily Nexus, UCSB’s student-run newspaper. I used to think anxiety was just a bunch of bullshit. In middle school, seventh or eighth grade I think, I remember my grandmother talking to one of my aunts on the...
By: Vicki M. Taylor “Anxiety can begin early in life for people with depression or bipolar disorder. Anxiety and mood disorders can be a co-occurring diagnosis.”- DBSA Treating anxiety disorder in combination with bipolar disorder can be tricky....
Melanie Luxenberg Mental health awareness is a term that we are hearing more and more these days- and May is an important month for us mental health advocates! In Canada, the first week of May is designated as Mental Health Week, which was first introduced in...
Russ Federman, Ph.D., ABPP For those living with bipolar disorder, the first few years post-diagnosis can be some of the most difficult in terms of one’s relationship to the disorder. Beyond the necessity of initial symptom management, the process of accepting...
By: Jayson Blair I cringe anytime I hear someone talking about finding “the cure.” It’s the same feeling that strikes me when someone walks into my office, where we help people with mental health problems, proclaiming how they just want to “fix” their...
Q: My partner does not always seem open about sharing their experience with bipolar disorder. How do I speak openly with them about their condition and my concerns? I also frequently worry that I might unintentionally do something that might trigger an episode for...
Q: Besides attending couples’ counseling and individual therapy, are there any other specific strategies you use to keep your relationship balanced? Beka: To keep balanced, I make sure I take time for me (and we take time for US as a couple – i.e., date nights!). I...
By: Chris Cole My introduction to transpersonal psychology came in the form of initiation. I was no stranger to adolescent disturbances, assigned twelve-step meetings, and group therapy for my drinking after having wrecked my car, and there were many less outwardly...
By: Amanda Michaela I woke up in a bed of steel, covered in snow white blankets. Drops of water were running down my face, but i couldn’t tell tears from sweat. I rose up and looked around the room trying to get a grip of reality. It was just a dream… a bad...
My only brother received a gift two days after his birthday, and ten days before Christmas. It was a gift that every person who suffers from mental illness wants. He carried a cross throughout his life called bipolar disorder. Many people – including me, our...
By: EmmaLou What is the real meaning behind Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)? Dissociative Identity Disorder, also known as DID, or sometimes referred to as Multiple Personality Disorder, is a split in an individual’s identity characterized by two or more...
Love can be the most wonderful emotion. It can bring both joy and sorrow simultaneously. Even the best and most solid relationships can often be difficult. It is especially challenging when a partner has bipolar disorder. This is not to say that you cannot have a...
This past year, I stressed myself out way past my limit time and time again. All of the goals I set at the beginning of 2016 led me to one of the toughest years of my life and left me mentally, physically, and emotionally burnt out. One goal was to be an amazing wife...
It isn’t enough to just have a mental illness in your life. There is so much to balance: learning coping skills, managing medications, managing medication side effects, identifying triggers so you’re prepared for them when they hit, advocating for yourself...
This is Part 3 in a 5-Part Series: “When the World is Too Bright: An Intensive View of Mania from On the Ground” (Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 4, and Part 5 here) I fancy myself an iPhone/Instagram photographer! I love taking pictures throughout my week to...
In the year 2009, I gave birth to my son. After this event in my life, my suffering began. I started to find it hard to sleep at night. I often would stay awake each night staring at the ceiling of my room. It lasted for about a week and I began to have hallucinations...
My name is Roger and I have Bipolar. This was written a week ago, just after the painting was completed. There are times when I am in the “high” of a mania and there are times when I am in the “low” of depression. This painting depicts that frightening time when I am...
I have no memory. Alright, I’m being a little tongue in cheek here. But, most days I really do feel like I have no memory. Who knows when it began. I’ve always had some memory retention issues growing up. It drove everyone around me batty. I can’t...
Learn more about #DearTeenageMe at http://sayitforwardcampaign.org/ My journey through bipolar disorder started genetically, but wasn’t kicked off symptomatically until the major traumatic event that could shatter any teenager’s life. My mother died suddenly of a...
Help us win Healthline’s Best Health Blog of the Year! Vote for International Bipolar Foundation here. I was diagnosed with bipolar type I disorder when I was twenty-three after experiencing nine years of symptoms, a diagnosis of depression, and then a...
Learn more about #DearTeenageMe at http://sayitforwardcampaign.org/ Do you remember the song “Sound of Silence”? The one we used to sing with Dad? Remember how we always thought it was about being quiet and not making any noise no matter what we were feeling?...
Learn more about #DearTeenageMe at http://sayitforwardcampaign.org/ Dear scared Ros, I know you tried it again last night, like you try every week. You spend hours crying and pouring your emotions into your little black book hoping that someone will finally hear your...
I was born in the mid 1950’s when mental illness just wasn’t talked about. I wish that I could have had advice about the bipolar disorder I struggled with prior to my diagnosis. Perhaps it would have brought some ease to the fear I was experiencing. If my parents had...
If the teenage Sarah knew what 27 year old Sarah knows now, I believe this bipolar journey could have been a lot less painful. But when I’m tempted to dwell on how much farther ahead I could be had I been more prepared to live life with a mental illness, I remind...
