Our Blog
My Self-Care Regimens to Stay Balanced
Author: Natalia Beiser In the past, it was difficult to acknowledge that I needed to acknowledge self-care; in fact, when my therapist brought up that term four years ago, it was foreign to me. I determined that some of the self- care tasks cost too much money, were...
Bipolar Disorder is a B%!#*!
Author: Kitty Dedicated to all of those we have lost due to mental illness. I strive to endure because I know you are beside me. Surviving an abusive childhood left me with many mental obstacles but I can confidently say that for me personally, bipolar disorder was...
LBGTQI + Bipolar is… Complicated
Author: Willa Goodfellow It goes back to Freud. You could call him a liberal for his day. He did not believe that homosexuality was a character flaw or degeneracy. He viewed it as a kind of arrested development. Does arrested development sound better than the later...
What Is It Like to Not Work Anymore?
Author: Allison Hatch Many of you know all too well what it is like to live with multiple diagnoses. For many others, I know you have probably have a similar tale like mine to tell, or maybe you support someone who cannot work right now, or even now you are trying to...
Being Brave By Being Vulnerable
Author: Courtney Casal I’ve found the stigma to be true, at least in my experience: having a conversation about your mental illness with your professors, much less anyone, is incredibly daunting. No matter how confident you might feel, you are immediately fearful of...
High Hopes, Not High Expectations
Author: Claire At the beginning of my college career, my expectations for post grad life were through the roof. I was going to graduate early, balance a million extracurriculars, and somehow make time to travel the world. Without time to prepare, mania arrived without...
Journaling through Bipolar Cycles
Author: Rebecca James I’ve been keeping a journal since I was fifteen. That was twenty years ago! But journaling has never been as important to me as it has been in the last seven years, since I’ve been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. For me, journaling makes sense...
Big Red and Ocean
Author: Lauren Meredith When I first diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I found it difficult to identify how I felt a lot of the time. Giving my emotions, especially ones that I encounter more often than others, a nickname has helped me to identify my emotions in the...
Gardening as Gateway to Look Outside Myself
Author: Sophia Falco When I garden this allows me to look outside myself no matter if I tend to one plant or many, and liberates me from my negative thoughts especially during trying times. For example, when dealing with bipolar depression. Or living in this state of...
The Power of the Therapeutic Relationship
Author: Angela McCrimmon Is the relationship equal or is there a power struggle? Does mutual respect spill over the sides or is the respect demanded from the "Professional?" Hang on a minute though.....which one is the Professional? Is it the one who has had years of...
Mental Health Challenges Unemployment Presents
Author: Sasha Kildare As of June 12, 2020, I am unemployed. It’s scary, because the only manic episode I had in 25 years occurred during the Great Recession. Other than a seasonal part-time retail job in 2009, I did not have a full-time job for 18 months. After a few...
Mania Made Me Feel Free… But Stability Freed Me
Author: Valéry Brosseau I rode an ATV around Mykonos once, my hair free in the wind and my iPod blaring as whitewashed and blue-trimmed towns blurred by. I turned a corner and found myself at the top of a cliff watching the horizon turn a soft orangey pink and the sun...
Self Discovery
Author: Trevor Simonson Five years ago. I was getting familiar with depressive and hypomanic episodes. As a 17 year old kid, I was about to say goodbye to everything I thought I knew about myself. What follows is a journey of victories and setbacks. Highs and lows. A...
Pause. Just Pause.
Author: Melinda Goedeke As the sun sets and the red hues slowly drip into the lake, I pause and watch. Peace washes over me as I breathe slowly noting the sound of my breath. It is a stark contrast to the rapid, somewhat panicked breathing I know all too well. The...
Measuring Moods with Focus
Author: George Hofmann | www.practicingmentalillness.com It’s possible to establish a practice that enables you to predict, prevent and manage episodes of depression or mania, but it takes some work. I write this piece for International Self-Care Day, but I’ve always...
The Importance of Self-Care
Author: Lauren Meredith The hardships of self-care may look vastly different for everyone. One person can struggle with sleeping while another individual has problems getting out of bed, or eating properly. Others, meanwhile, may struggle with focusing and...
My Recipe for Sanity
Author: Angela McCrimmon The world as we know it has all been torn away, The things I do to keep me well as I navigate each day, The routine that I follow to keep me on the ground, It's scary as I realise that my world is upside down. I tell myself "Don't panic!" as...
Stay Curious
Author: Trevor Simonson I used to think my life was over. There was nothing left for me. The world was empty. I still deal with that feeling, though it may not be as strong right now. It is like living in a cage. Existing in a dim light with no sense of self, no hope...
The Twisted Beauty of Surviving With Depression
Author: Keyoka Kinzy When Anne Lamott wrote about the phenomena of wanting to jump off a cliff or drive your car into oncoming traffic in her book, Almost Everything, I felt seen. So, it isn’t just me? I thought. I’m not the only person in the world who contemplates...
The Gift of Friendship
Author: Natalia Beiser I had a dear friend that could not understand my mood disorder; particularly the depression. I tried diligently to explain it to her. She could tell when I was down by the tone in my voice over the telephone. My friend was a senior citizen and...
Minority Resources and Tools
Resources specifically for Black, Indigenous People of Color
(BIPOC) and LGBTQ+ communities.
Living with Comorbid Diagnosis’
Author: Lauren Meredith I was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) when I was 21 years old. I was a senior in college. I had testing problems and lo and behold it was due to testing anxiety which was also manifested in various other aspects of my life. My...
The Stories of Men with Mental Illness
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...
Bipolar Disorder, Stigma and Suicide
Author: Valéry Brosseau The gym smelled a bit like a warehouse would smell, but mostly like sweat. I came to this gym 5 times a week to practice Brazilian Jiu Jitsu but tonight I was not feeling it. I struggled through the warm up. My anxiety was making me irritable...
Newly Diagnosed With Bipolar Disorder? Here’s My Advice…
First & foremost I share that Bipolar Disorder is ongoing & for life – managing one’s mental health is not achieved with one strategy alone; they work together – collectively in my humble opinion.
A Statement of Solidarity
The senseless acts of racism and violence that have unfolded over the last several weeks serve as a stark reminder of the devastation wrought by centuries of enslavement, bigotry and discrimination. These acts have been a deeply upsetting, unsettling and painful...
The Intersection of Toxic Masculinity and Mental Illness
As I learned to lean on others, I also learned to speak. I was freed from a cage I didn’t realize I was in—I was no longer the young man who forcibly bottled up his emotions.
Grandiosity vs Self-Love
“Grandiosity”. That’s the word that convinced me I actually had bipolar disorder. The sleep disruptions, increased energy, racing thoughts and flight of ideas – not to mention the recurring depressive episodes – all these other textbook symptoms somehow left me doubting.
Rising Above While Living with Bipolar Disorder: A Dream Come True
Author: Sophia Falco It has been a challenge living with bipolar disorder 1 for nearly a decade (diagnosed at age 16) yet I have risen above this to have made my dream come true—a college graduate that has excelled! I have achieved the Highest Honors in the Literature...
Coping With Psychosis
Author: Christina Chambers Have you ever had a dream that was so vivid when you awoke it was hard to believe it didn’t actually happen? You had that surreal feeling of not being certain what was a dream and what happened in your waking life. What about a dream where...
I Was Told I Shouldn’t Have Children, and I Listened…
Author: Natalia Beiser Like most girls, I dreamed of being a mother. Planned were baby names, thoughts of how I would parent and nurture a child, and the locality where I wanted to do so. As a teenager, I was a sought out babysitter. My fantasy was of a family of five...
Reflecting Back on My Initial Diagnosis: Part 2
I ended up being in the psychiatric hospital for three weeks after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. At the time I was in New Zealand visiting family and seeing my Mom and brother. During that entire three weeks in the psych ward I was almost always tired, was sleeping lots and had very foggy thinking.
How I Learned To Prevent My Episodes
When I was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder my therapist was optimistic. The disorder can be easily managed, I was told, with lifestyle changes and medication. Simple small changes to my life can make a big difference to my episodes and can prevent them altogether.
What Mood Disorder Is It, Anyway?
Author: George Hofmann It takes a while to diagnose someone with bipolar disorder. In fact, the average delay between the first appearance of symptoms and a correct diagnosis is six years. I remember when I first recognized that something unusual was occurring in my...
How and When It’s Time to Reach Out to a Professional
By Allison Clemmons Hatch Recently there has been no shortage of advice regarding techniques for self-care in light of the COVID-19 pandemic with regard to not only our physical, but our mental health care as well. And thank goodness for that! You have may have...
Releasing Resentment
Author: Claire As someone living with bipolar 1 disorder, I sometimes feel resentful towards others that don’t share my struggles. The vast majority of people cannot truly comprehend mania, nor spend much time contemplating it. In daily experiences and in social...
Why I Won’t Hide My Diagnosis From My Little Sister
Author: Violette Kay I used to feel a lot of pressure to be discreet about my bipolar disorder. When asked what my plans were for the day, I wouldn’t mention therapy appointments if that’s what was on the agenda. I wouldn’t take my medication in front of people. I...
Why We Need To Talk About Mental Health
Author: Caoimhe Mercer This month (May) is Mental Health Awareness Month 2020. There are many differences this year, however, due to the concerns surrounding Covid19. With the need for social distancing and isolation, people’s mental health will likely suffer as a...
Stress: Taming the Beast
A recent headline reads: Cortisol: Why the “Stress Hormone” is Public Enemy No. 1.
But here’s an idea. Maybe we don’t want to eliminate stress from our lives.
“Do You Recommend Cannabis Use For Teens With Bipolar Disorder?”
Alysha Sultan, BSc, PhD student1,2 Benjamin I. Goldstein, MD, PhD, FRCPC1,2,3 1 Centre for Youth Bipolar Disorder, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada. 2 Department of Pharmacology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. 3 Department of Psychiatry,...
I Feel Less Shame Since COVID-19…
I occasionally receive negative feedback when someone becomes aware that I am on disability, but for the very first time I feel less shame and my sigh is of relief.
Bipolar Boxing Match
So I say to each and every one of you reading this who are also suffering and managing to keep fighting, we truly are Bipolar Warriors and as long as we have people in our corner, we will always be more than fit for the fight.
You Are Not Bipolar
How do you relate to bipolar disorder, and how do you describe yourself?
Language can have a powerful influence over self-definition, revelation, and healing. The way we describe ourselves and our condition speaks volumes about our outlook and our outcomes. I was diagnosed decades ago with bipolar disorder, I still adhere to treatment, and I still suffer occasional disruptive mood changes. Yet I strongly maintain that I am not bipolar.
What Do You Do When You’re Triggered?
In life, experiencing stress and tension is normal. But what happens when a certain thought becomes too overwhelming that it ends up taking over your entire headspace? As you walk through this journey, certain triggers are likely to happen every now and then. While...
How Poetry Frees Me From Suffering
It allows me to liberate my troubling emotions, experiences including fear onto something tangible just as simple, but at the same time so profound of words on paper or words on a screen before me.
Channeling Feelings Through Art
Through the characters I created, I channeled pain, anger and loneliness. But also happiness, love and hope. I felt a sense of belonging, and I found a way to express myself without talking.
#BipolarBrave, Today and Always
I’ve been stable for almost a year, so since then I get to choose I’m celebrating! I’m choosing to celebrate everything that makes me #bipolarbrave.
The Importance of #bipolarbrave for Families
I had no choice but to be brave when it came to explaining my illness to my close family members. I was absolutely amazed at the support that I received.
Standing Up to Low Expectations
To me the idea of #bipolarbrave is to smash through the low expectations that keep us down and find the life we each want. I did it. You can, too.
Hope
At the end of the day am I perfect? Well, no of course not. There’s still a long way to go for me. And some of you may feel that way too or that there’s no hope, period. But just know that you always have someone who loves you. You may not see it but it’s true. You are not broken. No matter what you think now, you are stronger than you know. You can be #bipolarbrave and make it through the dark.
I am Bipolar Brave
I’ve also captured a new kind of confidence—not the false, intoxicating delusions of a manic mind, but a real sense of being okay with myself.
Talking about Bipolar is Bipolar Brave
While I considered others living with the disorder to be incredibly brave, nothing made me bipolar brave… I’m happy to say that today I have a multitude of potential answers. It’s tough to narrow it down!
#BipolarBrave
You may not feel like it right now, but one day it will hit you how grateful you are that you have come so far, and if you stumble, you know you have it in there to work through your struggles!
#BipolarBrave: How I Became Comfortable Sharing my Bipolar Diagnosis
Author: Cassandra Stout After my postpartum psychotic breakdown in 2008 and my time spent in a mental hospital for it, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. That explained so much. When I returned home, I was elated. I was compelled to explain to everyone who had...
Unashamed
It is unfortunate that bipolar disorder has become synonymous with moodiness, outbursts of emotion, or in Minnie’s case, symptoms of dementia. I’ve found the reality of bipolar disorder to be much more complicated.
Being Bipolar Brave
I will gulp. I will take a deep breath. I will remember the people I am trying to help by telling my story.
And I will be bipolar brave.
Mental Illness and the Workplace
Author: Natalia Beiser When I resigned my full time job in 2005 due to bipolar depression, I subsequently went on disability. I spent countless years allowing my bipolar diagnosis to define how I should be treated in the workplace. Prior to going on disability, I...
Managing my Mental Health During COVID-19
Author: Aubrey Good In December I uprooted everything I had known in my adult life to move across the country to start fresh in a new location. By uprooting everything, I mean everything: my living situation, career, relationships, social activities, routine, weather…...
Reflecting Back on My Initial Diagnosis
Author: Scott Walker On January 1, 2000, I checked myself into a psychiatric hospital in New Zealand. My Mom, my brother and I had met in NZ to celebrate Christmas with relatives and bring in the new millennium. I was living in Japan at the time and hadn't seen my Mom...
Perfectly Hidden Depression
Author: Dr. Margaret Rutherford I’m honored to be asked to join you on March 18th, 2020 for a live video discussion of a syndrome I call “perfectly hidden depression.” I’ve written a new book, Perfectly Hidden Depression: How to Break Free from the Perfectionism that...
Celebrate World Bipolar Day by Taking Control of Your Mental Illness
Are you bipolar? There is a day on the calendar to celebrate your struggles with the disorder.
When Reckless Spending Doesn’t Seem All That Reckless
Author: Violette Kay My grandma’s neighbor was the first person with bipolar disorder that I ever met. I was a child- I didn’t really know what bipolar disorder was, much less that I would go on to learn that I had it too. My first encounters with the illness took...
My Small Victories
Life is really a string of small victories. These victories gradually lead to more inward and outward growth. Do not overlook small victories. They deserve to be celebrated.
Navigating Work Relationships and Mental Illness
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...
Dating and Mental Illness: For Better or Worse
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?...
Tips For Managing Romantic Relationships If You Have Bipolar Disorder
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,...
How Stigma In The African American Faith Community Has Impacted Me
I have been a “church girl” all of my life and have been shaped by the traditions and cultural importance of the African American church community. I grew up with a common belief that you can “pray away” illness, but there was a contrast in how physical illness and...
Communication And Trust: How Do I Convince A Loved One To Seek Help?
Both in my profession and as a mother of a 22 year-old daughter who has been living with bipolar disorder since age 12, I have personally seen the difficulties experienced by both the loved one and those who care about him/her, particularly at the outset. My hope is...
How IBPF Inspired Essay Contest Winner To Do More For Mental Health Awareness
By Petra Dujmic Petra pictured with members of her school newspaper. “Neuro nada”—“Neuro hope” in Croatian. I put the two words together when I was a child, sitting on the concrete steps of our family’s sweltering summer house in Croatia. My crocs had started to feel...
Hallucinations
By: Greg Walshaw I first experienced psychosis as a child. I would see ghostly apparitions that would show up at night. Not believing in ghosts, I would try to convince myself that they were simply a visual effect from a streetlight, except that they would move around...
The Relief Of An Accurate Diagnosis
By: Natalia Beiser When I was eighteen, I was finishing the last semester of high school and attempting to concentrate on the scenes of a teenager: attending dances, performing in musicals and band, and picking out a prom dress. I knew that something was terribly...
An Alternative Christmas
By: Sophie Prosolek Christmas is a time of festive joy, of giving and receiving - ‘it's the most wonderful time of the year’, or so the song goes. But several years ago I decided to make a change to the way I celebrate Christmas - I decided to abstain from receiving...
Do You Have Bipolar Disorder? You Can Still Thrive This Holiday Season
By: Cassandra Stout The holidays strike fear into many hearts, especially those of us with mental illness. But they don't have to. People with mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder, can thrive during the holiday season. Don't Neglect Basic Self-Care You...
How Mental Illness Affects Police Shooting Fatalities
By: Cassandra Stout In 2015, the Washington Post conducted the first ongoing tally of officer-involved shooting deaths of the mentally ill. Nationwide, at least 25% of people who are shot and killed by police officers suffer from acute mental illness at the time of...
Holding on to Hope
By: Thea Madeline Porter I grew up in a typical middle class neighborhood in southern California. During my childhood I enjoyed being creative, playing sports, taking Irish dancing, listening to music, watching movies and hanging out with friends and family. I was...
Vigilance
By: Malcolm Kerec A few weeks ago, I had a sharp reminder of how looking after my mental health is a constant battle and that staying well is not a set-and-forget task. After years of relative stability, it's all too easy to take good mental health for granted. I'd...
The Weight Gain Roller Coaster
By: Ivory Smith Have you ever gone to a restaurant and had a big meal only to feel hungry 2 hours later? Do you eat that 4th meal of the day at 3:00 am at night standing in the kitchen? Have you watched your clothes get tight and hope that it is because the dryer that...
October 21st: National Check Your Meds Day
By: Cassandra Stout Medication interactions are serious business. You could take two medications which counteract each other, which could make you sick enough to end up in the emergency room, or even die. October 21st is National Check Your Meds Day in the US. Making...
University and Accessibility
By: Greg Walshaw I was finishing my first year of a Master’s program when things started to change. The first time I stayed up all night to work on a paper, I thought nothing of it: the paper had to get done, and this was the cost of getting it done. I remember...
Where’s My Lasagna?
By: Natalia Beiser When one is undergoing mental health treatment, it often feels as if no one cares. It is rare that one will receive a greeting card or flowers, nor a covered dish when arriving home from the hospital. In my experience, most are standoffish....
How To Start Seeing A Therapist
By: Cassandra Stout Seeing a therapist can be enormously helpful in sorting out issues you may have in your life. You can also develop coping skills in therapy to deal with serious problems, or just the less-serious issues of everyday life. But how do you start...
Supporting a Friend in a Bipolar Depressive Episode
By: Allan G. Cooper When I am experiencing a Depressive Episode it feels like I am walking in a dark haze of sadness and fatigue. My limbs feel like they are twice as heavy and it takes a tremendous amount of will power to complete the simplest of tasks. Social...
America the Ill – 9 Ways American Culture Promotes Mental Illness
By: Sasha Kildare *The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the speaker, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of International Bipolar Foundation* Although there is still a long way to go, research has revealed...
Self-Discovery: Looking Back on My Diagnosis with Bipolar Disorder
By: Cassandra Stout Trigger warning: This post contains a brief mention 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 refer to our list of International...
Where Are The Hidden Words?
By: Sarah Fader I wrote a book with hidden words. You can read them, but I’ve been hiding how I feel from many people. It’s a book about level 37, cheese and donuts. I know that doesn’t make sense to you right now. These are words that I wish I could say to people I...
My Childhood with Bipolar Disorder
By: Natalia Beiser My mother knew at an early age that I suffered from depression. What she did not know was what to do about it. My remembrance of the 1970’s is that no one discussed mental health unless an acquaintance went to the state hospital. Then it was...
The Third Piece of the Bipolar Puzzle: A Perspective on Self-Discovery
By: Sophie Prosolek Self-discovery is an important part of learning to be an individual, but in my opinion it’s all the more important when that individual has Bipolar disorder. Bipolar, in its many guises, can be a really two-faced friend; it occasionally allows you...
Hyde & Hyde…. no Jekkyll
By: Laura Sanscartier From the time I was a little girl, I have always had horrible thoughts. Thoughts of hurting people, thoughts of people dying. Thoughts of car crashes and horrible accidents around the house. I always thought that I was just a strange person, and...
Managing Postpartum Depression
By: Liz Wilson My children were born 6 years apart. My son and daughter are two very different children with two very different mothers; who happened to be in the same body. That is largely because of my changing attitude toward education and self-advocacy. Thomas was...
Accepting My Diagnosis
By: Sydney Batt I felt slightly relieved the day I was diagnosed with having bipolar disorder-- it felt good to have an explanation for my actions, however the days to come were very difficult. I was very emotional the first couple months after my diagnosis--any time...
Is It My Bipolar… Or Just Being a Jerk?
By: Paul Carey (The short story of a bipolar professional and a personal jerk) Sometimes the line between bipolar and jerk isn’t as transparent as I’d like it to be. To be clear, they are not one in the same. Bipolar is a non-optional mental illness. Being a jerk is a...
My Catch-22 with Medication
By: Natalia Beiser Most days I feel grateful and blessed. I have a good life. I have friends and people that love me. I am employed part time, even with chronic mental illness. I have a home, and even two great cats. My car is almost paid off. I have much of the...
Ward 19 North
By: Sasha Kildare My biggest claim to fame is that I had the same dance teacher as JLo. Actually, I have an even bigger claim to fame. But it is not something that you brag about. At the age of 26, I was on my sixth college major, journalism. Summer vacation arrived....
How to Shield Your Children from the Effects of Your Bipolar Disorder
By: Cassandra Stout As a parent with bipolar disorder, you might worry about the effects of your unchecked mental illness on your loved ones, especially your children. The devastating mood swings of bipolar disorder can cause instability for your kids. One example, a...
Positive Impact of Therapy
By: Sydney Batt When I was younger, I had been to a few sessions of therapy but had never committed to it until three years ago, when I decided to take my mental health seriously. Going to therapy for the first time can be scary or awkward for some, and having to...
Hold On
By: Laura Sanscartier (Trigger warning for sexual assault) There's a song by Sarah MacLachlan called "Hold On". The first line is "Hold on, hold on to yourself, for this is gonna hurt like hell." I often think of it when it comes to hard things in my life. Not because...
Can Marijuana Make You Psychotic?
By: Conor Bezane Marijuana makes me paranoid. Irritable. I can’t leave the house if I am high or I will panic. I used to smoke it mostly at home (there’s delivery service in New York) and occasionally at parties. I did enjoy it for a time, but I have concluded that...
Bipolar Depression vs. Situational Depression
By: Allan G. Cooper If you have 2 broken legs, climbing a hill would be extremely difficult. Even if you were a motivated person with an exceptional level of discipline, the physical damage to your legs would prevent you from making any progress. Bipolar Depressive...
Becoming a Psychologist with Bipolar II Disorder
By: Lauren Yang Springtime tends to make me reflective on the transitions I’ve had in life. I’ll notice how time has passed when I see high school graduation photos and hear about acceptances into graduate or professional school programs. While friends were moving...
How Managing My Nutrition Improved my Mental Health
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...
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Check Out Pilar’s Corner!
Sharing lessons from personal experiences, time-saving tips, and helpful strategies to support you or your caregiver and navigate a bipolar diagnosis.
Check Out General Gregg’s Corner!
Hear from Major General Gregg Martin about his battle with bipolar disorder, and learn more about how you can support service members & veterans mental health.