Natasha Tracy

When I'm depressed, I cry all the time. I cry at the drop of an eyelash, it seems. Psychiatrists typically call this weepiness or tearfulness. And while crying is healthy...

Social media is awash in self-care content, but I have news for you: self-care with bipolar disorder is not about face masks and bubble baths. While I have no problem...

Depression is an extremely prevalent part of my experience with bipolar disorder type 2. In fact, I find my medication quells hypomania almost entirely but still allows depression to sneak...

Recently, world-renowned chef Heston Blumenthal told the world he has bipolar disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and he called his neurodiversity a "superpower." While I'm happy for people who feel...

I have had many years of therapy and have seen many therapists. I first started therapy as a child because of my parent's divorce and unfortunate family dynamics and then...

I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when I was about 20 years old. It was a challenging diagnosis to get as I was originally misdiagnosed with major depression. It would...

I distinctly remember one Friday night 26 years ago. I remember it because of all the tears shed in front of my computer monitor. I remember it because it was...

There is so much stigma associated with bipolar disorder. Societally, people with bipolar disorder may be seen as crazy, lazy, worthless, dangerous, and more. These messages are so strong, in...

Everyone experiences setbacks. Setbacks in life are to be expected. Worse, though, is the mental health setback. I work so hard to ensure that my mental health is the best...

Talking about my mental health when dating is tricky because I have bipolar disorder (not to mention generalized anxiety disorder). Do I mention mental health on the first date? How...

When I need help, there are things I hope my supports will do and things I hope they won't. But it's hard for supportive people to know what those things...

The doctor-patient relationship is such a critical one. I view it as a partnership that forms so you have someone on your side against the bipolar disorder. If you don't...

As a person with bipolar disorder, it should come as no surprise that I feel employers shouldn't be overlooking those of us with the illness. In fact, I feel employers...

Many mental illnesses tend to run in families. It's not always the same mental illness in every generation, but mental illnesses tend to clump. Despite this, people tend not to...

I have been seeing psychiatrists for 25 years, and in that time, I've had various experiences with them. Sometimes, I've found psychiatrists to be the worst influence in my life...

I have been a professional mental health advocate for 14 years now, and I have a lot of experience hearing supportive and decidedly unsupportive utterances. While people rarely mean to...

I have bipolar disorder type 2, and thus, experience hypomanic episodes, not manic episodes. Hypomanic episodes have the same symptoms as manic episodes but are not as severe. However, even...

It seems like many doctors don't listen to their patients, and when it comes to patients with mental illness, the problem tends to be even worse. Sometimes, I've been lucky...

When I saw a psychiatrist for the first time, I was incorrectly diagnosed. I thought I had bipolar disorder – the psychiatrist disagreed. He said I had unipolar depression (depression...

When I was 20 years old, I was crying often and without reason. I traveled across Europe at that age, tears blurring the sites I had always wanted to see...