Motivating Myself After a Mental Health SetbackEveryone 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...Reactions0reactions
Dating and Talking About My Mental HealthTalking 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...Reactions0reactions
Bipolar Disorder and the Mid-Life CrisisI have been having conversations with friends recently about the so-called dreaded mid-life crisis. Through various conversations with close friends, we discuss whether we are having a mid-life crisis and...Reactions0reactions
The 2024 Social Health Awards ProgramEditorial Note: Nominations for 2024 are now closed. We are very excited to announce the launch of the 2024 Social Health Awards program! The Social Health Awards is an awards...Reactions0reactions
Do I Need Help? What I Wish My Supports Would Say (And What I Wish They Wouldn't)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...Reactions0reactions
Avoiding a Tragedy in Love With Bipolar DisorderAs someone with bipolar disorder, heavy on the depression end, there are few things I've thought about more than love and happiness. I'm far from the only one. Everyone does...Reactions0reactions
How to Foster a Positive and Effective Doctor-Patient RelationshipThe 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...Reactions0reactions
Hire Me! Why Employers Shouldn't Overlook Me Because of BipolarAs 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...Reactions0reactions
All Things TherapyFor most of us with bipolar disorder, medication plays a critical role in managing our symptoms. However, therapy is also a vital component in the effective treatment of the condition...Reactions0reactions
Should You Be Open About Living With Bipolar Disorder?About 12 years ago I decided to live openly with my mental disorders – high-functioning autism (HFA) and bipolar disorder. It was the right choice for me despite the difficulties...Reactions0reactions
Parents – Tell Your Kids About Your Mental IllnessMany 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...Reactions0reactions
Grieving a DiagnosisWhen I first received a bipolar I diagnosis, I felt a wide range of emotions. My feelings were aligned with the stages of grief. Instead of grieving a loved one...Reactions0reactions
Finding the Right Psychiatrist Is Not Always EasyI 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...Reactions0reactions
5 Things Not to Say to Someone with Bipolar DisorderI 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...Reactions0reactions
My Plan for Hypomanic Episodes – What I Do FirstI 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...Reactions0reactions
Want to Write for Us?Would you like to share your experience with bipolar disorder and help others? We're looking to add new voices to our Patient Leader team and would love to meet you!...Reactions0reactions
What It Feels Like When Your Doctor Doesn't Listen to YouIt 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...Reactions0reactions
Why People with Bipolar Disorder Get MisdiagnosedWhen 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...Reactions0reactions
What I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me During My Bipolar DiagnosisWhen 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...Reactions0reactions
Will I Ever Find the Right Bipolar Treatment?It was a Friday night the first time I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I was sitting in front of my computer screen 25 years ago and reading page after...Reactions0reactions
