Blog
Two Lesser-Known Forms of Bipolar Disorder: Cyclothymia and Bipolar Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified
Please do not use the following article for self-diagnosis or the diagnosis of others. Even mental health professionals cannot diagnose themselves. It is intended instead for information and to provide useful subject matter to discuss with a psychiatrist or therapist.
The distinction between bipolar I and bipolar II is confusing enough (I have written another article on that subject), but sometimes people receive even less-known diagnoses, which are “cyclothymia” and “bipolar disorder, not otherwise specified.” When people receive these diagnoses, they are often even more confused by what is going on. Continue reading
What’s In a Name?: Language and Mental Illness
Today, I was initially going to write my post about the definition of mental “health.” I still plan to write that post, but I realized that before I write anything about the definition of “health,” “illness” and “disease,” I needed to write something about what it means to define something at all.
As someone with a mental illness, how words are used is very important to me. It affects the way that I think about mental illness, and the way that my condition is communicated to other people. Continue reading
Guest Post: How Bipolar Disorder Blessed Me
Gloria, who is a regular contributor to our Facebook page, has written this account of her experiences with bipolar disorder, and how it ultimately blessed her life.
Prologue
With confidence and honor, I choose to write about how bipolar disorder affected my life, after many years of shame, self-hatred, living in a pit, and hiding from humanity. After years of difficult work, with help from my psychiatrist, a kind and wise counselor, my eyes started to slowly open that I had nothing to be ashamed about and that I had a place “in time.” Continue reading
The Fine Art of Hiding Bipolar Disorder and Why It Kinda Sucks
I’ve gotten very good at what my psychiatrist calls “presenting well.” What this basically means is that, under normal circumstances, it’s not obvious that I have bipolar disorder, even when I’m having a moderate episode (more severe ones are another story). While none of my friends were especially surprised when I disclosed my bipolar disorder, on a day-to-day basis, I’ve gotten pretty good at hiding what is going on. Continue reading
Guest Post: "David’s Dream" – How a Documentary About Bipolar Disorder Made a Dream Come True
Joe Cox is a filmmaker who recently made the film “David’s Dream.” In this article, he discusses his the excitement and challenges of making this film and how it went from production to its acceptance at World Health Day in Manchester later this year. You can find out more about the film at his blog for the film, David’s Dream, and see more clips about the movie on his Youtube channel. He also runs the personal blog Bipolar Joe.
In 2006, I organised a mini film festival to showcase short films focusing on the experiences of people who have experienced mental health difficulties. Continue reading
Doing Unto Others: How Bipolar Disorder Can Make Us More Accepting of Other People
A couple of months ago, I was having a discussion with one of the women from my bipolar support group. We were going over some of the ways in which bipolar disorder has actually improved our lives, and I said something like, “I think it can make us a little more accepting of other people.” She looked at me and responded, “It makes us incredibly accepting of other people.” Continue reading
Guest Post: On The Job or How Not To Take Care of Me
In this guest post from Mental Canyons, she describes some of her experiences and lessons that come from living with bipolar disorder at the workplace.
The past several days have been tough. I lost my job last January – I was fired. I know I contributed to the dismissal.
When it came to caring for me, I made poor choices. Lunch time would find me shoveling food into my mouth while feverishly working at my computer. Short breaks throughout the day were non-existent. One of my colleagues implored me to join her in the break room, but I repeatedly declined. “You need a break. You need structured breaks to replenish your well.” I was working 50 to 60 hours per week. Why was I so driven? The workload was intense, and I thought I had no choice. I had to work hard to support my family. I began to think management was watching me in particular. Now I think everyone was “under the microscope.” Continue reading
A Reason To Get Better: Lessons as a Bipolar Husband and Father
I’ve been a bipolar husband for almost six years now, and a bipolar father for just over five. Being a bipolar husband and father has been a real challenge in a lot of ways, but it has also been an incredible experience and opportunity. It has really taught me a lot about myself, my condition and relationships in general. In this article, I thought I’d share some of the things that I’ve learned. Continue reading
If I Could Push a Button and Get Rid of Bipolar Disorder, Would I?
In his fascinating documentary, “The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive,” Stephen Fry asks a number of people with bipolar disorder whether or not they would get rid of bipolar disorder, if they could simply push a button. Almost everyone answers, “No.” Stephen Fry himself says that he wouldn’t, and he ends the documentary on that note.
This question really got me thinking. Would I be willing to push that button if I had the opportunity? Continue reading
Rings of Power: Is the Social Media Beneficial for People with Bipolar Disorder?
The social media has exploded in the last ten years. Millions if not billions of people spend hours online every month, catching up with people, updating their status, and looking at the latest viral images, stories and videos.
A someone with bipolar disorder, I’ve noticed that social media has some positive and negative effects. After all, I’m engaging in it right now :). Overall, I think it is a very positive thing for people with mental illnesses, as I will discuss below. However, social media carries with it some dangers for people with bipolar disorder that are difficult to prevent. Continue reading
To find out more, please visit the website for his private practice, Bader Mediation & Counselling Services.