Monthly Archives: December 2011
Bipolar Disorder in the Mainstream: “Homeland” Season One *Spoilers*
*Spoiler Alert* Continue reading
Improving Your Life Through Incremental Change
New Year’s is coming up, and any people make New Year’s resolutions about how they are going to improve their lives. However, as is well known, most New Year’s resolutions are rarely kept. It is difficult to simply decide to improve one’s life and to have those resolutions stick.
For those of us with bipolar disorder, the condition compounds the problem. The ups and downs of bipolar disorder make sticking to resolutions or to any goals more difficult, since what is an easy plan to stick to in one mood state becomes a difficult one in another mood state. Continue reading
Avoiding Freak Shows: Reality TV and the Mentally Ill
Last week, Amber Portwood, one of the four single mothers on the MTV television show Teen Mom revealed that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and that she tried to commit suicide after the season ended.
This isn’t the first time that a mentally ill person either was temporarily institutionalized or tried to commit suicide after an appearance on reality TV. Susan Boyle, who came second place in the second season of Britain’s Got Talent temporarily entered a psychiatric institution the day after the final of that show, and Paula Goodspeed committed suicide outside of Paula Abdul’s home after a rejection on Americal Idol. Continue reading
Overcoming Powerlessness: How To Get a Bipolar Person Help
Bipolar people have one advantage compared to their family and friends. At the end of the day, we have the option of seeking treatment or not seeking treatment, and what kind or kinds of treatment to seek. Family members and friends of bipolar people can be in a much more difficult and often frustrating situation. Unless the bipolar person is legally incompetent, bipolar people have the right to refuse treatment. As a result, the loved ones of bipolar people are often only able to watch and are unable to act when they see that the people they love need real help. Continue reading