Talkback To Gabe Howard & Psych Central: Using the comments below, talk about a time when you had to explain that, while you live with or advocate for mental illness, it’s not all you are. Share how you educated the listener to the differences and helped bridge the gap between the misunderstanding and truth. ‘Mental [...]
I love hope-filled stories of recovery from mental illness. Living with bipolar disorder has led to many instances of triumph over my circumstances and I often write about them. As anyone who lives with or knows someone with mental illness is aware, it’s a horrible disease. Do Positive Experiences Glorify Mental Illness? As a writer and speaker [...]
Anyone who has a basic working knowledge of bipolar disorder knows all about the extreme highs (mania) and extreme lows (acute depression) that a person with the disorder experiences. Anyone who knows someone with bipolar, or has studied the disease, knows about some of the other common symptoms, as well. There are literally hundreds of symptoms to manage, [...]
The internet is filled with articles about living with bipolar disorder. There are scientific articles written by medical professionals, but the most common examples are the “lived experience” articles, written by people living with the disorder — people like me. The lived experience articles typically cover two viewpoints: After diagnosis, but before recovery. These are written by people who [...]
When I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2003, I knew exactly one thing about it: Kurt Cobain, the lead singer of Nirvana, had it. And he died by suicide in 1994. As a Nirvana fan, I paid attention to the news about his life — and death — but, with the exception of repeating [...]
In my role as a mental illness speaker and blogger, I receive a lot of comments and questions. The one item that stands out is that there is a lot of confusion over what bipolar disorder is and what it isn’t. Many folks believe that bipolar disorder is just a more socially acceptable form of [...]
When I got into advocacy work, public speaking, and blogging, I knew there would be people who disagreed with me and even disliked me altogether. I am familiar with pop culture references to “haters” and I know the comment section can be a difficult place to get opinions about my work. Much of the feedback [...]
Long time readers of mine know that I do two things on my birthday every year: Write a blog about the previous year through the lens of living with bipolar disorder. Whine, exactly the same way a toddler would if they can’t have a cookie before dinner. I’m not a fan of my birthday because, frankly, nothing good ever [...]
Postive Peer Support As someone who lives with bipolar disorder and often feels disconnected from the “real” world, it’s no surprise I’ve spent a lot of time in online peer support groups. All of this was long before I reached My recovery, became a writer, or even heard the term “peer support.” For me, it was simply [...]
Every morning, on my drive to work, I call my mom. One might think this makes me a mama’s boy, but it’s more to stave off boredom than anything else. The conversations are generally limited to family gossip and the like, but recently, the subject of me living openly with bipolar disorder came up. I [...]
