A few weeks ago, I gave a speech at a National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) fundraising dinner. The event was designed to give different perspectives on the challenges our society faces related to mental illness and suicide. I was there to speak about living with bipolar disorder. Additionally, there were a couple family members, [...]
Teenagers have a tendency to be dramatic — and that includes throwing the word suicide around. Many of us don’t like to admit it, but we were dramatic at that age, too, at least to some extent. Now that we’re parents (or other relatives, mentors, caregivers, or friends) to a teenager, the universe is giving [...]
I receive a lot of e-mail and don’t have time to answer all of it. I want to, but writing, speaking, and watching television takes a lot of my time. Occasionally, I get an e-mail with a really good question and, in addition to answering it, I publicly post the question and answer for others [...]
Any discussion about mental illness isn’t complete without discussing the caregivers. There are three primary types of caregivers, and they all play an important role. Medical professionals, mental health advocates (including peer supporters), and family members (which includes close friends) are instrumental in providing care day in and day out for people struggling with mental [...]
