Good question right? If I say I have bipolar disorder, I am telling you I have that diagnosis and mental illness. I don’t think twice when I tell people “I’m an anxious person” or “I have anxiety disorders” (yes plural…lucky me). But I don’t tell people “I’m a bipolar person”, […]
If I told you I didn’t answer your call because I was at a doctor’s appointment, what would your first reaction be? Would you think I was seeing my family physician for a specific reason or for an annual check up? Would you be worried that I was feeling unwell […]
This post originally appeared on International Bipolar Foundation’s website: http://www.ibpf.org/blog/mental-health-awareness-qa-david-susman-phd-0 Mental health awareness is a term that we are hearing more and more these days- and May is an important month for us mental health advocates! In Canada, the first week of May is designated as Mental Health Week, which was […]
This blog first appeared on Healthy Minds Canada’s website: https://healthymindscanada.ca/how-to-practice-compassion/ I’ve written before about how powerful and overwhelming thoughts can be. When you are feeling anxious or feeling depressed, or a combination of both, you have thoughts that are hard to process and thoughts that lead to further feelings of distress. […]
This post first appeared on Healthy Minds Canada’s website: https://healthymindscanada.ca/talking-bell-lets-talk/ When you feel “different”, and have difficulty “fitting in”, attending social events where you know few people is difficult. You hate being left alone even for a moment, because you are unable to start a simple conversation with another person. With […]
This post originally appeared on International Bipolar Foundation’s website: http://www.ibpf.org/blog/dearteenageme-remember-where-you%E2%80%99ve-been-and-how-far-you%E2%80%99ve-come I graduated from high school 14 years ago. It seems like a lifetime ago. I was a good student, I had friends, I experienced “teenage angst”, moments where I thought “my life was over” because I had a fight with a […]
This post originally appeared on International Bipolar Foundation’s website: http://www.ibpf.org/blog/30-things-not-say-those-bipolar-disorder I always enjoy reading “listicles” about “what not to say” and “what to say” to someone with a mental illness. I read them and nod my head in agreement, as I can relate all too well. There are sayings or comments […]
This post was originally posted on International Bipolar Foundation’s website: http://www.ibpf.org/blog/wouldn%E2%80%99t-you-feel-better-if-you-could-have-open-conversation-about-mental-illness If stigma didn’t exist, we would discuss mental illness more openly. I had a recent unpleasant experience on Twitter where someone posted a tweet that essentially said “Bipolar is not an illness. You simply have not trained yourself to control […]
(This post first appeared on my blog, PS I’m Bipolar) When you have bipolar disorder or you are bipolar, or you are living with bipolar disorder, (depending on how you prefer to refer to yourself, because I once saw this very clever posting on Facebook that said “Label jars, […]
(This post first appeared on one of my blog sites, “PS I’m Bipolar”, where I decided to write under a pseudonym.) No matter how well you explain yourself, there are certain people who just won’t understand what mental illness is. Bipolar is not an easy illness to understand and there […]
Bipolar Musings 