By:
On:
In: Abuse, Addiction, Bipolar, Living with Mental Illness, Personal Stories, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Supporting a Loved One
With: 0 Comments

My life, like everyone else’s, had its ups and downs. My brother and I would take turns spending weekends with both grandmothers’; go to church, to the library, do some baking and play games. We had the best time with them. While at home, everyone would be quiet, doing their own thing. Usually during birthdays or holidays is where you’d find us happy, joking and enjoying our time together. It wasn’t until years later, I discovered why we spent so much time away from our parents. My father had been diagnosed with manic depression during his teenage years and we didn’t know this until IRead More →

By:
On:
In: Bipolar, Depression, Eating Disorders, Living with Mental Illness, Personal Stories
With: 0 Comments

Written by Fliss Baker Twitter is a wonderful thing! I’m four thousand miles away and I’m meeting the like-minded. For info I’m a writer, author, volunteer and guest speaker in mental health and I love it. Oh, and I have a diagnosis of bipolar. I receive ongoing professional treatment in an attempt to manage my depressive and manic cycles. I am also in recovery for an eating disorder. It’s important I introduce myself before my illness because as much as it rules my life at times, I will not let it define me.Read More →

By:
On:
In: Bipolar, Depression, Living with Mental Illness, Personal Stories, Suicide
With: 0 Comments

http://joethesicilian.com/ I honestly do not know where to start. I am devastated. I was having a hard time deciding what my next post would be about, and then he was gone… As I wrestle and fight to come to terms with this emotional tornado, I stand my ground as the high winds smack the cold tears running down my face. I scream into the unforgiving truth and it just continues to spin more violently out of control. Inside I am dying, but my adrenaline forces me to fight. My muscles burn hot like 1,000 volcanoes and my clenched fists swing illogically at the twisted coldRead More →

By:
On:
In: Bipolar, Living with Mental Illness, Personal Stories
With: 0 Comments

By Andy “Electroboy” Behrman http://www.electroboy.com/ 2008 For years, I suffered with a mental disability. I still do — no one has found a cure for manic depression (bipolar disorder) yet. During those crisis years, though, nobody knew anything was really wrong with me. I was experiencing a wild rollercoaster ride of frightening highs and lows that put my life in jeopardy, but my disability was completely invisible.Read More →

By:
On:
In: Bipolar, Depression, Living with Mental Illness, Personal Stories
With: 0 Comments

By AIMEE LEE BALL http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/ To the casual observer, Danielle Hark was living an enviable life, with a devoted husband, a new baby and work she enjoyed as a freelance photo editor. But she was so immobilized by depression that she could barely get out of bed. Her emotional state could not be explained in postpartum terms — she had suffered from debilitating depression for most of her life, and ultimately received a diagnosis of bipolar disorder when her daughter was a year old. “I thought about killing myself for the first time in seventh grade,” said Ms. Hark, now 33. “I went from therapistRead More →

By:
On:
In: Bipolar, Living with Mental Illness, Personal Stories
With: 0 Comments

By: Keith O’Neil keithoneil.com Everything was perfect. I had recently retired from the NFL with a Super Bowl ring. I was working in a great industry as a medical device representative. Jill and I had recently settled into our dream home located in a beautiful suburb outside of my hometown of Buffalo, NY. We were back around family and friends on a regular basis for the first time in many years – we were enjoying life! Thoughts of having a family of our own were on the horizon. Life was good, even great.Read More →

By:
On:
In: Bipolar, Coping Tips, Living with Mental Illness, Personal Stories, Supporting a Loved One
With: 1 Comment

By Elena Peters thebipolarmaniac.com   In many ways, my marriage is no different than anyone else’s marriage. This is the second marriage for both my husband and I. We both have children from previous marriages. We both have ex-spouses that are still involved in our lives on a daily basis. We have extended families with varied backgrounds, sprinkled all around the world. We have jobs and mortgages and commitments that pull us in all sorts of directions. Just like any other marriage, there are things that bug me! My husband leaves the toilet seat up, doesn’t put the cap back on the toothpaste and leavesRead More →

By:
On:
In: General
With: 0 Comments

By Christopher Luke, UK This prayer was written by Christopher Luke in recognition of World Mental Health Day, October 10, 2014. Eternal Heavenly Father and Creator & Sustainer of all life We give you thanks that, on 10th October, individuals and organisations across the globe sought to increase knowledge and understanding of mental illness and personal well-being, in order to commemorate World Mental Health Day. Today, we pray that our own knowledge and understanding will be further enhanced, and that our eyes and ears may be opened to the needs of others, particularly those who suffer from mental illness in any way.Read More →

By:
On:
In: Bipolar, In The News, Living with Mental Illness
With: 0 Comments

Since publicly disclosing her own struggle with bipolar disorder, Demi Lovato has become an outspoken advocate on mental health and the surrounding stigmas. Her most recent outreach is through a partnership with the Mental Health Listening & Engagement Tour, during which she’ll speak on key issues to raise awareness for those living with mental illnesses. In the introductory video, Demi speaks candidly on her own battle with bipolar disorder. “Bipolar depression really got my life off track,” “but today I am proud to say I am living proof that someone can live, love, and be well with bipolar disorder when they get the education, supportRead More →