A woman shares her experience of trying to start her life over with her children, away from her abusive husband, and dealing with the symptoms of depression, anxiety and bipolar while finding little support in the system.
Shoshana Stein shares her experience of losing her closest friend while in high school and the state of mania that ensued.
A woman shares her story of having a friend in junior high who was diagnosed with bipolar. She had promised to be there for her “through thick and through thin” but by the end of high school she had pulled away, not able to handle her friend’s behaviour. This post is her apology.
Jessica Proven-Rearick felt two things when she was first diagnosed with bipolar and various anxiety disorders. The first thing was relief. Finally, she had a name for what she’d been going through. Finally, there was a real reason for her breakdown and her inability to continue college. The second thing, though, was fear.
Paul Illidge dove in deep to understand the term bi-polar, only to surface feeling more confused. It was a psychiatrist using the metaphor of being between two poles, and insight from reading about Orson Welles (who also experienced bi-polar), that led him to conclude what bi-polar means for him.
Neil Walton shares his experience when the stress of divorce, job redundancy, and the death of his father landed him in hospital and later with a diagnosis of Bipolar. The following years would result in job loss after job loss, mental break-downs, being sectioned four times, admitted to three different hospitals, and being arrested twice. But medication and therapy didn’t come close to the healing that resulted when an Occupational Therapist believed in him and supported what he thought might be possible for him.
Alan shares his experience with extreme mood swings since he was a teen and gaining the courage to talk about his experiences with a doctor to finally get help.