Straight Talk on Managing Bipolar Disorder

My mom is my number one champion in all that I do. She is getting a ‘minor’ surgery today. I once heard that there is no such thing as minor surgery if someone has a knife anywhere near you!

I am here at the hospital working until I will take her home. This is great in one way- I always do better when I have to stay somewhere and can’t roam around because of feeling uncomfortable and all ADHD.

In other ways, it scares me. Do you have bipolar? Have you thought of the people in your life whom you love and what would happen if they were suddenly gone? I think of this all of the time. I am not concerned about my mother today, it really is routine. But I think of how it will be if she dies. Yes, I am honest about it and use the real words and think about [ Read More ]

I recently received a common from Alex about the over the counter mental health supplement ‘EMpower’ from the manufacturer True Hope. He wrote in response to my blog post on the potential dangers of EMpower and other such natural supplements. I have replied below.

Hi Julie,

My father killed himself when I was only two years old, after only a few weeks of manic behavior (his condition went undiagnosed at the time). Twenty years later, my sister was diagnosed with Bi-Polar disorder after a few months of insane and dangerous behavior. She spent two days in a mental institution before being released. She slept about four hours every two days, and would swing from extremely hyper to drowsy/lethargic in a matter of minutes. My family and I spent two weeks keeping her on round-the-clock suicide watch. During this period, we kept her on the proper loading dose of EMPower (which I think was something like [ Read More ]

Ah, the essential question about work… why are some days so tough and then the next day you can just get up and do what needs to be done?

It’s simply the nature of the ilness. It is the main reason so many people with bipolar disorder can’t or choose not to work at a stressful job. It’s hard for us to maintain a consistent work ability day after day. The mood swings often get in the way. The secret is to find work that allows for mood swings. I know, this is hard. It’s very hard, but it’s possible.

It also helps to be ready for the mood swings and have things in place to get your work done anyway. I also make sure I use the good days to my full advantage and work as much as I can. Deadlines help me a lot. Get it Done When You’re Depressed is especially helpful [ Read More ]