Uncategorized « Straight Talk on Managing Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar and Marriage: Reader Comment

I just received the following comment from Jack. I know I have had the same feelings many times regarding relationships:

Hi Julie,

I have been diagnosed as bipolar type two and have already put my wife through more than I can handle (guilt). We have only been married for about two years. If I had known I had this illness before I would have spared her all of the pain. It hurts me more to see how much my pain hurts her. If there is no cure for bipolar disorder I don’t think I want to live for much longer. When we had our baby everything got worse because of my inability to deal well with any kind of stress. How can I raise a family like this. I love my wife so much. jack

Hi Jack,

First of all- every single person with bipolar disorder has trouble with relationships. This is an illness that [ Read More ]

Add Your Profile to the Blog!

The bipolarhappens.com blog receives over 15,000 visitors a month. Many leave comments, but I had the thought that it would be great to read more about the visitors and how they are connected to bipolar disorder.

If you would like to be interviewed for the blog- please add a comment to this blog post and I will be in contact. The interview would include a picture and your first name. I do think the pictures are important! I will then send you questions and we can have a dialogue about your life and interests. I will post the profiles on a regular basis.

Let your voice be heard! ( I have had ten responses so far- all women- so I would love to hear from the men. I know the illness affects men and women differently!)

Julie

The Difference Between Bipolar I and Bipolar II (written and podcast!)

I recently added more information to my bipolarhappens.com website. One topic is the difference between Bipolar I and Bipolar II. Everyone affected by the illness needs to know the difference as their treatments are very different! Do you know your correct diagnosis or if you love someone with the illness, do you know their correct diagnosis? You can find more info on the web page.

Click here to read (and listen!) more about bipolar i and bipolar ii.

I recorded a great podcast on this topic- you will find it midway down the bipolarhappens.com web page.

julie

Feel free to send the podcast to family and friends- it’s not easy to understand the differences between the two bipolar diagnoses! It can be confusing for family members.

33 Tips to Manage Bipolar Disorder- a list you can’t resist!

I wrote my first book- Bipolar Happens!- in 2001. I was amazed that I could actually write. I started using my Health Cards Treatment Plan for Bipolar Disorder in 1999. I was able to have a career and write books over a year later. Bipolar Happens! is a fun book about a serious topic- managing this illness. Many people tell me that this is their favorite out of all of my books. Here is an excerpt- there are more on the bipolarhappens.com site. This excerpt below is a list- the other parts of the books are tips and stories.

Bipolar Happens! excerpt- 33 Tips to Manage the Illness Successfully

Julie

Bipolar Medication Side Effects Tip #1

I take a very high dose of Lamictal ever day. (The generic form of Lamictal is Lamotrigine.) The basic dose is 200mg and I take 500-550mg. It just shows how differently we all process medications! A dose that high can naturally lead to more side effects. I have tried so many ways to get the meds in my system while minimizing the neck stiffness, breathing problem and itching I get with Lamictal.

Take Your Meds Over a 24 Hour Period

I finally came up with something that works. I do a 24 hour round of the meds. Most of us take meds while we are awake or when we go to sleep. I decided to take them throughout the day and night. I got a 7 day pill box, but instead of using it for days- I use it for hours. I break my Lamictal into sections some big and some smaller [ Read More ]

Radio Show

I really enjoyed my radio show – there were some fantastic guests and the people I worked with were amazing. If you havent’ heard the shows, you can listen from my author webpage. I’ve always wanted to be on the radio- but wow! It is a lot of work. Here I am at the mike- the guy is my amazing co-host Avi and the beautiful woman (inside and out!) is my friend and colleague Gayathri. I knew I had to have her as a guest on the show- her passion for multi- cultural education regarding mental illness is beyond admirable!

Here is the link to the radio shows!

Julie Fast Radio Shows

gayathri blog radio avi radio [ Read More ]