Straight Talk on Managing Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder Mania and Normal Excitement

What is the difference between bipolar disorder mania and normal excitement?

Mania makes everything look beautiful and interesting.

Excitement is the result of something beautiful and interesting.

Mania is a brain mistake. Excitement is real.

Julie

Accepting New Partner and Family Coaching Clients

Writing books on bipolar disorder has been my career for over ten years. I enjoy writing and plan to do a lot more. (It can be a challenge when the mood swings are paying a visit, that’s for sure.)

Over two years ago, I started coaching partners and family members of people with bipolar disorder as an addition to my writing career.

I never, ever thought I would find work that I enjoy as much as I enjoy coaching. I feel at home with the parents and partners as I have been where they are- and I remain calm during the crises that many of my clients are going through while we are working together. Bipolar disorder is like a puzzle. It’s not always easy to find the right pieces on your own. It helps to have a coach as a guide.

My coaching practice has room for new clients. I take new clients about once a month-and then help them as best I can. It’s a partnership that saves relationships and often lives.

Coaching is not for everyone, but if you are concerned about your relationship with a person with bipolar disorder, it may be a good fit for you. The following link will tell you more. I look forward to talking.

Julie Fast Family and Partner Coaching

Julie

What if Excitement Leads to Bipolar Mania?

“Are you manic Julie?” said my friend Marsha when I just talked to her on the phone.

Gosh darn it! I hate that question! (I used stronger language than gosh darn it!)She then said, “I’m sorry Julie. I always feel like I’m the one with the bad news.”

I said, “Well, you’re using the Health Cards and being honest with me. I often need that if I’m mildly manic. I just don’t know if I am though. Maybe I’m just excited because my hands are better and I can finally write again?”I know that the above answer to her “are you manic” question- means I’m hypomanic. I ALWAYS try to justify the mania. Maybe it’s just the real me! Maybe it’s just that it’s sunny outside. Maybe it’s not what it seems!

It’s always what it seems. I know that if more than one person thinks I’m manic- I’m manic. It’s not excitement that causes it. It’s bipolar disorder. In other words, if I’m excited and feel like having a beer in the afternoon and staying up all night with the wrong people, it’s mania. I rarely drink outside of mania.

Excitement is contained. It is a response to something. The kind of excitement I feel when I’m manic is so beyond what non bipolar people feel. And I have to remember that and respect it when the people in my life point it out.

$%#$%#
Darn it.
Unfair.

It feels so good when compared to the terrible depression I often have.

No fair!

Do you have a mania plan? I know that mine keeps my relationships, bank account, drinking and decisions under control.

Thank you Marsha

Julie

Over the Top and Below the Norm – Bipolar Ups and Downs

A good friend of mine who has bipolar disorder and I were talking about the ups and downs of bipolar disorder and I said,

“Up sort of implies something good and down implies something bad. It’s not like that with bipolar disorder. Mania is just as ‘bad’ and as dangerous as depression. You’ve been in the hospital with mania and depression- and my mania – even though it’s euphoric and awesome has actually wrecked my life just as much as the depression.“

So, I decided that I need another way to describe the illness that shows how both the up and the down are ‘bad.’ I came up with over the top and below the norm. Some people have trouble with the word normal- I don’t. I know that I’m not normal when I get depressed or manic! I can compare myself to the millions of people around the world without the illness. When I get manic I go over the top in my emotions, actions and thoughts. ‘Life is great! I’m a genius! Nothing can hurt me! I am superwoman! I can drive 90 miles an hour!’

When I’m depressed, I am below the norm. ‘I’m a worthless piece of trash that belongs in the gutter. I want to die so that I don’t feel this pain anymore. I will be like this forever and there is no hope.’

It’s the same dangerous language- it’s just two directions away from normal!
Julie

My Coauthor Dr. John Preston on Depression

My coauthor John is an amazing man. He has helped me more than words can say- it’s great that I get to have a coauthor who is an expert on bipolar disorder. I can get his help with the illness as I’m writing the books. I recently asked him his opinion on the best way to prevent depression. Here is what he said:

Stay active (both socially and physically), keep away from drugs that cause depression (especially alcohol and tranquilizers), maintain adequate sleep, develop a attitude of compassion for yourself…(depressed people are often excessively hard on themselves even between depressive episodes)… give yourself permission to be an ordinary human, with all of the short comings we have as a member of the human race.

He is so right! I know that the problem is it’s hard to do most of this when you’re depressed, but it is possible. We have to keep trying forever.

Julie

Guest Blogger: Karen Tyrrell Tells Her Bipolar Disorder Story

“I’ve triumphed over bipolar disorder, not experiencing an episode since 2006. “

Guest Blog Karen Tyrrell…My Triumph Over Bipolar Disorder

My name is Karen Tyrrell, Australian mental health advocate and author of Me and Her: A Memoir of Madness. I’ve triumphed over bipolar disorder, not experiencing an episode since 2006.

As a teacher, disturbed parents of one of my students repeatedly harassed me to the breaking point and beyond. For over a year, these parents dished out daily verbal, written, emotional and psychological abuse. I couldn’t escape them. The school encouraged me to discuss my angst with a counsellor but I laughed it off, saying I was all right. But I wasn’t. I developed extreme stress, anxiety, night terrors and sleep deprivation. Over time, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder caused my bipolar to come out, me becoming severely manic and psychotic.

Police forced me into a psychiatric hospital under an involuntary treatment order. I spent weeks refusing medication and treatment. Eventually I accepted my diagnosis. After I was released, I was determined to recover. I immersed myself into Julie’s book, “Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder” creating my own individual wellness plan, striving to understand my triggers and how to avoid them.

I tried different coping techniques, working out how to combat fluctuations in my mood. I empowered myself with pro-active strategies… a brisk morning walk with positive gratitude, visualization techniques, mindfulness (living in the Now), a calming sleep routine, daily meditation and expressive writing.

I literally wrote myself to recovery. Daily journal writing created a positive way to reflect on my issues and my ongoing treatment, producing a powerful cathartic effect. When I scribbled down my angst and my inner most thoughts, a weight was lifted from me. Writing gave me a voice, a way to express myself, to make sense of what was happening to me.

I’m thrilled creative writing became my new passion. I converted my daily scrawls into what many have called a brave memoir. Me and Her: A Memoir of Madness narrates a teacher’s journey through harassment, mental illness and recovery. I share my wellness strategies via a FREE newsletter. Please leave a comment below and on my website. if you wish to subscribe. http://www.karentyrrell.com

Exciting news! We now have an update on Karen’s work. So much has happened since she first posted with BipolarHappens! Click here to read her latest news.