I’d love your help choosing a sub-title for my next book! I’m moving forward with a book of poetry for kids who have serious mental health disorders. It’s whimsical and manages to be fun- despite the intense topic.
It’s called Hortensia and the Magical Brain.
The book is for parents, care givers and health care professionals to read to kids with symptoms of bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, psychosis, anger and aggression and ADHD symptoms, just to name a few.
It’s fantastical- in other words, though I will keep it original, it’s a Harry Potter type book where reality and the magical intermix in a fun and educational way.
Here is an original sketch of Hortensia and the Bipolar Witches from illustrator Kaytie Spellman’s magical drawings. I have added a short poem below so that you can see the tone. Our main character Hortensia is keeping the bipolar disorder witches behind the door in this sketch! Hortensia’s nickname is Pickle.
Bipolar Lullaby #2
Three bipolar witches are toiling and mixing their brew
Their spills and their hexes are coming for you
Your brain has a door, don’t let these girls in
Shut it tight, dear Pickle, don’t let the girls win
***
Titles! They are so important. I originally thought of Bipolar Lullabies, but the poems and other parts of the book are about more than bipolar disorder. The subtitle has to mention mental health in some way- the book is very much about specific symptoms, especially mania, depression, psychosis and anger.
Here is what I have now. The title does NOT have to appeal to kids. It needs to appeal to those buying the book to read to the kids: parents, caregivers and health care professionals. The kids will be drawn in by the drawings and poetry.
Title: Hortensia and the Magical Brain
Subtitle example: Poetry for Kids with Mental Health Disorders
The subtitle needs keywords in order to help sell the book- I like Hortensia and the Magical Brain, but am not thrilled with my subtitle.
Let me know what you think by visiting my Julie A. Fast Facebook page and leaving your comments not he post where I ask for your help.
Thank you!
Julie
PS: We are funding this poetry project through a Kickstarter program. Details coming soon! The Kickstarter will being in September.
The following is a link to my Psychology Today blog post on the topic of what I call ‘terrorist assisted suicide.’ If you’re depressed right now, I suggest waiting to read this until you are feeling better. I put this topic up here for readers who are interested in my work outside of the bipolar disorder realm. I limit my media when my mood is low and I encourage you to do the same. Julie
It’s easy to spot what we consider traditional depression symptoms: crying, lack of movement, sadness, silence, brain fog, slumped body, lack of desire, fear, hopelessness, helplessness and an overall worry that life is not worth living.
I’m here today to talk about the OTHER depression that is often mistaken for a personality flaw or seen as someone simply being in a bad mood.
I call the first kind of depression WEEPY depression and I call this depression ANGRY and IRRITATED DEPRESSION. People with bipolar tend to experience both, but rarely get help for the second type as helping someone in this kind of a depression is like talking with a really angry snake.
Are you ready to explore your own depression or the depression of someone you care about who has bipolar disorder? Let’s Go!
Twenty Signs of an Angry and Irritated Downswing Part One:
Pissed off at everyone and everything. Kittens and puppies make you mad.
Thinking is out of control. You think about thinking about thinking. Then think about thinking about the fact that your thinking about thinking about thinking. ARRRGGGGGG!
You second guess everything you do. Turn right and your brain says, “You should have turned left moron!” Unfortunately, you do this with the people in your life as well. Nothing anyone does ever feels right.
What is the point of doing anything since everything is so #$#@ed up! There is a LOT of cussing in this downswing. This can’t be ignored or softened just because people don’t like vulgar words. When you’re in this mood swing, your language WILL change.
You feel you will never reach your goals and will be stuck in this current ‘hell’ forever.
The body hurts. Headaches, backaches, eye strain, painful hair (yes, your hair can hurt when you’re really depressed). You can’t get comfortable and change locations a lot looking for a better resting place that never arrives as the pain is internal.
YOU JUDGE EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING. Especially yourself, but outwardly, you will tell people what you think and can be very, very unkind to people you love.
Your face looks displeased. Your judgemental feelings come out in pursed lips, signs, rolled eyes and other physical signs that you are not pleased with something.
Your world view is negative. You will find the garbage in the gutter when there is a rainbow in the sky.
You can’t see the positive. It’s not that you don’t want to see the positive, you simply CAN’T see it because this kind of depression makes you focus on everything that is going wrong.
Wow, that is only ten of the symptoms of angry and irritated depression. I can tell you from a lot of personal experience that this episode is a relationship wrecker. You are miserable inside and miserable to be around. I will list the final ten symptoms in my next blog and also offer some tips for managing this type of depression.
Please note that these are also the signs of a dysphoric manic episode, also called mixed mania, but only if typical mania symptoms are also present. Mixed mania is a combination of mania, anxiety and depression.
How do you know if it’s dysphoric mania and not plain old angry depression?
It’s all about the energy behind the symptoms. It’s possible to have all of the above symptoms and still sleep normally, talk regularly, watch your spending, keep a regular libido and stay at a consistent and often low energy. If the above symptoms are actually dysphoric mania, you WILL have one or more of these symptoms: noticeable sleep changes, an increased libido, the desire to spend, rapid speech, goal driven activities that you actually do and an overall sense that your organs are trying to jump out of your body due to profound restlessness.
Isn’t bipolar disorder fun! The only way to manage this illness in my opinion is through symptom recognition and management. All of the above symptoms are from my own life…. on the SAME DAY.
Bipolar Disorder and College: What Parents NEED to Know…. by Julie A. Fast
University life is basically a petri dish for growing bipolar disorder symptoms. I’ll be blunt. People with bipolar disorder tend to have trouble in a college setting. As you surely know, this has zero to do with intelligence and school ability and has everything to do with sleep changes, new relationships, an often out of control drinking and drug culture, familial expectations, grade pressures and for many, being away from home for the first time.
If your child goes to school without a plan to manage bipolar disorder, the illness will probably start to manage your child.
Three Success Strategies to Manage Bipolar Disorder in a University Setting
Here are three strategies you can use immediately to prepare for this big change in your child’s life. 1. Contact disability service and see what is available for your child. I know, there’s a good chance your kid has zero interest in doing this, but it doesn’t mean you can’t. You don’t have to name your child. You just need advice. Hello, my name is Carol and my daughter is going to school here in the fall. She has a bipolar disorder diagnosis and I would like to learn all I can about the services you offer at the school in terms of helping her manage the illness and what we would need to do if she gets sick. I would also appreciate information on the process we would use if she has to leave the school for health reasons.
2. Set boundaries around partying by talking openly about drinking, pot, other drugs and ADHD meds. I teach parents to do this through education. If your child has a goal to party hardy at school, you will have a problem. How can you prevent this from happening? By talking with a child about how certain behaviors affect bipolar disorder. If this feels impossible, the feeling is a sign that there is a potential problem that can be checked now in order to prevent a phone call a few months into school that your child has been skipping classes and staying out all night.
I’m not being cynical here. I’m writing from extremely personal experience. If there were a degree for college binge drinking, I would have a doctorate. I started drinking my first week in college and it profoundly affected my undiagnosed bipolar disorder.
If you have a child who has rarely been exposed to this lifestyle, it’s also a good time to have a conversation about how to respond the first time a person puts a bong in your face and offers you a beer. Oh yes, I have been there. 3. Focus on sleep management education as a first step. For example, It helps to choose a class schedule your child can truly manage. Asking a night person to make a 7:00 AM chemistry class is the first step to a bipolar disorder perfect storm. As parents, especially if you’re paying for everything, teaching a child that treating bipolar disorder first is the priority takes time, but it can be done. The best place to start is with sleep eduction. No, kids might not listen at first when you talk about how cramming for an exam can actually lead to mania, but with time, they will get the message. The number one way to manage bipolar disorder while at school is through healthy sleep habits.
Talking with Your Child Take GUTS!
Young girls and hyper sexuality: I know, getting a 18 year old young girl who loves chatting and having fun with friends to actually put down the phone and take time out to manage this illness might feel impossible right now, but I can assure you, when done the right way, it saves years of worry and helps her stay in school and get that degree! Girls face a LOT of sexual pressure at university. Mania and hyper sexuality need to be discussed in advance, no matter how uncomfortable the conversation might be. I suggest making a list of the typical hyper sexuality symptoms that come with mania and then talking openly about what needs to be done if your daughter sees the signs in herself. Let her know she doesn’t have to be embarrassed if she suddenly wants to sleep with every guy she sees. She simply needs to get help.
A Strategy for Talking with Young Men
I worry about the young men in our culture today. There are so many pressures from all angles- I always suggest talking with young men in the words they use to talk about themselves. This works with girls as well of course, but if you have a silent young man who isn’t keen on discussing his feelings, this has to be tackled before he goes to school. A young man with a diagnosis he doesn’t like to discuss for example requires special language he can actually hear.
Here’s a quick strategy. When talking to your son, start with something he said he wanted and go from there:
“I know it’s your dream to be an engineer. ”
“I know you’ve looked forward to being a fraternity for many years. ”
“You have always told me that you think a lot about your future.”
I teach this technique to all of my clients. Starting with a person’s actual words takes them off the defensive from the very beginning.
***
These are just a few tips to get you started. People with bipolar disorder can go to college and get a degree, but it always takes a plan to insure a smooth journey.
Figure this out in advance dear parents! The majority of the calls I receive for my coaching services come AFTER the child got sick in school and flunked out with no plan in place. I don’t want this to happen to you.
Mania peaks in the summer here in the USA. That means that hospitalizations for mania peak in the summer. Think of your past or the past of someone you care about. Is mania a concern? Do you have a plan?
It’s so important to know the signs of mania. If you have the Health Cards or Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder, now is the time to get out your Mania Health Card and set up a plan before potential mania starts.
Signs that you might need some help for bipolar disorder depression:
– You have not been out of the house in a few days.
– Getting out of bed is difficult and on some days impossible.
– You’re not eating, brushing your teeth or shaving.
– The phone rings, but you CAN’T answer it.
– You’re binge watching TV shows and you feel really, really guilty about it.
People are worried about you.
Your regular self leaves the house, brushes his teeth, feeds the animals, goes to work, interacts with the world and looks forward to life. That person has disappeared.
Depression is INSIDIOUS. It creeps up on us and day by day sucks the life out of our lives. We must fight this by taking action. Right now, if the above describes you, please know you are not alone. Depression is a nasty, walking dead succubus that you can fight.
If you have bipolar disorder, it’s normal to have depression. If you have depression, it’s normal to have the above symptoms.
What do you need to do right now to get help? Answer that phone? Shave just to show yourself that you are human damn it and this illness will NOT take over your life for another day? Call a suicide hotline? Call a friend? Please feel free to visit me on my Facebook page at Julie A. Fast. If you ask for help here, you will get some help from people who understand.
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Mom Brain Podcast
Listen to Julie’s latest interview on bipolar disorder and mental health in children, teens and adults on the Mom Brain Podcast with Hilaria Baldwin and Daphne Oz.
The health information contained herein is provided for general education purposes only. This site should not be seen as a substitute for an official diagnosis or for professional health care.
I’d love your help choosing a sub-title for my next book! I’m moving forward with a book of poetry for kids who have serious mental health disorders. It’s whimsical and manages to be fun- despite the intense topic.
g is a link to my Psychology Today blog post on the topic of what I call ‘terrorist assisted suicide.’ If you’re depressed right now, I suggest waiting to read this until you are feeling better. I put this topic up here for readers who are interested in my work outside of the bipolar disorder realm. I limit my media when my mood is low and I encourage you to do the same. Julie
