Straight Talk on Managing Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder Treatment Ideas

There are many ways to manage bipolar disorder. Loved ones like my nephew David kept me on this planet when things got tough. My friend Karen is my karaoke partner. Singing is a seretonin rush. My cat BiBi is my depression companion. Reading helps as does a trip outside of the rain of Portland. Music is a tonic for many people with bipolar disorder! Speaking and signing books makes me happy. And finally. I know that eating my veges is a good idea! What about you? We all need a set of things that we can turn to when life is hard and we feel down. They can help us get out of some serious mood swings!

BP Hope Magazine Blog. If I Were a Rich (Wo)man!

Money is a hot topic in the bipolar disorder world. My weekly blog on the BP Magazine web site addresses the topic with a lighter tone. We have to laugh about the painful stuff sometimes! The pictures are explained in the blog. Make sure to leave a comment. Readers can really learn from each other. Especially when it comes to money!

If I Were a Rich (Wo)man link.

Bipolar disorder affects our work ability. It’s natural that we would spend time thinking about how we are going to make money!

Julie

Hope for Partners of a Person with Bipolar Disorder

I remember when my partner Ivan came out of the hospital after a three month manic/psychotic and then suicidal depression mood swing. I was worn out from the months he was there. It was a terrible time. I then had to face that fact that he was far from well when he got home. Sometimes I wonder how we got through it. This time in my life was the inspiration for my book Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder.

I remember the fear, worry and guilt when I didn’t want to go to the hospital. I remember how unaware I was about bipolar disorder. It still astounds me that the staff at the hospital was very kind and yet gave me no tips on managing our lives when he got home. There are many ways to manage this time successfully. Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder explains a lot of these. I know that this book is used a lot in hospitals now- what a change!

Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder has sold over 130,000 copies. I never knew there were so many partners out there who need help! If you love someone with bipolar disorder, how are YOU holding up?

Julie

BP Magazine Blog: Do you minimize bipolar disorder behaviors?

Interesting question- many of us would say no. But I’ve found that people who love those with bi-polar disorder do get used to some very stressful, aggressive, scary, uncontrolled and confusing behavior. It’s often easier to let things go than face the issues and know that your life may be miserable for awile.

This is one of my main areas of focus in my family member and partner coaching. It’s so easy to get used to truly unacceptable bipolar behavior- recognizing this and making changes is a huge step towards stability for everyone in the family.

Cleck here for the blog. I’d love to read your comments.

Julie

Click here for more information on my family member and partner coaching.

Football Players, Depression and Bipolar Disorder

A few years ago I decided I wanted to talk to professional football players about bipolar disorder and depression. There is a rookie camp every year where they offer support around relationships, money, media pressure, getting along as a team, etc etc. I thought- I should go in there and tell them what it’s like to have bipolar disorder and depression and how they could see the signs in themselves and others.

Here is what I heard from people- “Julie, pro sports guys don’t want to talk about depression! They will never listen to the word bipolar! That’s for human resources!”

I heard the same thing when I went into Nike and talked about my ideas. As always, society is way behind the curve when it comes to mental illness- here is an article that proves this 100%- It’s not a positive article as you can imagine- so if you’re depressed, skip it and read it when you feel better- but if you want to see the reality of professional sports- this describes it.

Only a few are ill- just as only a few of us are ill compared to the 300 million who live in the US. But wow, when we get ill, it’s pretty terrible!

Click here read the Yahoo Sports article on the topic.

What ideas do you have to help the sports world make changes?

Julie

Bipolar Depression and Suicide Help

I just received this comment on the blog I wrote on bipolar depression:

” I want to die. Can you help me please. I have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and I don’t want to live anymore.”

It’s hard to get these emails- not because they shock me- they don’t, but because I wish I could sit across from the person and tell them why they feel the way they do and that they can get through this.

Since I can’t actually look at the person, I will write him here.

Hi. I’ve been suicidal so many times I can no longer count the episodes. Suicidal thoughts are a completely normal part of bipolar disorder. We get depressed, manic, anxious and paranoid, just to name a few- and we also get suicidal.

Wanting to die is actually something different than it seems- it’s actually wanting to end the pain that comes with bipolar disorder depression. I can remember being so suicidal that I was rolling on the floor in order not to do something I didn’t really want to do. I’m not kidding about this. The compulsion that comes with suicidal thoughts is what makes it so dangerous. When I had thoughts of running my car off a bridge, I said out loud, “I don’t want to kill myself! This is not real! This is bipolar lying to me!” and I kept driving.

Bipolar disorder can be a VERY dangerous illness. It makes you think and do things you don’t really think and don’t really want to do. That’s why it’s so important to separate yourself from the suicidal thoughts.

I see my suicidal thoughts as separate. They are not me- they are bipolar disorder. I hope you can do that- if you really examine what you’re thinking, you can see that there is a lot of crap going around in your head that doesn’t represent you. It’s not the real you. It’s the illness talking.

Once you can see the you in there and feel the you in there- you can say to yourself, this is bipolar talking and I’m going to get help immediately.

I assure you- you don’t want to kill yourself. You want to get better. I hate suicidal thoughts because they aren’t fair and they are SO tricky.

I’m 49- and I’ve been suicidal off and on since I was 19. I have survived and you can too.

Here is how to get help- first of all, say out loud- “I’m suicidal because I have bipolar disorder. These thoughts are not real. They are a sign that I’m very sick.”

Next- call your doctor immediately. Say, “This is an emergency. I have bipolar disorder and I’m thinking of killing myself.” This is an honest way to ask for help. If you fell down and broke a leg- you would scream for help. You have to do the same thing now.

If you don’t have access to your doctor- call a suicide hotline- if you go to www.moodgarden.com you will see suicide numbers on the left side of the page. There is also a link there for more help on what you’re going through.

If you’re worried for your immediate physical health, call 911. They know what to do. Be honest, “I have bipolar disorder- I’m suicidal and I need help.” Or, “I’m bipolar and I just took a bottle of pills and I need help ”

You may notice that I’m being very methodical when I talk with you. It’s because I would do the same thing if I saw you bleeding on the side of the road. I would help you and remind you that things are going to be ok. You just need professional help. I would never expect you to take care of yourself on your own.

Suicidal thoughts are completely normal when you have a mental illness. They are not the real you. The real you wants help. There is a lot of help out there. I encourage you to take care of the you that wants to live and not listen to the illness that is lying to you. I’m alive and well because I do this every time I get suicidal.

Julie