All Quiet On The Western Front

It’s amazing how different this Christmas feels than last year. A year ago, I was still reeling from the shock of my bipolar diagnosis and suffering through a deep depression to boot; I was also insecure in my job (which turned out not to be unfounded), anxious, frustrated, and afraid. This December, however, is muchContinue reading “All Quiet On The Western Front”

In Praise Of Caregivers

I was reading through some of my friends’ posts on Facebook last night when I ran across a link to a site dedicated to providing information to bipolar caregivers. This is an aspect of dealing with the disorder that I’ve never thought about much, mainly because I’m the person with the condition and it takes pretty muchContinue reading “In Praise Of Caregivers”

Almost There

I learned something new today: you can make a psychiatrist spew Diet Coke across a room by telling him that you were merely experiencing a life crisis for the past two years instead of the mental illness he diagnosed you with. He apologized for laughing, but the point had been made: if I ever get to thinking that way again, I’d better be calling theContinue reading “Almost There”

Intrusive Thoughts: It’s A Bipolar Thang

You know, I hate it when I’m having a perfectly good day, doing my thing, and then suddenly my brain goes PFFFFTTT! and produces a noxious cloud of thought that’s so unpleasant it could clear a room. The experts call these brain-burps “intrusive thoughts”, and I can tell you unequivocally that they suck. Just lastContinue reading “Intrusive Thoughts: It’s A Bipolar Thang”

How I Got Here

You know, no child wakes up in the morning thinking, “Gee, I wanna be a psych patient when I grow up.” For one thing, they don’t understand it, no should they be expected to; mental illness is hard enough to explain to adults (especially those who don’t have it). For another, kids with issues don’tContinue reading “How I Got Here”