Life with Bipolar Disorder

I apologize that the last post was more of someone else's work. I do enjoy reading and the story's ending was pretty spot on. Thought I would just start with how my story brought me to being bipolar. Yes, your life will bring you to being bipolar. Please do your research. Listen to the healthcare professionals around you. I would harp on seeing a counselor also though now in my life I do not see one regularly, just family and close friends help me through my situations. I grew up in your typical small hometown where everyone knows everyone and most folks were at the football field on Friday night and church on Sunday mornings. Growing up with my dad and his parents was the first indication that life was different for me and my younger brother, Bubba. Through circumstances beyond my mother's control, subject of one of books, she gave custody of us up to our dad. Our parents were young teenagers when both Bubba and I were born, we are 15 months in age apart. Twins...

I'm reading a book by Stephen M. Pollan and Mark Levine titled "It's All in Your Head Thinking Your Way to Happiness". The prologue is a great story about where our happiness should truly be found. Here is the entire prologue. "A Hindu legend says we were all once gods. But eventually we abused our powers. Brahma, the chief god, decided to punish us by taking away our divinity. Brahma called a meeting of the other chief gods to figure out where to hide our holiness. One god suggested hiding it deep beneath the earth. "No," Brahma said, "man will just figure out a way to tunnel miles below the surface." Another god suggested hiding our holiness at the bottom of the ocean. "No," Brahma responded, "man will just learn how to dive to the seabed." A third god came up with the idea of placing our divinity on top of a towering mountain. "No," Brahma said, "man will just climb every tall mountain on the p...

When I was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I had just buried my first husband the year before, moved to Dallas, TX without my 2 year old daughter, and my overall appearance was that of an extensive drug user. (I was only smoking marijuana.) Mania can change who you are as a person dramatically. It affects so much more than just your behavior or appearance. The battle that was raging inside my head was deafening at times and God awful scary. I didn't think I would make it out of the hospital alive; not because of what I did but what was warring away in my head. Helplessness is a real emotion when dealing with bipolar mania. Being honest about your helplessness is key to getting better. You need to be honest with yourself and especially your healthcare providers. If you get anything out of reading this, it's to always be truthful with the people who are helping you through whatever is going on. No matter how absurd it sounds. Doctors and nurses are trained to deal...