Bipolar blog Archives - Page 10 of 81 - Bipolar Burble Blog

How to Respond to Mental Health Jokes

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Nov 19, 2020

Today, Bipolar Burble welcomes guest author Kate Haldeman. Kate is a licensed professional counselor, mental health advocate, and is a person with mental health issues. See more about Kate at the end.

Learning how to respond to mental health jokes is something I’ve had to do and it’s something I know we almost all have had to do. These types of jokes can happen at home, work or out and about and can definitely hurt a person’s feelings. Allow me to share what I’ve learned about these situations, microaggressions and handling mental health jokes.

Too Young to Be Suicidal? Children and Suicidality

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Nov 17, 2020

It’s important that people recognize that a person is never too young to be suicidal. Children can be suicidal at four years old. Really. I know how scary that is to me and I assume it’s even scarier to the parents out there, but it’s still true: you’re never too young to be suicidal and attempt or even die by suicide. Let’s take a look at what that means for parents, families and the rest of us.

What Is Ableism? How Does Ableism Feel to Those with Mental Illness Disabilities?

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Nov 12, 2020

You may have heard the term “ableism,” but you may not know exactly what it is, so what is ableism? This word has a simple meaning but complex implications for a person with a disability. Personally, I hate the term, but unfortunately, it’s necessary, and I have to respect its uses. Here’s what ableism is and how ableism feels to the disabled (one of which being me).

Making Money off People with Mental Illness

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Oct 27, 2020

Recently, someone irately said to me, “You shouldn’t make money off people with mental illness who need help.”

Okay, I understand the sentiment. The person who said it, we’ll call her MG, went on to say that I made her want to puke because I charged for my masterclasses. (My masterclasses are $35 for an early bird registration and $45 for late registration, by the way.) MG then called me a shyster, a creep and a douche and threatened to have me banned from Facebook. (So far, I’m still on Facebook.)

To say the least, MG was quite upset. And in case you were wondering, she’s not the only one who has yelled obscenities at me for daring to charge for my work.

In short, the idea is you shouldn’t make money off of people suffering from a mental illness. Okay, let’s unpack that for a moment, shall we?

Is Bipolar Disorder a ‘Real’ Disability?

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Oct 15, 2020

People don’t argue when you say paraplegia is a disability, but when you say your bipolar disorder is, people often do argue. This is in spite of the fact that, legally, bipolar disorder is a real disability in Canada, the United States and elsewhere. So what is a “real” disability and why don’t people think bipolar is a real disability?

Masterclasses on Anger, on Tough Conversations and on Treatment-Resistant Depression Announced

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Sep 21, 2020

New mental health masterclasses announced! Today I want to tell you about three new mental health masterclasses I’m offering: one masterclass on handling anger, aggression and rage in bipolar disorder, one on hard mental health conversations and one on how to treat treatment-resistant depression in bipolar disorder. These masterclasses are being offered over the next three weeks, starting this Wednesday!

Fatigue and Bipolar Disorder — Symptoms, Treatment

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Sep 16, 2020

I experience massive fatigue with bipolar disorder. True, there are likely other components to my fatigue, but I know bipolar disorder is a driving factor. The fatigue is so bad that I think it’s one of the worst parts of bipolar disorder or any chronic illness. Fatigue affects my life on a daily basis like no other symptom of bipolar disorder and worse yet, there are pretty much no cognitive tools I can use to cope with it. Read on to learn about bipolar disorder and fatigue, why it’s so hard to best and the treatments for fatigue in bipolar.

Start Suicide Prevention Conversations and Forget the ‘Rules’

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Sep 8, 2020

I firmly believe that suicide prevention starts with a conversation. A conversation that can stop suicide can be initiated by the person feeling suicidal or someone around them; regardless, a conversation is the starting point. But it can be very intimidating to talk about suicide. There are all kinds of “rules” when you talk about suicide and political correctness affects the language you are “allowed” to use. I say forget all that. Suicide prevention starts with a conversation that makes sense to you, not the PC police.

Pain May Not Get Better; Don’t Say, ‘It Gets Better’

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Sep 1, 2020

Recently a commenter called me out for saying, “It will get better.” The commenter’s point is that pain doesn’t get better for everyone and saying “It gets better,” is a lie; and, I can see how it could be somewhat dismissive of an individual’s experience. I understand this commenter’s complaint. I understand that just saying, “It gets better,” can sound just as trite as, “Turn that frown upside down.” So let’s talk about when things don’t get better. Let’s talk about the nuance of what to say when pain is not getting better.