It feels like I’ve been waiting for years to tell everyone the title of my book, but the fact is, the title has only existed in its current form for a short while. It’s funny how I can write 1000s of words for myself or for clients, practically without thinking about it but when I considered the title for my book, every, single syllable was tough to decide on. And the cover? That took many, many iterations and multiple designers (including me taking a crack at it).
I want to be happy. It’s been a long time since I, genuinely, have been. Yes, the bipolar medications do their job and keep me alive; and yes, I’m less depressed than when the bipolar medications weren’t working, but, still, I’m not happy. And while some people seem to think differently, I really, really want to be happy. It’s not my fault I can’t be happy.
The Bipolar Burble welcomes guest post writer Kerry Martin who has started multiple non-profits, lives with bipolar disorder and is a three-time suicide attempt survivor. She bravely shares her story.
I’m gay. I’m bipolar. And, I’m a three-time suicide survivor. Today, I’m out. I’m proud. And, I’m still alive and kicking. But I used to be closeted, ashamed and suicidal. While I wasn’t diagnosed as bipolar until my early 40s, I have always struggled with depression and have tried to take my life not once, not twice but three times.
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the first step to suicide prevention is removing the stigma by starting the conversation.
Today I’d like to introduce you to some of the table of content in the new book I’m working on. This is a book designed to speak to those with bipolar, those with depression and the loved ones of both groups. It contains a lot of my “greatest hits” from both Bipolar Burble and Breaking Bipolar plus new writing as well. I hope this will be the first in a series I plan to release.
I’m very pleased to say I’m in the editing process for the book which means it’s well on its way to publishing. The ebook version will be out first and then a dead-tree version will likely be available at some point after that. There is no official publication date as of yet, but I’ll let you know when I firm something up.
To get updates on how the book is going, a free short ebook on coping skills and other interesting mental illness tidbits, be sure to sign up for my newsletter (sign-up form at the bottom of this post).
Today, on the Bipolar Burble Facebook page, someone posted a link to an article on The Health Magazine (a website) that had the headline: A Urine Test Can Distinguish Between Bipolar Disorder And Depression. The poster bought into this headline and felt that “people should know about this.”
Well, I can tell you that when someone claims to have found a urine test to distinguish between bipolar and depression, you should be very skeptical. Believe me, if this were a real thing, it wouldn’t just show up in some clickbait website, written by someone named “admin.” (Normally, these types of sites even steal the content they do have.)
Let’s look at the facts of the matter. Does a urine test to differentiate between depression and bipolar disorder really exist?
I know I haven’t been producing as much writing as I usually do, but there’s a reason for this — it’s because I’ve been working on a short ebook called: Live Successfully with Mental Illness: Top 5 Coping Skills. As the title suggests, this ebook talks about five, critical skills you need to cope with any kind of many illness (and, in fact, life, in general). This ebook contains my thoughts but also scientific references on facts that are asserted in the text.
Live Successfully with a Mental Illness: Top 5 Coping Skills Ebook
Gaining insight into your mental illness and your thoughts and emotions
Skills are broken down simply and I use examples that are easy to understand. This book is for anyone with a mental illness and their families and friends will likely learn from it, too.
So, how do you get a copy of this mental illness coping skills ebook? That’s easy, just join my mailing list (below) and I’ll send you what you need to access a copy — completely FREE of charge.
I wrote that Mindfulness Doesn’t Help My Bipolar Disorder. And I think mindfulness, at least how I was taught it, just doesn’t significantly, positive affect a serious, neurological illness. I find it works best in people who experience stress and anxiety. And many do agree with me on this.
That said, John McManamy does not. Here are his thoughts on mindfulness in bipolar disorder.
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Mindfulness is essentially the mind watching the mind. The practice has been around forever. It is a staple of Buddhist practice, and is also the basis of modern talking therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), even if its proponents fail to give it credit.
In all likelihood, if you have had success in managing your bipolar, you are employing mindfulness techniques, though you may be unaware of it.
Today “Bipolar Burble” welcomes Adele, a 36-year-old newly diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Read her story of a new bipolar diagnosis and how she’s handling her first few bipolar months.
When I was diagnosed as bipolar this past November, it was both the best and the worst news I have ever received. I knew that my life was probably going to get better, but that it would definitely never be the same.
People with mental illness do, sometimes, need a push to make things happen, but when do you push a person with a mental illness forward? Obviously, you should never push a person until he or she breaks – and there is a risk of this with those with mental illness because many of us can’t take the same pressures (stress can cause bipolar hypomania, among other things) that other people can. Nevertheless, a supportive push forward can be helpful but do know when to push a person with mental illness.
One of the things my writing does is validate bipolar experiences. This is helpful for people for a very simple reason. When you know that even just one other person is facing the same challenges as you because of bipolar disorder, you feel validated, this has many benefits and it is something we all need. Additionally, harm definitely comes from not validating bipolar experiences – and many of our loved ones do this, perhaps without even knowing it. It’s important to realize that validation of bipolar experiences actually helps a person’s mental health.
I’ve noticed something about when I’m suicidal: I’m more accident-prone when I’m suicidal. I know that the word “accident” suggests that nothing would be causing it as it is unintentional – this is true, sort of – but I still find that suicidality affects the presence of accidents.
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