Looking for the best books about bipolar disorder? This comprehensive guide highlights must-read memoirs, workbooks, and resources for individuals with bipolar disorder, their loved ones, and care teams. Whether you’re seeking practical advice, personal stories, or expert insights, these books can help you navigate bipolar disorder with greater understanding and support.
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Anosognosia, a clinical lack of insight, affects up to 50% of people with bipolar disorder, leaving them unable to recognize their illness. This symptom can devastate not only those with bipolar disorder but also their loved ones. Discover why this happens, how it impacts treatment, and what you can do to help someone who doesn’t believe they’re unwell.
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Ever wondered what it feels like to recover from depression, especially after years of battling bipolar disorder? In this deeply personal post, I share the small but significant shifts in my emotions, the challenges of adjusting to life without constant suffering, and the fears that come with recovery. If you’re curious about how mental health recovery unfolds or want to understand the emotional ups and downs of depression, this article provides a raw, real-life glimpse into the journey. Dive in and explore my experience with recovery.
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I’ve thought about what makes a person suicidal many times. Mostly, that’s because I’ve been both actively and passively suicidal for prolonged periods of my life. It’s hell, and I hate it. There are both general and specific things that make a person suicidal. Knowledge of these factors, along with ways to protect from suicidality, can help.
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I have lost many years of life because of bipolar disorder. No, I don’t mean that I have a decreased lifespan because of bipolar disorder (although that’s likely true, too). What I mean is that there are years of living that are missing because of bipolar disorder. At 46, I can look back at the decades and see these lost years of life very clearly.
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Support for bipolar is important, but the support for bipolar that you actually need is even more so. We’re all different, and the support we need is different too. The trouble is, it can be hard to get the support we need when we need it. I would say that obtaining this support is actually a skill. So, if getting the support you need for bipolar disorder is a skill, how do we learn it, and how do we practice it?
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Recently, I’ve had days when I was useless due to bipolar disorder. My brain became a rock. I couldn’t get a thought through it if I tired. And thanks to my brain’s inability to think, I also couldn’t work. Trying to do anything — and I mean anything — brought about nothing but crushing overwhelm. And all of this lack of productivity brought about a lot of self-flagellation. I need to learn to forgive myself when I’m useless because of bipolar, though.
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As a mental health advocate, I’ve observed people attributing everything to bipolar disorder, from feelings and thoughts to actions. While a mood disorder does influence feelings and thoughts, not all emotions and thoughts are a result of bipolar disorder. It’s crucial to take responsibility for actions and not blame them solely on the disorder. Learning to separate actions from thoughts and feelings, investing in therapy, and taking responsibility can help in personal growth and improve relationships.
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Because of the black box warnings (also known as boxed warnings) on antidepressants, many people think that antidepressants cause suicidal thinking, suicidal behavior, and suicide. The black box warning on antidepressants is, after all, the strongest warning the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can place on a medication. However, the black box warning on antidepressants was authored almost 20 years ago, and we have learned a lot and have synthesized a lot of data since then. Does this more recent data indicate that antidepressants increase suicidality or cause suicides, and what can we learn from this new information? Should we be scared of the risk of suicidality with antidepressants? (TL;DR here.)
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