Category: bipolar blog notes

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?

Best Bipolar Blog Articles of 2013 on the Bipolar Burble

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Jan 6, 2014

Over 70 articles were published here on the Bipolar Burble blog in 2013. Some were hits and some not so much. So today I’d like to look back at two top 5 lists: the most-read bipolar blog articles of 2013 and the most talked-about bipolar blog articles of 2013.

The Most-Read Bipolar Blog Articles of 2013

Here’s what you were reading on this bipolar blog that was written in 2013:

How a Person with Bipolar Thinks – this bipolar blog article went viral and contributed to the greatest number of pages views in a single day on the Bipolar Burble. If you haven’t read it yet, you might be the only one. This post outlines the quirky ways in which the bipolar brain thinks including obsession, anxiety, distraction, overreaction and other thought patterns.
Can You Treat Bipolar Disorder without Medication? – this bipolar blog post has been popular since it has been written both with direct visitors and by people searching for information on the topic. Here I outline some of the non-medication ways to treat bipolar depression and at the bottom of the article is a link to more information on non-medication ways to treat bipolar mania.

Natasha’s On Blog Talk Radio – this SUNDAY (plus one more)

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Jan 3, 2014

Hi all. I try not to overly promote my events on this bipolar blog so the Bipolar Burble blog can focus on content, but this time I thought a couple of things deserved a word: a speaking engagement you can all attend for free and an award that I’m a little proud of.

Natasha Tracy Speaking on Blog Talk Radio

So, this Sunday, January 5th at 4 PM PST (7 PM EST) I will be talking to MissADD. As she says:

Please join me this coming Sunday, January 5, 2014, as I welcome to the show Natasha Tracy.She is an award-winning writer and speaker from the Pacific Northwest. She specializes in writing about bipolar disorder, depression, pharmacology, and other mental health issues. Her expertise has been sought after by academics and reporters, she is to be featured in an upcoming documentary on bipolar disorder, and she has been a speaker at the National Council Mental Health and Addictions conference. She was named the second most influential online depression writer by Sharecare.com. Natasha and I will be discussing Bipolar disorder and ADHD. She will be talking about her own diagnosis with bipolar disorder, and how she has learned to embrace this, and approach it from a positive place. We will also be discussing tips for enlightening us to be able to understand what bipolar disorder is, and the best way to treat it. Natasha will also discuss Mindfulness, and how it has changed her life!

It’s going to be an informal conversation and I hope you’ll be part of it by calling in to (917) 889-7025.

Listen to the show here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/missadd/2014/01/06/bipolar-disorder-and-adhd

I’m really excited about it and I hope to hear the voices of some of you folks so we can “meet,” as it were.

Social HeathMakers in the Category Mental Health

It was recently announced that I’m the fourth most influential social HealthMaker according to Sharecare.com. You might remember that I made their list for the most influential in the category of depression, but now I’ve made it all the way to making changes mental health wide.

The Bipolar Burble Blog Gets a Facebook Page

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Sep 4, 2012

Last night saw the launch of the Bipolar Burble blog Facebook page. In all honesty, I’ve been meaning to do this for quite a while but couch-contributed inertia slowed me down. This Facebook page is dedicated to supporting people with a mental illness and all those who love them.

Why a Bipolar Burble Blog Facebook Page?

I created this page in response to the concerns that some people had over the nastiness that was being put on my own Facebook profile. People felt it wasn’t a safe space to discuss articles or leave comments and while I try to make the Bipolar Burble blog clutter-free, that’s tougher to do on Facebook. Having a Bipolar Burble blog Facebook page, though, makes this task easier, so you can consider the Bipolar Burble blog Facebook page a safe space to comment and discuss mental health topics.

Pharmaceutical Advertisers Harm Credibility?

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Aug 14, 2012

Let’s be clear. I am not supported by pharmaceutical companies. No pharmaceutical company has ever paid me one cent. Got it? OK.

But let’s say that Pfizer or GlaxoSmithKline did advertise here, would that pharmaceutical advertisement ruin my credibility?

Getting the Flu Makes Bipolar Undeservedly Worse

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Aug 7, 2012

I have a bone to pick with the universe. Simply put, I don’t think it’s fair that people with a mental illness like bipolar disorder have to get your garden variety illnesses like colds and flus. Do you not realize that people with bipolar disorder spend a massive amount of their time sick already? Do you not realize that a large part of a bipolar’s day is devoted to managing the symptoms of an illness they already have?

Do you not get that we have enough on our plate already without coughing, sneezing, an upset stomach, aching muscles and a runny nose?

Guest Writing at the Bipolar Burble Blog

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Jun 24, 2012

Hi all.

I’ve been getting a lot of requests to guest write at the Bipolar Burble. Well, it’s nice to know I’m so popular! I’m really happy to hear from you but there are guidelines if you want to be published here. These aren’t meant to scare anyone off, these are just to let you know what I’m expecting.

Here are some guidelines for posting on the Bipolar Burble.

What I’m Looking for on the Bipolar Burble

I really want to hear other people’s opinions and experiences so I would like to see:

Other people’s experiences in mental health. This might be as a person with a mental illness or as a loved one of a person with a mental illness. (No, it doesn’t have to be regarding bipolar disorder.)
Opinion pieces on mental health subjects. You don’t have to agree with me, but if you make a convincing argument, I might just post it.

The Best Thing About Being a Mental Health Writer

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Jun 17, 2012

I’m a mental health writer. When I tell people I’m a mental health writer, however, the most common response I get is, “what’s that?”

Well, like a travel writer writes about travel, I write about mental health. Perhaps my type is not as common as a travel writer, but mental health writers are out there, nonetheless.

And, I have to say, it’s not easy being a mental health writer. It means talking about unpleasant subjects on a daily basis and facing parts of yourself that you’d probably prefer to gloss over. And it means forming an opinion, standing up and standing by that opinion even when it’s very unpopular. (At least, that’s what being a mental health writer means to me.)

And making a living is hard and there are no vacations, no weekends and no sick days.

The Best Thing about Being a Mental Health Writer

But. There are big bonuses.

Latest Bipolar Bites and Breaking Bipolar

Posted by Natasha Tracy | May 24, 2012

As per the usual, I’ve been a busy little beaver. I write about five mental health articles a week for blogs as well as other articles for clients. It’s the reason why I’m up on the latest research – I pretty much have to be; I spend most of my day looking at it.

And if you just hang out on the Bipolar Burble – I love you – you might miss a lot of interesting things. So here, without further ado is what has been going on at Bipolar Bites at Healthline.com and Breaking Bipolar at HealthyPlace.com.

Bipolar Bites

Bipolar Bites is a blog I started writing in February for Healthine.com. It contains what I call more “sciency” articles – those with facts and figures and study references. It’s for the mental health geek in many of us.

Recently at Bipolar Bites we’ve seen: