Bipolar blog Archives - Page 32 of 81 - Bipolar Burble Blog

Explaining Bipolar Moods to Young Children

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Nov 19, 2015

I was walking through the drug store today and I saw a great book for young children struggling with understanding of moods. It’s called The Many Moods of Me Journal by Klutz. Not only does it encourage the journalling of a young person’s mood but it also teaches the child about feelings and moods. I think this is perfect, age-appropriate information for children who need to understand that moods vary and can be extreme in cases of mental illnesses like bipolar disorder. I think this would be a perfect teaching tool for teaching a young child about bipolar disorder and educating them about their own moods too.

Eight Ways to Calm Down a Hypomania – Self-Help for Hypomania

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Nov 10, 2015

After a stressful day, I’m hypomanic and it brings to mind my self-help tips for how to calm down a bipolar hypomania. These tricks might not be available or work for everyone, but here’s what I do to calm down my hypomania.

Hanging Off the CN Tower and Disabilities

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Nov 3, 2015

Oddly, I find myself hanging off the outside of the CN Tower, 1168 feet in the air. I can honestly say I’m terrified and can barely glance beneath my feet. But how did I get here and what does it have to do with having a disability?

It’s actually a bit of a long story.

Your Input Needed — What Do You Want to Know about Bipolar?

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Oct 28, 2015

Hi folks, if you’re long-time readers of mine, you might remember me mentioning Global Medical Education. This site, literally, offers you up-to-date, medical information, from experts in short video format for free. (This used to be a subscription service but they have changed their model — to the benefit of all of us.) And while I do have a working relationship with this site, I can honestly tell you their content is great, generally easy to understand, and covers a wide range of medical issues.

Patient Information from Global Medical Education

This brings me to why we’re here. Today I’m asking to get your thoughts on what topics Global Medical Education should include in their library. Share your thoughts and you’ll be entered to win a $25 Amazon gift certificate.

I Didn’t Save Your Life, You Did

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Oct 26, 2015

I get quite a few messages from people who say I have saved their lives. (Of course, I get messages from people saying I’m killing people, too, but let’s not discuss those.) People say that if it weren’t for me, they would be dead. People say that, because of my work, I saved their lives. And, of course, in a few cases I’ve taken a somewhat more active role than that.

But today I want to tell everyone something: I didn’t save those lives, you did.

Suicide – I Want to Die by Accident

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Oct 11, 2015

I have heard from many people who are suicidal and want to die by accident. I guess “wanting to die by accident” may sound weird to some people but I totally get it. I have been one of these people myself. I envisioned myself dying in service to another – doing something incredibly brave that would end my life so that another could live. At least then people would view my death in a positive light and didn’t other people deserve to live more than me anyway?

What it comes down to is that these suicidal people don’t want to take their own lives (for many reasons such as family and friends) but they do feel they want to die and they feel an accident is the way to do that.

Why Therapy Can’t Treat Uncontrolled, Serious Mental Illnesses

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Sep 24, 2015

I have been through lots of therapy and lots of therapists in my life and my contention is that therapy can’t be used to actually treat uncontrolled, serious mental illnesses. Now, don’t get me wrong, therapy can be supportive to a person with an uncontrolled, serious mental illness and therapy can be useful to a person with an uncontrolled, serious mental illness (such as in the case where the therapist tracks your bipolar symptoms and report changes to your doctor) but therapy cannot be used to actually treat a serious and uncontrolled mental illness.

I Need a Break from Bipolar

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Sep 16, 2015

I need a break from bipolar. Like, seriously. You know when people say they need a vacation? These people have no idea what it really is to need a vacation. When you have a chronic illness, you suddenly understand what real, daily pressure is and how much you need to get away from it – if only you could. I wish I could get a break from bipolar.

My Father Died – Grief and Bipolar Disorder

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Sep 3, 2015

My father died Sunday at 8:10 a.m.. He was 69 years old.

I have bipolar disorder and I am grieving. I started grieving the second I heard my mother’s voice on the phone. She has a death tone. I knew by her hello and her pause that this was a death notification call. We all knew it was coming.