mania Archives - Natasha Tracy Bipolar Expert

Do You Really Have Bipolar, Not Depression? Soft Signs of Bipolar

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Jun 7, 2021

Have you ever wondered if you really have bipolar disorder and not major depression? Did you know there are signs that can point to bipolar disorder outside of what we normally consider to be the diagnostic symptoms of bipolar disorder? And did you also know that few doctors take these types of signs into account? If you feel like you have bipolar disorder but have been diagnosed with major depression, you’ll want to know about these signs because diagnosis directly affects treatment, and treatment directly affects you getting better.

Living Through Bipolar Mania—Learning to Live with the Mania Monster

Posted by Natasha Tracy | May 5, 2021

Bipolar Burble blog welcomes guest poster Bob Krulish. Bob has bipolar type 1 and today, is talking about living through mania and living with the mania monster.

I became symptomatic with bipolar disorder when I was about 16 years old, after my dad abruptly left in the middle of the night, never to return. My mom and I searched endlessly for him, driving the streets at night, shining a flashlight into dark corners of our tiny Florida town, looking for him like a lost puppy. I knew he wasn’t there; she knew he wasn’t there, but looking gave us a sense of control. That’s when my bipolar symptoms started to peek through. At first, the signs of mania were small and quiet, knocking around inside my mind like a tiny, restless mouse. There was cyclical thinking; there were obsessive tendencies, and, of course, there were delusions of grandeur.

Creating Art through the Manias and Depressions of Bipolar Disorder

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Nov 20, 2013

The Bipolar Burble blog welcomes guest author somePlaywrights, a collaboration of two writers based in Annapolis and Brooklyn, who face, seemingly weekly, a struggle to succeed as a creative, bipolar collaboration.

On its own, the practice of creating art is bizarre: fusing this abstract feeling with that concrete image, trying to convince others of something only you can see, and all the while endeavoring to balance concept with content. With the addition of bipolar disorder, a condition that is just as, if not more, slippery, firm, and fleeting, the artistic process often teeters between genius and delusion, between coherence and disunion. It is in this realm, where mania meets medium and depression intersects with artistic production, that we, as bipolar artists, must carve and claim our collective space…

Motivation and Bipolar Disorder

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Feb 20, 2013

The way I see it, bipolar disorder presents a problem with motivation (you know, among all the other bipolar problems). Many people in acute bipolar moods suffer from too much, unrestrained motivation or no motivation at all. Either way you slice it, it’s a bitch.

Personal Story of Medication Noncompliance

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Dec 7, 2011

It is politically incorrect to say medication “noncompliance.” I suppose this is because it gives the idea that the person taking medication is “complying” to some authority figure and not consciously making the decision on their own.

I get that. But whether you call it medication noncompliance or medication non-adherence, the result is the same – the person is not taking their medications as prescribed by a doctor.

And medication noncompliance can lead to devastating consequences not only in the short-term but in the long-term as well. One reader shares her experience in her own words.

Bipolar Terminology: The Difference Between Bipolar I and Bipolar II

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Oct 5, 2011

Sometimes I get so wrapped up in research, I forget some people are looking for some introductory information like the different between the types of bipolar disorder. Thanks to commenter on my GooglePlus feed, I was reminded of this fact and I decided to answer her question here so I could give her more detail.

Bipolar Terminology

Unfortunately, within bipolar terminology resides more bipolar terminology. But don’t be scared, I have information on most terms on my site and I shall try to walk gently into that good encyclopedia.

But let’s try to get rid of the terminology confusion: What is the difference between bipolar type I and bipolar type II?