Living with bipolar disorder can be challenging, and living with bipolar disorder over the holidays even more so. While there are many great things about holidays, bipolar stability often isn’t one of them. I believe we need to embrace the good parts of the holidays while protecting our mental health for after the holidays, too. Here are holiday tips when dealing with bipolar disorder.
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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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As most of you know, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline morphed into the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline last year. This has broadened its scope and who it aims to serve. Millions have accessed the 988 Lifeline through calls, texts, and messages in the last year. This is extremely impressive. But how successful is the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at helping people, and would people call 988 again if they were in distress?
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World Mental Health Day 2023 has been given the theme by the World Health Organization (WHO): mental health is a universal human right. I couldn’t agree more. But what does this mean? What is the impact of that statement? There’s more controversy there than you might think. The idea that mental health is a universal human right means one thing to the WHO, but it means something a little bit more to me.
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I know what it feels like when your doctor says they can’t help you. I’ve had this happen many times. I’ve experienced everything from being fired by a doctor to having a doctor deny me care altogether. These are rough things. Any time your doctor says they can’t help you, it’s tough to take. But there are things you can do, even at that point. Here’s what to do when your doctor says they can’t help you.
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Helping others understand mental illness is no mean feat. When it comes to tackling this problem, no one would blame you if you just felt overwhelmed. Some people are very resistant to the realities of mental illness, and creating understanding seems almost impossible. That said, while not everyone will respond positively, I believe we can help others understand mental illness.
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There are many truths about suicide that are important to understand. If you or a loved one have attempted suicide, you are concerned for a loved one about suicide, or have had a loved one die of suicide, there’s a lot to be said, and people are often scared about saying it. This fear leads to silence, and silence on this topic is painful and can be deadly. But suicide is not a dirty word; there is nothing wrong with talking about it. To that end, join me for 10 truths about suicide that we need to talk about.
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In February 2022, I decided I wanted to go off my antidepressants. This is what led me to find the company Truehope and their supplement EMPowerplus. I wish I never had. The direction from the staff at Truehope has damaged my health more than I ever thought possible. I have depression and have been greatly injured by Truehope. This is my story.
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Memory problems are common in bipolar disorder, as is cognitive impairment. It makes sense, really. If our brains misfire when it comes to mood and its related symptoms, why wouldn’t they misfire in other ways as well? People don’t like to talk about this, though. People enjoy the narrative that those with bipolar disorder are more intelligent than others (which is not true), whereas the reality, which is that people with bipolar are additionally impaired, is something people like to glass over. But people with bipolar have memory and cognitive problems.
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