Bipolar and Identity: In Search of Self
Last week, as a Question of the Week, I asked: If you had access to an imaginary pill that could cure you of your bipolar right now, forever, would you take it?
The answer was unambiguous. Hell yes, said the five people who responded.
I can certainly identify with this response. There is no way to describe the hells I’ve endured with this illness. Even today, in a state of relative recovery, I am constantly paying the price... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - February 8, 2014 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
If There Were a Cure: The Bipolar Question of the Week
Every once in a blue moon, I feel I need to ask this question. Let’s make this short and sweet:
If you had access to an imaginary pill that could cure you of your bipolar right now, forever, would you take it?
Please feel free to tell me what a stupid question this is. Comments below ... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - February 3, 2014 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
The Heartbreak of Relationships: When Depression Crashes the Party
Last month, I wrote that there may be times when we are too quick to blame depression for our loving relationships going wrong. Yes, depression is the 800-pound gorilla we bring into our relationships, but even 800-pound gorillas are innocent until proven guilty.
But then there are times when that 800-pound gorilla turns into Public Enemy Number One. In a question posted yesterday here on HealthCentral, Babylove, who has been in a stable... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - December 31, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
The Heartbreak of Relationships: When Depression Crashes the Party
Last month, I wrote that there may be times when we are too quick to blame depression for our loving relationships going wrong. Yes, depression is the 800-pound gorilla we bring into our relationships, but even 800-pound gorillas are innocent until proven guilty.
But then there are times when that 800-pound gorilla turns into Public Enemy Number One. In a question posted yesterday here on HealthCentral, Babylove, who has been in a... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - December 31, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
End of the Year: What Have We Learned? You'd Be Surprised
This is the time of year to pause and reflect. A few of my own random ruminations:
Major achievement of the year
Veggies baked in puff pastry. Last year, I perfected a veggie loaf. This was a greens-mushroom-potato-walnut-egg concoction stuffed in a meatloaf pan. This year, I had the bright idea of rolling it up in a mustard-coated puff pastry sheet. What came out of the oven was a culinary masterpiece - my own Veggie... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - December 31, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
Finding Support in Our Lives: DBSA, Mad Mafias, and Occasional Normal
We cannot do it alone. We need support. I bring this up because a few days ago I attended my first DBSA meeting in a good five years. Support groups are DBSA’s strong suit, and I would recommend that anyone with bipolar attend at least one meeting.
I facilitated and attended support groups for a period of about seven years back when I lived on the east coast. Initially, I experienced the relief I encountered from being around... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - December 28, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
By Popular Demand - A Holiday Vision
I first posted this in 2008...
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the placeNot a thought was racing, not even a trace;The meds were all stashed, in the cabinet with care;A warning to my neurons, behave and beware.
Click here to continue ...
(Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - December 25, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
A Quick Holiday Safety Check
A quick reminder: This time of year can be especially stressful for us. Being alone can be bad enough. Being around family in some cases can even be worse. Getting along with people you ordinarily wouldn’t have in your life can always be a challenge, but to make things worse, your Uncle Ernie is bound to get in his two cents about that Duck Dude.
It seems everyone has an opinion.
Recall Uncle Ernie shooting off his big... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - December 24, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
Seeing the World Through a Grey Veil: A Conversation on Suicide
This post is about suicide. Perhaps you are as uncomfortable reading about it as I am writing about it. I can’t help but think that I have been in a wrestling match with my life on the line for as long as I can remember, and that one day I am simply going to stop fighting back.
I had one of those really bad wrestling matches two months ago. Seriously, I am not comfortable with this topic.
Then there is a good friend I... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - December 22, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
The DSM Bipolar Diagnosis - A Clear Case of Not Valid
Last week, in a piece on the bipolar diagnosis, I asked, how reliable is reliable? My answer, in effect, amounted to “not nearly reliable enough.” This is based on the DSM-5’s own reliability data. In a commentary in the American Journal of Psychiatry, the authors of the DSM-5 are far more charitable in their assessment. (For more on the reliability controversy, please check out my earlier piece.)
Moving on... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - December 21, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
Andrew Solomon on Depression - You Have to See This TED Talk
I am going to make this very short. Today, TED posted a 29-minute talk by Andrew Solomon, author of The Noonday Demon, which is one of the best books on depression. I just finished viewing the talk. I'm not going to say any more. Here is the link:
Andrew Solomon Depression TED Talk
Feel free to comment below ... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - December 18, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
Do You Know What's In Your Supplements? - The Bipolar Question of the Week
Yesterday, the New York Times published an opinion piece with this provocative title: Skip the Supplements. The article’s two authors, Paul Offit and Sarah Erush, are involved in the running of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Here is the situation:
In order to protect the safety of its patients, the hospital will no longer administer dietary supplements unless the manufacturer provides a third-party written guarantee... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - December 16, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
The Bipolar Diagnosis: How Reliable Is Reliable?
Last week, I posted Is the Diagnosis Worse Than the Illness? This was in response to some reader comments, in particular, Donna, who wrote that: “Honestly, sometimes I think being diagnosed did me in.”
Misdiagnosis is common, not to mention overdiagnosis and underdiagnosis. A psychiatrist, after all, unlike a radiologist, can’t exactly pull up the equivalent of a mammogram. If only, but wait ...
How reliable... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - December 16, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
Bipolar Alert - This Just In: We Are NOT From Earth
I just posted a sober and depressing piece. Now for something completely different:
Today, I came across this item: Expert Claims That Humans DO NOT Come From Earth. The article was posted on a site called Higher Perspective, based on a very short book by Ellis Silver, who is an ecologist.
According to Dr Silver, humans have a very difficult time adjusting to life on earth. Giving birth is a chore, we are disease-prone, the... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - December 8, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
Bipolar Disorder: Is the Diagnosis Worse Than the Actual Illness?
Let’s lead with an extremely provocative question: Is being diagnosed with bipolar worse than actually having bipolar disorder?
I’m not just asking this out of the blue. Last week, in response to my post on shorter life expectancy, Donna wrote:
Honestly, sometimes I think being diagnosed did me in. ... I had all the same symptoms I have now. Even more. But I assumed nothing was wrong, that I... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - December 8, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
