International Bipolar Foundation's blog

 Life before… Life After….and then After More

I was sitting around the other day thinking about how long it has been since I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 18 and all that has happened since then. It’s quite interesting because I seem to remember my first inpatient stay still so vividly, but I think I always will as I know many people who don’t forget their hospital stays no matter how long it has been.

How do I stop the slide?

Someone commented on the Scott Inside Out facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/scottinsideout2) a while ago that they’d like to know how to “stop the slide”. This is an excellent question! It refers the ability to stop from getting depressed when things are going downhill for you. In my experience, the ability to do this has a massive benefit to quality of life for those of us who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

 Writing Angry

 Keeping up with Mental Health Awareness for the month of May, I thought I'd talk a bit about what Mental Health Means to Me.

 Mother's Day Tears

I have the handprints in a frame. I have the popsicle jewelry box. I even have the photo calendar. What I don't have is my older son. But I can't have him. Not this year.

 Mental Health Stigma: The Problems that Result
(Article 2 in the Stigma Series)

My blog is called Scott Inside Out. It will highlight my bipolar experiences and strategies I use to have consistent natural mental wellness.

 On the Scott Inside Out - Natural Mental wellness facebook page last week, I asked what tips people would like to learn about in terms of bipolar disorder. And also what would give them the most value. Someone responded by wanting to know how "to get going when you know you are in a low but the mud feels so thick you can't seem to drag yourself out". This person was also curious in learning how to "stop the slide" when you know that you're going downhill.

 ECT Treatments for Medication Resistant Depression

Almost at the finish line

I apologize for my lack of posts for the past month. My professors have a tendency to pack all the exams at the beginning of the month and then I lose track of the times I need to submit entries in.

On the brighter side, I am four weeks away from graduation.

May 30th.

I graduate with a chemistry degree.

At the moment, I’m in a difficult situation, where I am trying to manage to pass my classes.