Bipolar Research In the News

 The 12 Steps of Christmas

“My name is Sarah and I am a Holiday-holic”.

Yes, I love the holidays. In fact, I probably love them too much. I am so emotionally over-invested that I sometimes get overwhelmed, creating a horrible disconnect between the fantasy and the reality.

The truth is that I have gone through the same cycle of manic hyper-anticipation and inevitable anticlimax so many times that I have finally come to embrace the wisdom of AA:

 The Bipolar Roller Coaster

 MEDICATION, COMMUNICATION & EMOTION

When is a good time for my friends to ask about how I'm doing with my meds? Or whether I've been taking them constantly?

I asked myself these questions recently because my colleagues know about my condition and they often ask me about my meds. While I appreciate the concern they are showing, I have come across one instance when it was not a good idea to ask me.

Bipolar Disorder: More Recurrences in Teens with Comorbid Anxiety

By: HEIDI SPLETE, Clinical Psychiatry News Digital Network

TORONTO – Children and teens with bipolar disorder had a significantly longer recovery time and more recurrences if they had comorbid anxiety disorders, based on data from a longitudinal study.

 “A Letter to Amy Winehouse”
by Bassey Ikpi

For Amy and other women who carry chaos.

 Let’s Stop This Charade

 The Gift

I used to call it a curse and I hated myself for it. Having bipolar used to give me shame and stigma. However, what I didn’t know is that it would transform my life into abundance, strength and hope. I was only eighteen years old when I got diagnosed. That was thirteen years ago.

Jen T., 32, who works in Singapore, was diagnosed in early 2008 when she inexplicably broke down in her boss' office. Before that she had experienced perplexing cycles of highs and lows over a few years. With the diagnosis, some measure of healing started taking place and she believes in being open, whether with her family or colleagues or church friends, as part of the healing journey. She recently completed a master's thesis in the communication for social change programme in the University of Queensland.

The Princess in the Tower