I am a writer. I am a blogger. I am a music aficionado and a tennis player. I am a television producer. But I am NOT bipolar. I happen to have the bipolar condition.
DetailsThe vernacular has been to say that he or she “committed” suicide. It is no longer acceptable to use the phrase that one has “committed suicide.”
DetailsCould psychedelic mushrooms quell depression? The answer is maybe.
DetailsIt’s official. President Trump is cuckoo for cocoa puffs. And he’s even losing the support of fellow Republicans.
DetailsNo amount of alcohol is healthy for you. Zero. Zilch. Nada. This according to a new study published Thursday in the scientific journal The Lancet and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. You may have heard that a glass or two of red wine per day is good for your heart. Not so, according…
DetailsIn the near future, your blood might tell your doctor whether or not you have or are prone to major depression. These findings are immense, a means of a possible early detection and intervention in cases of depression.
DetailsSuperman’s love interest was bipolar in real life. Margot Kidder — who played Daily Planet journalist Lois Lane in the Superman film series of the ‘70s and ‘80s — died in May at the age of 69. Her death has now been ruled a suicide.
DetailsThe youngest among us are experiencing PTSD. And it couldn’t be more ugly. Immigrant children separated from their mothers and fathers at the border are slowly being reunited, slowly but surely, but they’re just not the same anymore.
DetailsDemi Lovato is a bipolar pop star with four top ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100. The embattled bipolar addict was hospitalized after a relapse on opioids.
DetailsCommon people do not have a monopoly on feeling hopeless and suicidal. It can happen to anyone, including celebrities. Just because someone may be rich and famous doesn’t mean they are at fault for not spending money on treatment to feel better.
DetailsNo name is more synonymous with recovery than Betty Ford. As first lady, she struggled with addiction. She is best known for founding the Betty Ford Center.
DetailsAntipsychotic medications are reportedly being forced upon immigrant children detained at the federally funded Shiloh Treatment Center near Houston, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court.
DetailsRaised on smartphones, Snapchat, and Spotify, millennials are now experiencing the highest levels of major depression among any other demographic group. New info released by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) shows spikes in depression among young people.
DetailsJamie Lee Curtis is more than just a “scream queen,” the nickname she earned for her numerous appearances in blockbuster horror movies, including 1978’s Halloween and its sequel. Recovery is the greatest success of her life.
DetailsBe a tough guy. Play it cool. Hide your feelings. And, above all, never let anyone see you cry. I’m here to tell you that being a real tough guy is totally different.
DetailsYou don’t even deserve to be bipolar. But if you are, you’re a buffoon. You are a total faux-artist provocateur — not in a good way — and an egomaniacal rapper who’s now only in it for the fame and fortune.
DetailsSuicide is like a volcano. If your brain is wired for depression or suicide, like a volcano is wired to erupt, when the sleeping dragon awakes, the fire and frenzy flows down to the sea, and there’s no turning back.
DetailsSuicide is becoming rampant — and not just among celebrities, such as Robin Williams, Chris Cornell, Chester Bennington, Scott Hutchison, and most recently, Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, but among the entire population.
DetailsYou don’t even deserve to be bipolar. But if you are, you’re a buffoon. You are a total faux-artist provocateur — not in a good way — and an egomaniacal rapper who’s now only in it for the fame and fortune.
DetailsIt was in rehab in 2012 that I decided to carry the flag for the mentally ill. I’d received my diagnosis of bipolar four years earlier and ended up in treatment because I was drinking two six-packs of beer or two bottles of wine — or more — every night.
DetailsDiana Ross is an astronomical powerhouse of a singer, having built her reputation as the star of The Supremes, one of the premier Motown acts of the 1960s. But beneath the chart-topping and star acting, a beastly addiction to alcohol and prescription painkillers emerged.
DetailsHumble emotions of joy and grief ebb and flow in the music of Frightened Rabbit, a band from small-town Scotland who lost its lead singer, 36-year-old Scott Hutchison, to apparent suicide on Thursday.
DetailsInjection centers – safe spaces for people to inject illicit drugs like heroin — have come to America, and New York is the latest city to hop on board.
DetailsEsketamine recently passed a phase-two clinical trial with flying colors, demonstrating its therapeutic uses for suicidal depression. The effects of esketamine occur in just four hours after treatment — an unheard-of length of time compared to conventional antidepressants such as Prozac and Paxil
DetailsRapid cycling occurs when a person flips from manic to depressed, or vice versa, within a matter of days, weeks, months, or even hours.
DetailsI don’t know how I managed to go stealth, but I did. A lot of smoking and gum chewing was involved in my cover-up scheme, though that doesn’t usually mask the smell all the way, since the alcohol emanates from your pores as well.
DetailsMariah Carey is now the most high-profile person living with bipolar disorder. She’s a beautiful woman even at 48, a superstar with pipes of gold and a voice that could outshine an opera singer. And now, she joins the ranks of fellow pop-culture icons like Carrie Fisher, Marilyn Monroe, and Amy Winehouse in what I’ll call the bipolar diva club.
DetailsI don’t know about you, but it’s springtime that usually triggers my mania. The warm weather, the tulips popping up, green grass, and trees with budding leaves makes me feel high after a winter of hibernation and depression.
DetailsEveryone around you just wants the best for you. But the best isn’t always what’s in store for us bipolar folks. We all wear masks. Even the normies. Everyone has something wrong with their life. We cover up the bad things and pretend to be all right.
DetailsI used to be ashamed of my bipolar status. I was ashamed of all of the screwball things I did when I was manic. We who are bipolar are all a little bit eccentric. I’m proud to be eccentric and I think it’s what makes me me. I’ve been stable, without a manic episode, since 2009.
DetailsDemi Lovato doesn’t flinch. She speaks her mind and is more articulate than most pop stars. Ask her about her bipolar disorder, addiction, or self-harming and she explains the tiniest of details.
DetailsA fascist dictator and Donald Trump now have something (else) in common: They both want to execute drug dealers. His position on opioids represents a slippery slope that could lead to even more extreme policies.
DetailsPut down that Call of Duty for a second, will ya? Video game addiction is on the move, and it is now recognized by the World Health Organization as an official disorder.
DetailsDeaths by drug overdose soared to more than 64,000 in 2016. Gun deaths totaled 33,000. This is not to discount mass shootings like ones in Parkland, Las Vegas, and Newtown, among many others, but comparatively little attention is paid to the opioid crisis, which is taking more lives many times over.
DetailsI caved. Last Wednesday, I smoked a cigarette. I had been 14 days nicotine-free. It tasted terrible and it made me feel awful. Quitting smoking continues to be harder than I thought.
DetailsKratom, which comes from a tree in Southeast Asia, is billed as a safe painkiller that can be ordered legally online and bought in your neighborhood CBD/kratom/hemp store. And while kratom addiction isn’t brand new, the FDA has only now declared the drug an opioid.
DetailsIt’s been exactly 133 hours and 32 minutes since I smoked my last cigarette. And I must say, this is exponentially harder than quitting drinking.
DetailsAloha! Today I celebrate six years of sobriety. Six years ago, minus one day, I was drinking two bottles of wine or two six packs of beer and smoking crack with homeless people every night. I nearly got addicted to crack.
DetailsBipolar pop star Demi Lovato recently announced that she will offer group counseling to her fans on show-day, before she sings her first note.
DetailsThis opioid crisis is of unbelievable magnitude. Twenty-thousand people died of opioid overdose in 2016 — mostly from fentanyl. First it took Prince. Now it’s taken Tom Petty. Petty’s autopsy revealed.
DetailsMagic mushrooms just may not be only for followers of jam bands like Phish and Widespread Panic anymore. Turns out there might be more to mushrooms than swirling kaleidoscope auras and Willy Wonka-like hallucinations.
DetailsPotato chips. Ice cream. Cupcakes. Pie. Cookies. Chocolates. Fried anything. Food can be the enemy when we cave to cravings. We who are bipolar are prone to eating our problems. And taking some medications, like Seroquel, can result in weight gain. A 2008 study by nurses Susan Simmons-Alling and Sandra Talley published in The Journal…
DetailsLate December is a rock critic’s dream. A time to reflect and dig up the treasures from this year’s new music releases and dissect them with a fine toothed comb. Yep, Christmastime is also the time for year-end Top Ten lists. And The Bipolar Addict has a list this year in no particular order.
DetailsI don’t know about you, but my psychiatrist has a very expensive hourly rate and he doesn’t take insurance. It’s a serious chunk out of my yearly budget. U.S. spent $201 billion on mental healthcare in 2013.
DetailsParents across the country are outraged about the Netflix show 13 Reasons Why — which tells a story of teen suicide — and its potential for triggering copycat suicides.
DetailsDementia has been on my mind lately because there’s a chance that my bipolar dad may have it. He turns 80 on February 1, and he’s flying in from Hawaii — where my parents live — for a neurology appointment at University of Chicago Hospital because the hospitals in Hawaii — especially on mini Maui — aren’t that great.
DetailsNow comes a new socially significant video from Maryland rapper Logic. The name of the song is “1-800-273-8255” — the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The song is enjoying serious radio play and is currently No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.
DetailsGuest blogger from The Bipolar Battle John Poehler explains how ECT, or electroconvulsive therapy — formerly known as electroshock therapy — was a lifesaver for him.
DetailsIt’s official. President Trump is cuckoo for cocoa puffs. And he’s even losing the support of fellow Republicans.
DetailsKicking a drug or alcohol habit is one of the most challenging struggles a person can face. Rather than the traditional 28 days of rehab, there’s another approach that may help. Magnetic pulses to the brain may curb addiction, according to one Italian scientist.
DetailsAt New York Comic Con last week, Marvel showcased a new Fox TV series that features the manic-depressive superhero Polaris, who has superpowers in addition to bipolar disorder.
DetailsSir Isaac Newton (1642-1726) was a British mad scientist with bipolar disorder and a torrent of discoveries in the world of science, mathematics, and physics, from laws to theories to facts.
DetailsWhat to do to commemorate a week dedicated to mental illness? Might seem strange, but I think Mental Illness Awareness Week is something to be celebrated.
DetailsI had the pleasure of learning that I was chosen as a nominee for a Blogger Recognition Award by John Poehler over at The Bipolar Battle. His blog is a poignant, cumulative resource for everything bipolar.
DetailsIt’s one of the most recognizable guitar riffs in rock history and it was written by a bipolar musical genius from London. “You Really Got Me” by The Kinks is only two chords, but just try to get it out of your head once you’ve heard it.
DetailsDespite extensive progress in recent years, the stigma against both addiction and mental illness remains high. But there are simple statements you can make to dodge the question at first.
DetailsA new report says that a staggering number of Americans take antidepressants. These new numbers show a 65-percent increase in antidepressant use.
DetailsBipolar pop singer Demi Lovato gave a new radio interview recently, in which she said she does not want the label of bipolar to take over her life. Despite being one of the most outspoken opponents of bipolar stigma, Lovato fears people will only think of her bipolar and not her music. The 24-year-old singer…
DetailsNearly six million people in the U.S. suffer from bipolar disorder and 16 million more cope with major depression. A new study aims to demystify these two disorders. And you can participate!
DetailsAn attack on Sinéad O’Connor is an attack on us. #OneOfMillions
DetailsThis is Jonestown in the age of technology. The founder of an online “game” called the Blue Whale Challenge has said his victims are “biological waste,” that they were “happy to die,” and that he was “cleansing society.” The online Blue Whale Game is spreading throughout social media and the bodycount is rising. If you…
DetailsEven though I wouldn’t have called myself a fan of Linkin Park or the band’s music, I was an admirer of frontman Chester Bennington’s lyrics and so was distraught to learn about his suicide yesterday.
Details***TRIGGER*** Something is happening on Facebook Live, and it’s horrifying.
DetailsWorst. Night of sleep. Ever. Out of nowhere, I had an evening of poor-quality sleep. I slept heavily and didn’t wake up in the middle of the night, but I woke up exhausted. What do you do when this happens?
DetailsSome groundbreaking investigative reporting by The New York Times reveals an astounding statistic about the growing opioid epidemic.
DetailsCarrie Fisher’s cause of death was officially confirmed as sleep apnea, with other factors, including heart disease and drug abuse. Drug abuse can intensify symptoms of sleep apnea and even prove to be fatal when the two are combined.
DetailsSuicide has been on my mind lately, ever since I started watching the show 13 Reasons Why on Netflix.
DetailsA recent study revealed that people who suffer severe mental ilness are 53 percent more likely to develop heart disease, heart attack, and stroke, compared to the general population.
DetailsThe hit list is long and innocent people plagued with the disease of addiction are dying in Southeast Asia. Filipino dictator Rodrigo Duterte is on a witch hunt for drug addicts and anyone involved in the drug trade.
DetailsAt the pinnacle of his career, immediately following the release of Soundgarden’s 1994 album Superunknown, Chris Cornell was singing about depression. Unfortunately, it was depression that ultimately brought him down. “How would I know / that this could be my fate?” he sings on Superunknown’s “Fell on Black Days.” The frontman for Soundgarden and Audioslave, and…
DetailsI had the privilege of being interviewed by BP Hope a.k.a. Bipolar Magazine. Check it out.
DetailsThe bipolar brain is one of mystery. It puzzles doctors and evades explanation. But more progress is around the corner. A new study could mean good things for drug development.
DetailsWouldn’t it be great if we could all scrap our medications and take vitamins instead? It’s a pipe dream. Or is it?
DetailsI get the greatest kick out of coloring. Yes, coloring. I have a set of 24 colored pencils. I have magic markers, metallic pens, and, yes, a box of Crayola lies atop my home office desk. No, I am not in a kindergarten class. I am a 37-year-old creative guy.
DetailsThe longtime frontman for Depeche Mode, one of the world’s most popular and influential electronic groups was hooked on heroin. He somehow managed to not only clean up but come back more vital than before.
DetailsSix states have proposed legislation that would outlaw capital punishment for people with severe mental illness.
DetailsHer voice is potent and with purpose. And there’s a mighty message to her music, the kind of viewpoint that is rare these days. Recently signed to Warner Records — the label that put Ed Sheeran on the map — newcomer Irish singer-songwriter Stephanie Rainey has a powerful idea to share in her new…
DetailsAimee Mann is a modern-day folk heroine who has cranked out nine studio albums, including her brand-new release, Mental Illness. She’s pulled a black dog out of her hat with a deluge of melancholy gems that give subtle nods to mental health.
DetailsToday is World Bipolar Day. Sixty million people worldwide live with bipolar disorder, and each and every one of them is unique and passionate. In fact, passion is the theme of the day this year. The official hashtag for today is #MyBipolarFuelsMyPassion4 _____. Let’s get it trending on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
DetailsJingled. Antifogmatic. Crapulous. Nippitaty. Clearly I went through the thesaurus looking for synonyms for “drunk.” Back in 2012, that’s not only how I was, it was who I was. Five years ago, I was stuck in a whirlwind of alcoholic madness. On my last night of drinking, I went to a Super Bowl party of…
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