As the machine-gun-wielding Sarah Connor in the Terminator movies, Linda Hamilton is the ultimate badass action hero. She’s battled cyborgs in the dystopian world of the Terminator series — the latest installment of which, Terminator Genisys, recently came out. But off-screen, she’s battled bipolar disorder.
DetailsEveryone knows your smartphone can do almost anything. You can order takeout with the flick of a finger. You can analyze your physical health. And now, you can also analyze your mental health. There are several apps in development that will monitor your moods as well as existing apps that foster relationships among the mental health community.
DetailsThis week marks Schizophrenia Awareness Week. Therefore, I bring you this story in hopes of helping to break the stigma. Mental illness in the news is usually reported when something horrific happens. A homicide. A mass shooting. Infanticide. However, mentally ill people are more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators themselves.
DetailsWe’ve seen it in movies – think Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest or Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange. In the case of both films, electroshock therapy is shown as a punishment. The efficacy of the treatment is shrouded in mystery. But electroshock therapy is not archaic, as some would believe. The treatment has evolved.
DetailsDrip. Drip. Drip. SPLAT. Drip. Drip. SLATHER. Drip. Drip. SPLAT. That’s the sound of Jackson Pollock, stick in hand in a barn-turned-studio on Long Island, drenching his canvas with paint for his latest masterpiece. We’ve all seen his iconic, messy paintings, but what about the man behind the mess?
DetailsThere’s blood on his typewriter. Dope-nose blood. Stephen King, the master of horror, is binge-writing and binge-snorting cocaine.
DetailsIt’s pretty abnormal to not drink, especially if you’re young – 40 or under. It’s even somewhat abnormal to not smoke weed if you move in certain artistic or bohemian social circles, like I do. When is it OK to disclose your addiction?
DetailsNick is a 55-year-old bipolar professionally trained musician. In this excerpt from my upcoming book The Eccentrics, we hear about how he got mixed up with the mob during his drinking days.
DetailsEveryone in the world is affected by mental illness in some way. Whether you have mental illness yourself or if you have a friend or family member who does, mental illness is universal.
DetailsIt’s midnight. There’s a candle burning in a bedroom, a bottle of Bordeaux gleaming in its wake. Creative genius flows as quickly as the wine. Ernest Hemingway — Nobel- and Pulitzer Prize-winning author — is hunched over his typewriter in a frenzy, crafting the perfect prose: clickety-clack-clack-clack as he sips the red wine. The Sun Also Rises takes shape. He’s drunk. Truth is, Hemingway never drank while writing. But when he was not writing, he was a certifiable lush.
DetailsWhen you hear the words “mentally ill,” the first thing that comes to mind is probably “crazy” — and we have the media’s negative depictions to thank for that. The truth is, many of us who are mentally ill manage our symptoms with medication and therapy and are able to lead normal or near-normal lives.
DetailsAlcohol and drugs are featured prominently in many movies because they make for sexy storylines. From prescription-drug thievery to heroin overdoses, I compiled this list of the definitive films featuring drug and alcohol addiction.
DetailsKetamine is now being used to treat bipolar depression in clinical trials. First developed for use as an animal tranquilizer, the anesthetic is also known by its street name, Special K. It is used recreationally to enhance the experience of being at a rave or club, producing euphoria and hallucinations.
DetailsAn Unquiet Mind, a galvanizing memoir that tugs at the heartstrings of the manic-depressed and their loved ones, is required reading for anyone who is bipolar or who has a loved one who is. My family and I read it cover-to-cover within weeks of my diagnosis.
DetailsIn this excerpt from The Eccentrics – my book out in 2016 – we meet Jennifer, a coke-head musician who finds solace in punk rock and classical music.
DetailsMarilyn Monroe is one of the most iconic celebrities in American history. She’s right up there with Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson for her fame fingerprint. Her face is emblazoned in the pantheons of art history as the beautiful subject of many Andy Warhol screenprints. She was the ultimate sex symbol – Playboy magazine’s…
DetailsIan is a 41-year-old graphic designer and aspiring art therapist. In this excerpt from my book The Eccentrics – out in 2016 – we hear about his mostly innocent childhood and how drugs and alcohol nearly ruined his life.
DetailsI’m not the best role model when it comes to coping with bad days. Oftentimes I will take a nap, but that’s just an easy way out. However, I find that any of these five action steps can help relieve the pain of a bad day.
DetailsWe are depressed. We are manic. Creative and courageous. Enigmatic. Quirky. We are bipolar and today we are proud. Today is our day. World Bipolar Day.
DetailsA scathing article in The Atlantic dissects the program of Alcoholics Anonymous, pointing out its flaws and advocating for a more medical approach to treating alcoholism. I read the 8,000-plus-word piece so you don’t have to. And I’ve got to say, while she’s got some points here, I hardly believe her assessment of the AA program.
DetailsAuthor of nine novels, six short story compilations, and 14 nonfiction books, Woolf is one of the most prolific writers of the 20th century. And she was very self-aware of her mental illness.
DetailsBipolar and depression are completely different, yet similar, diseases. Depression is one component of bipolar, formerly called manic depression.
DetailsI used to be a night owl. In sobriety, I’ve turned into an early bird. I love sleep. Too much. This means going to bed as soon as it gets dark and sleeping 10-12 hours. Is it healthy?
DetailsIf you feel the need to chastise James Hetfield as a crybaby for getting sober, then go burn your copy of Master of Puppets. We know you still have it.
Details“Every now and then I hear voices in my head, but not very clear,” Beach Boys frontman Brian Wilson told the New York Times Magazine in 2004. “I can’t understand what they are saying. It’s a mental illness. I have been diagnosed as a manic depressive.”
DetailsMetallica is notorious for playing hard and partying harder. That’s why the band is nicknamed Alcoholica. James Hetfield expounds on addiction and recovery.
DetailsNatalya is a 31-year-old beautiful woman from Belarus, Russia. Her youth was innocent – she grew up picking berries in the forest – but her teenage years and early adulthood were embattled by undiagnosed bipolar, an eating disorder and self-mutilation. In this excerpt from my forthcoming book The Eccentrics, we hear about Natalya’s passion for electronic music and dancing.
DetailsOur culture has come a long way since One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. While the Jack Nicholson film is indeed a great one, it is nowhere near an accurate picture of what mental illness and treatment look like today. The following films get it right.
DetailsBipolar disorder, formerly called manic depression, occurs when a person experiences mania – an elevated mood marked by increased energy, delusions of grandeur, and sometimes psychosis, paranoia, and hallucinations. Mania is a perpetual high that feels like doing cocaine without actually snorting it. Those who struggle with this malady are also plagued with bouts of horrible depression.
DetailsShe played Priness Leia – one of the most iconic heroes in Hollywood history. But off screen, Carrie Fisher has battled bipolar and addiction for decades.
DetailsBrendan is a 32-year-old bipolar gay man who grew up in a trailer park near Jacksonville, FL. In this excerpt from the forthcoming book The Eccentrics, we hear about his travails as a teenage runaway in New York City.
DetailsIf medical marijuana is part of your personal treatment plan for bipolar, you might want to rethink it.
Details“I’m bipolar 1, I have borderline personality disorder, and I’m a recovering addict. The meds for bipolar make me feel as though my brain is in a vice grip.”
DetailsOn Superbowl Sunday 2012, I sat down with my last six-pack of beer. I think I took it easy since I knew I was going to rehab the next day. I also admitted I was an alcoholic.
DetailsFox News host Tom Sullivan really stepped in it Jan. 28 on his radio show. While he stopped short of calling a guest “crazy,” he just may deserve the title himself. “I think bipolar is like the latest fad. Everybody and their brother is getting diagnosed with bipolar.”
DetailsThis article will make your skin crawl. It’s chock full of lies and assumptions gone awry. You will want to scream after reading it. It’s a scare-mongering piece of hogwash that panders to card-carrying NRA members.
DetailsBradley Cooper doesn’t touch the stuff. Neither does Eminem. Jennifer Hudson has never had a drink in her life. Robert Downey Jr. doesn’t partake anymore either. Jennifer Lopez. Ewan McGregor. Colin Farrell. Tobey Macguire. Ben Affleck. All of them sober.
Details“My friend Steph has bipolar and a drinking problem. She had been sober for about 3 months. But she texted me and mentioned she was having a couple beers, which concerned me.”
DetailsThe tortured artist. There’s a reason why we hear that cliché over and over again. It’s true. Many of the greatest artists, authors and musicians have lived with mood disorders, and subsequently addiction. The two seem to go hand in hand.
DetailsJason is a bipolar businessman who’s been to rehab or detox a whopping 17 times. From corrupt cons to crack cocaine, read part of this amazing story, which appears in the upcoming book The Eccentrics – out in 2016.
DetailsOver time, Van Gogh was hospitalized at least five times for manic-depressive breakdowns. Friends and various artists described him as eccentric, disturbed, terrifying, on the verge of a breakdown, extremely difficult, obstinate and as a heavy drinker.
DetailsThis was the year I turned the corner on my life after seven years lost due to alcohol and drugs.
DetailsWouldn’t it be great if we could all drink and use moderately?
DetailsEvery music mag and blog is coming out with their best of list for 2014. We at the Bipolar Addict decided to count down the best bipolar songs that encapsulate the bipolar experience.
DetailsThe news just doesn’t get us. There’s the old saying “If it bleeds, it leads.” And it’s true. Nevermind the bipolar teacher or lawyer or athlete who contributes to society splendidly.
DetailsIt’s the feeling you get when you’re higher than the moon for no reason at all. You’re invincible. Everything you do or say is brilliant. You’re hyper-aware. You’re bathing in a pool of euphoria. You’re high. But you didn’t do any drugs. That high is addictive.
DetailsAlcohol. Heroin. Cocaine. Crack Cocaine. Ecstasy. Ketamine. All of Amy Winehouse’s drugs of choice. They rendered her Lithium treatment for bipolar useless.
DetailsA whopping 11 percent of American adults are taking antidepressants. That’s more than 1 in 10. This is according to a 2011 study by the Center for Disease Control. In 2012, there were 228.4 million prescriptions written for antidepressants, according to IMS Health.
DetailsKelly is a theatrical actress who got hooked on crystal meth and cocaine. In this excerpt from The Eccentrics, we see the irony of her addiction as it relates to her acting career.
DetailsWilliams confided to Carrie Fisher about his moods. While he didn’t believe he was bipolar, he answered yes to the five “Are You Bipolar?” questions Fisher posed at her one-woman show.
DetailsThis Thanksgiving, we are thankful for our sobriety. We are thankful for our sanity. We are thankful for our fellowship. We are thankful for our friends and family who have supported us. And we are also thankful for our creativity.
DetailsThe most profitable drug in the US is not Viagra. It’s not Ambien. It’s not Prozac. No, it’s…
DetailsConor answers a question from a reader about weaning yourself off drugs and how that can result in hypomania.
DetailsNancy C. Andreasen, a neuroscientist and psychiatrist who studies creativity, wrote a fascinating article “Secrets of the Creative Brain” in a recent issue of The Atlantic.
Details“I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity. During these fits of absolute unconsciousness, I drank – God only knows how often or how much. As a matter of course, my enemies referred the insanity to the drink, rather than the drink to the insanity.”
– Edgar Allan Poe, “The Tell-Tale Heart”
In a recent Huffington Post article, bipolar was referred to as the “disease of the decade.” However, the word bipolar has become part of the vernacular for all the wrong reasons.
DetailsEthan is a thirtysomething Harvard-educated heroin junkie. While he is sober and stable now, he wasn’t always. Here is an excerpt from the forthcoming book The Eccentrics in which he relays one of his grandiose rock-bottoms. From Chapter 7, The Jetsetter: California. 2005. SFO airport. High on ketamine. Manic. He was wearing sunglasses and a crimson…
DetailsA little out of my element at Planet Earth – The ’80s New Wave dance party at Late Bar. I dressed for the wrong decade. Kurt Cobain was a bipolar heroin addict. This year marked the 20th anniversary of his death.
DetailsRene Russo let the bipolar cat out of the bag on the Queen Latifah Show. She made the revelation on Monday’s taping of the program.
DetailsIt’s “E.R.” meets “Grey’s Anatomy” with a twist of mental illness. “Black Box” follows the story of Dr. Catherine Black – a world-famous neurologist who is bipolar. The bipolar TV character is played by British actress Kelly Reilly. But how realistic is the show’s portrayal of bipolar disorder? Unlike Claire Danes’ role as bipolar C.I.A. agent…
DetailsWhat if Kurt Cobain had taken lithium instead of heroin? Would he still be alive today? Would it have stifled his creativity? Or maybe enhanced it?
DetailsAddiction is a disease. The brain of the addict is different than the “normal” human brain. It craves escape. Numbness. A reprieve from reality.
DetailsIn this first installment of Netflix Instant Queue Theater, I watched all or part of 18 movies. Horror movies are a dime a dozen and chock-full of clichés. They take place in cabins. At summer camps. In creepy old mansions. High schools. And tiny towns. They are rife with hot coeds getting naked. It’s no secret…
DetailsThe Colorado Shootings: Guns, Not Movies To Blame The suspected gunman in Aurora, Colorado, James Holmes, inevitably had an unhealthy obsession with the ultraviolent Batman films. He dyed his hair red and told police “I am The Joker.” He had a Batman poster and mask in his apartment. Did he read comics? An ABC report…
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