Gain hope, support, and victory!
A site created to provide hope, support, and insight to those who are affected by bipolar disorder and mental illness; Also including support and educational information for caregivers and loved ones. This site was not set up by a licensed professional in any way. I am just a fellow bipolar survivor and stigma fighter who believes that we all have the potential to gain control over our illnesses and win the battle.
“There is still hope for a more joyous and stronger future. Keep weathering the storm, push through the strength of the tides, take your time, relax, and breathe. Don’t let the strong winds knock you down. Get up, fight, and try again. You are strong enough. Keep pressing on, embrace the moment, and never give up. Life is a beautiful journey. In time, you will see. ” -Kait
Living with bipolar disorder or any mental illness can make it seem as though life is impossible, unfair, or feel as though one’s life has been completely taken away from them at times. One also may feel like they can never win over their illness or evenbegin to know what feels real to them anymore. These are normal feelings to experience when having a mental illness such as bipolar disorder.
Bipolar disorder is considered a mental illness where those affected with the disorder will experience alternating periods of elation (mania) and depression. Not one person will experience bipolar disorder in the same way as another person will. Everyone who lives with bipolar disorder has their own set of symptoms, triggers, and will even react very differently to medications than others might. This makes sense because everybody in this world is different. We are all “wired” and put together in our own, unique ways. We all deal with symptoms of depression, stress, anxiety, and mania differently. With having a diagnosis that is similar to others such as “bipolar” or “depression,” we will most certainly still have very similar feelings, worries, and struggles to others, but nothing is ever exact.
I have personally lived with bipolar my whole life and was first diagnosed at the young age of twelve. Over time, I began to accept the diagnosis of bipolar. It wasn’t until early 2011 that I had decided to help others who also struggle with mental illnesses by providing them with knowledge, support, and hope that I had discovered in myself over the years.
Acceptance is the very first step to recover from any problem. I spent many years in therapy and with my psychiatrist gaining more knowledge of the disorder and treatment options. I learned about many coping methods and how to continue to talk openly about my feelings and illness. I found that when I had talked with my therapists over the years, I started to better understand myself and what I was going through. It has given me great comfort just knowing and having that reassurance that the feelings that I am or had been feeling are normal. It is very important for those with bipolar disorder or mental illness to keep communication open at all times. Communication is a much-needed and very helpful skill for those with bipolar to have if they want to successfully gain control over their illness. It is very important that the person struggling with the illness is able to open up to someone who they can trust when they have noticed sudden changes in their moods. I would also recommend to caregivers to approach and check in on their bipolar loved ones every so often and ask questions such as (but not limited to) “How are you feeling today?” “Can I help you with something?” or “Let’s talk about it.” Sometimes just being there and providing support for someone who is struggling can instantly change how they feel. The caregivers and the loved ones of a bipolar patient can make a great difference too. With every little bit of help, the journey to stability can become even more possible!
Always remember: You are never alone. We are all in this together to fight, survive, and conquer mental illness. We have the power to be our best selves and to begin to view the world differently and more positively than ever before. We are also here to fight the stigma that is attached to mental illness and show those who hold the judgments so closely that we are people too and that we have just as much potential as anyone else. We all deserve a chance at equality and happiness. We are stronger than the stigma!
Keep weathering the storm. Keep pushing forward and hold on for that chance for a much better tomorrow. You deserve it and you can do it!
you sound like you are coping very well with your illness. you talk very precisely and demonstrate understanding of many of the key areas. the key word that you have used on this page is FIGHT. i have always seen this as a fight and i myself feel like i have covered much ground by fighting and i intend to help others in their fight. I think this is an illness to fight, not an illness to embrace. I am appalled every time i read bipolar bloggers talking about how they are happy that they are bipolar and that they are proud and just want others to accept them for how they are. I feel this is wrong because these feelings are not constant feelings, and at other times these people will be wishing that they were dead and that they didn’t have bipolar at all. since i think we can agree that this is an illness and not a blessing in fact, and that it causes much more suffering that it does enjoyment, then we should talk about fighting it. Moreover, i think that as soon as you agree with yourself that you want to fight it, and that it’s not a good thing in any way, then you are on the road to recovery. The illness itself feeds directly on the sufferer buying into a number of lies involving being ‘special’ or ‘powerful’ or ‘a god’ or whatever, and these are entirely false, and a big pile of nonsense. but while the sufferer is clinging onto the idea that these things are true, or maybe slightly true, or could mean something else, then they are in the grip of this nasty seductive and deceitful illness. Keep up the fight and have a read of my blog as i develop it…. cheers
Thank you. I appreciate your thoughts and totally agree with what you had to say. Well said!!
Definitely agree. Never understood why people tried to “embrace” bipolar disorder. I have never seen it as a possibility, as -like you said- emotions are never stable/constant. I have honestly been struggling with accepting this disorder for over 9 years (when I was originally diagnosed). Just recently I have realized that it is in fact still very apparent in my every day life as it was 9 years ago and it is not something I can change but I must deal with it if I want to survive my life. So glad to know there are others out there dealing with this!!! (I never realized how many people have it, as I’ve been in denial for this long.)
Thanks for following my blog. I don’t have enough time to read through your posts now, but I will in the future. I think that your perspectives will be particularly valuable for me and my husband, as he has bipolar disorder and it can sometimes be very challenging.
We all experience life differently: and the disorder differently. As such,
” I think this is an illness to fight, not an illness to embrace. I am appalled every time i read bipolar bloggers talking about how they are happy that they are bipolar and that they are proud and just want others to accept them for how they are.”
Yes, it’s a daily struggle, sometimes an hourly one. Guess what, some people’s route to recovery is embracing it. Everyone experiences Bipolar differently. The fact that i’m hedging on disagreeing with you is evident of that! That is to say, some people find resolution through accepting the fact that they ARE Bipolar. Otherwise you live in denial, much of a juxtaposition of what you just said. You end up spending years chasing after your demons whereas having accepted it, you could allow yourself to move on ” So this is where i’m at. What am – I – going to do with it?” You have to empower yourself, challenge yourself, and then give yourself credit for what you do.
“I feel this is wrong because these feelings are not constant feelings, and at other times these people will be wishing that they were dead and that they didn’t have bipolar at all. since i think we can agree that this is an illness and not a blessing in fact, and that it causes much more suffering that it does enjoyment, then we should talk about fighting it.”
Except, again, some people don’t respond to consistent therapy or normal routes of medication. I know I’ve gone through about sixty different medications and about eight years of different diagnoses and various inpatient/outpatient programs with no clearer direction of how to go. Everyone has to confront their issues differently. For me, my issues are manifold. I’m not just Bipolar, I have a host of other medical problems. In fact, i’m on a sub-therapeutic dose of my medications, and none of them are the mood stabilizer. ( Lithium did absolutely nothing for me. Paradoxically, a sub therapeutic dose of a Benzodiazopene has. )
“Moreover, i think that as soon as you agree with yourself that you want to fight it, and that it’s not a good thing in any way, then you are on the road to recovery.”
Honestly, I think it is a good thing – for me at least. It has taught me one thing that no one else or anything else could. Empathy. Suffering is a very wise teacher. I’m a completely different person now than I was when I had my first fall-apart. I am a better person. Not financially, not socially, but a better human being.
“The illness itself feeds directly on the sufferer buying into a number of lies involving being ‘special’ or ‘powerful’ or ‘a god’ or whatever, and these are entirely false, and a big pile of nonsense. but while the sufferer is clinging onto the idea that these things are true, or maybe slightly true, or could mean something else, then they are in the grip of this nasty seductive and deceitful illness.”
That is where you learn to identify mania as being distinct from being healthy. In my case its made difficult by my other medical issues. Really, once you separate Manic/Healthy/Depressed you’re a step closer to your own solution. You admit: ” Yes, this is clearly mania” you contact your doctor and discuss modulation of medications and doses again.
Ironically, a lot of people who have psychiatric illnesses are exceptionally creative, many are brilliant. Sometimes you use the current to your advantage rather than run against it. That is what has taken me to overcome each day.
“Keep up the fight”
Dauntlessly and always.
Diagnosed at the age of 12? How I envy you. No wonder you seem to have your self together so well.
Thanks
. I think there are benefits to being diagnosed early, but it has still been an endless struggle. I guess it all depends on a person’s outlook too. I have found that trying to remain positive is very helpful. 
you can build a collection of useful sites related to being bipolar and add them to your site I’ve included my site “being bipolar” as a suggestion.
https://www.google.com/bookmarks/l#!threadID=GDoSNgtcZUI8/BDVAd3woQ4cDhy7Ym
I love your positivity!
Thank you
Thanks for the follow! I skimmed through your blog and I can’t wait to read it more in depth. Great job!
You’re welcome. I hope you enjoy
Good website.
Thanks!
Great read, it is so important for people to understand that Bipolar is not a homogenous illness, people experience it differently. Sometimes it is manageable and sometimes it isn’t, ditto for responses to medications. If you are like me one medication can stop working after 10 reasonable years of no full blown mania and intermittent depression, once my body stopped responding to that med all hell broke loose. I also agree with you about acceptance, although it is not always easy… the bipolar “tag” isn’t an easy one to carry for one’s self or one’s loved ones. Acceptance like so many things with mental illness is part of a continuum of learning and growth. Thanks again for you sensitivity and insight, Stay Well!!!
Thanks so much and you’re welcome. I can relate to how the medications can stop working effectively at times. It can be just awful when treatments aren’t responsive. I used to always wait for a “miracle pill,” but I discovered that recovery is up to me and not to be fully reliant on medications. It’s quite difficult at first. Hope all is well and thank you for commenting
I love your site. Follow mine at
Many of us
I love your blog! After reading it, I felt inspired to start my own just to help me cope with my own stresses of life.
Thanks! I’m humbled to hear that I’ve inspired you. Blogging is a great outlet and can be quite enjoyable. Best of luck to you!
thank you for visiting my site and following! i am so very sorry you have had to fight this battle, but it sure seems like you are doing a lot of good in the fight. i admire that.
Thank you for visiting my site too. I enjoy your site. Thanks so much for the support
xo
Lucky you to be diagnosed so early in life! What a blessing! I identify with all you say. Especially your comment regarding agreeing to finally fight it. I learned the hard lesson after a lengthy hospitalization and refusing medication that it was best to accept my illness. Ironically, of course, i was too ill at the time to realize it. Such is the way of bipolar. Hard for folks to understand. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for liking my post, it brought me here and I like what you have written.
Kait, this is a such a great site, so inspiring and so informative. I can’t wait to follow your your posts. Thanks for finding and following Familiar Minds.
Thank you and you’re very welcome.
Thanks for following my blog, Katie! A friend of mine once described his bipolar as “an accidental clash of neurons – a bit like having an IQ of 200, but with slightly less benefits”! Her copes well, as I think you are doing
I really like your friend’s description of the experience of having Bipolar. I call it the Rabbit Hole, and I am Alice.
You’re welcome and I like the way your friend describes bipolar as well. That is really neat! I’m glad to hear she is doing well.
The ‘her’ should have read ‘he’ – that’s what comes of being a writer: typos galore!
Thanks for the follow! I’m really enjoying your blog!
You’re welcome and thank you!
Thank you for following, I am so glad to have found your blog. It feels really good to hear from someone experiencing similar things to me and also to read something which explains Bipolar and the variability within Bipolar so well. Looking forward to reading more
x
Thank you and I’m happy to hear that my blog has been helpful and that you enjoy.
Excellent blog. My best friend was bipolar and a very wise young lady whom I love dearly and who will soon be my daughter is also bipolar. It would be nice to think people can learn to understand some day
Thank you. Having others understand would be just awesome. That is a true goal of mine too.
About time some of the social misunderstandings were set right
Sorry about that. Sometimes I blank out on replies due to social anxiety >.<
No worries
I get terribly sidetracked myself 
Brave blogging. Thanks for dropping by my site. Pendryw.
I was not diagnosed as a Bipolar I until I was 32, and completely melted down. We are talking a nuclear melt down. I had been severely depressed as a teen, but although my parents sought help for me, it wasn’t until I sought help for myself that I took a real interest in getting better. Maybe it is because I was paying the co-pays, I don’t know…. but over the first year of therapy, I was diagnosed as Unipolarly depressed, then came Bipolar II, then I had a real manic episode, and I became a Bipolar type I. Yipee! But, honestly, at least I knew what was wrong so I could begin to treat it. I went into the hospital for the first of several times, and came out with 7 prescriptions!! Why did I need so much medication? But as I gradually accepted the diagnosis, and the changes in my life and those around me, I began to realize that there is a huge need for people who are mentally ill to stand up and demand equal treatment as those who are physically ill. I refuse to be classified as mentally ill. I much prefer mentally interesting. But, I really hate the stigma involved with mental illness in our society, so I started my blog for the same reasons: to examine my own feelings, to try to see this disorder from another’s point of view, and to educate people about mental illness and recovery/management.
Anyway, I wrote a book. Thank you for following my blog. I hope you continue to find it interesting and helpful. That is my goal. Helping people understand that people with mental health issues are not the scary monsters that the stereotype promotes.
You’re welcome and thank you for sharing your story and for commenting. I am truly glad you chose to seek help. That is very brave and a great step forward. Eventually, I hope that others won’t see mental health issues as a terrible thing. I always viewed stereotyping as negative, but never mental illness. Sometimes it’s just easier to assume and label everything because it does take work and an open mind to understand something such as mental illness.
I’ll definitely have to check out your book soon. Thanks for letting me know about it
I think people put things in boxes/categories in order to understand the world around them. That way they really do not have to think and stereotyping becomes easier to do.
It’s great that you have decided to be an advocate for the mentally ill. It also took me a long time to accept myself as a person that is mentally ill.
I lost much of myself due to bipolar disorder. I use to wallow in my miseries focusing on all that bipolar took from me. I read somewhere a statement that changed me for the better.
It said “Try not to focus on the strengths you once had before bipolar disorder instead focus on the strengths you have now.
That is wonderful how you view what you’ve overcome and your strengths. That is very positive and a great skill to have. It is always difficult in the beginning, but it seems like you’re definitely getting the hang of it
What a very nice read. I can’t help but be a little envious of the early diagnosis though. Now in my 50′s, I still have spent most of my life un-diagnosed and un-treated. And even with almost 20 years now of carrying the Bipolar tag, I only in the past year have really accepted the diagnosis and “come out of the closet”.
Thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving a “like”. I look forward to reading more from you. Here’s to “staying between the lines”…..
Thanks so much and you’re welcome. Though I was diagnosed early, it was still quite difficult to manage and understand as a young child and teen. I’m very happy that you have chosen to open up about your diagnosis. I applaud you on that because it’s not easy at first. I wish you all the best and stay well. Thanks again
You ave a great attitude. Nice writing. Thanks
Thank you. I do try to keep a positive attitude, but there are still times where I fall to pieces all too easily.
There’s comfort in knowing there are more of “us” out there fighting the good fight…
Agreed!
Thank you for writing your blog. I hope you can connect with and help a lot of people. If you haven’t explored alternative therapies, things like Reiki and Energy Therapy can help a lot.
Thank you and you’re welcome. I am hoping I can help people as well. I will definitely have to look into Reiki and Energy therapy. I have never heard of it before
Hi,
Let me say first that it is so refreshing to read an article where someone who has been afflicted with bipolar is saying there is a way to overcome it and move on with your life. You have done that and I congratulate you on that.
Secondly, I love the tips you gave in this article because they not only apply to people with a bi polar sickness but to anyone who suffers from depression, weight problems, rejection, alcohol problems or any other kind of sickness.
You really have done an outstanding job at putting together an article that is extremely helpful for those who would like to seek help but are afraid or for those who are in denial and need to face their problem so that they can get help.
Ciao,
Patricia
Thank you so much for your kind words.
Brilliant blog! You’re going to help a lot of people by sharing so much. Keep it up! And Happy New Year to you!
Thank you! I appreciate your kind feedback. I hope you have a Happy New Year too and thank you for reading
Just a quick comment to say HAPPY NEW YEAR. The more blogs/websites we have Bipolar, the more awareness we can spread and stamp out the stigma.
Nice blog !!!!
Yeah, living with bipolar is tough, i found this article very helpful, you should read an article that i posted here too. http://goo.gl/IdjlS
Have you tried the Truehope nutritional product for bipolar management? I am on it Thankfully it works for me although it may not for everyone. I am no longer taking lamotrigine or ativan.
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Thank you. I like your blog too.
Thanks for this. And thanks for writing about Bipolar period. I was not diagnosed until I was 62 years old. But when I told people, my sister’s reaction was, “That explains so many things!” At my age about all that’s left to do about it is try to have some fun. I know that sounds “crazy,” but it’s the way I feel. I love the conversations in my head. My manic self tries so hard to get a laugh out of of depressed self. It’s really fun to pay attention. So I’m just gonna be the old fart Bipolar and try to relax about it. The best to you and all of your readers.
Thanks for following my blog. I don’t have enough time to read through your posts now, but I will in the future. I think that your perspectives will be particularly valuable for me and my husband, as he has bipolar disorder and it can sometimes be very challenging.
I’m Bipolar, A.D.H.D. and mildly O.C.D. as well as dyslexic – wow, what a challenge life has been for me. I’m very happy to discover your site and look forward to reading your posts. Many of my posts are generally from one pole or the other sprinkled with overwhelming emotions of passion yet tempered by my love for God. You can just imagine how the church feels about me – lol,
Great blog! Will be reading more of it
We all have our crosses to bear and it sounds like you are fighting yours with style and grace. Thanks for becoming a follower of my blog -Dave
PS: Auto-correct tried to change follower to flower! I hate auto-correct.
I so love your positive attitude!! It took me five years to come all the way out of a depression after bipolar mania to get to a place where I can see the strength I have gained from bipolar. Now I can look at my illness with gratitude for all that it has taught me. Keep writing and inspiring others!
Thank you so much. I can understand and relate to experiencing years of depression. I pretty much lived with depression during my teen years and didn’t see much mania until I reached my 20′s. I am happy to hear you have found the strength gained from bipolar too. It’s a powerful and fulfilling feeling. A true accomplishment. Wishing you all the best!
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This blog was… how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found
something that helped me. Thanks!
Kait–THANKS for subscribing to my funny-caption photoblog, TheDailyGraff.com. I hope I can bring you a smile (or at least a groan) every weekday.
I am bipolar as was my father before me. I appreciate your efforts to educate people about the illness.
–John R.
http://debracares.org
there is a natural alternative to psychotropics!
I nominated you for an award…I hope this brightens up your day a bit
http://dyingtobeme.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/beautiful-blogger-award-okay-so-id-like-to-thank-laila-for-this/
thank you, Kait. this is a very inspiring blog, and I will definitely keep scrolling around. keep up the fight.
Kait,
Thank you for visiting and following my blog! I (obviously) took a look-see around yours and really like the vibe of your writing and your perspective. Having Bipolar disorder -is- a challenge to be sure, but it’s comforting to know that there are individuals who surf the same wave with grace and positivity. Good luck, and I’ll be sure to keep checking back!
Michelle