Twenty-five and a half years ago I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I’ve been living symptom-free for over a decade. I consider myself to be in "remission" from my mental illness, because I no longer have symptoms that plague me, so I no longer fit the diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder comes with … Continue reading Keeping Bipolar Disorder in Remission
As a mental health advocate, functional medicine practitioner, and someone who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 18, there is a frequently used phrase about bipolar that makes me crazy. When someone says, “he is bipolar” or “she is bipolar” or “she’s acting bipolar,” I’ll likely get pretty defensive pretty fast. Bipolar disorder is NOT … Continue reading You Are Not Your Diagnosis
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Here's my controversial opinion: we don’t need more mental health awareness. We need more tools to get well and stay well. We need practitioners willing to think outside the box, beyond the checklists and low-efficacy treatments. At 18, I met the criteria for a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. When … Continue reading Do We Need More Mental Health Awareness?
Breaking news for myself: I don't need to pathologize my feelings. I can experience Big Feelings without having a mental health crisis. Experiencing feelings does not make me mentally unstable. For so long, my feelings were scary. It wasn't safe to feel them. While I have always enjoyed experiencing a wide range of emotions, from … Continue reading Mental Health Awareness Month – What I Learned About My Mental Health This Year
I was medicated for bipolar disorder for 18 years. Ten years ago, I went off anti-psychotic medication. Eight years ago, I weaned off my remaining medication, an SSRI antidepressant. Today, I am mentally healthier than I've ever been, particularly in the last five years, since I have been (mostly) gluten free and eat a lower … Continue reading Putting My Mental Illness into Remission
More people are prescribed psychiatric medication than ever before, so why are we seeing mental health issues continue to climb? How can we support our loved ones when the traditional treatments aren't working for them? Dr. Julia Britz specializes in supporting people who are struggling with mental health issues such as OCD, disorders eating and … Continue reading What to Do When Psych Meds Aren’t Working
This month, I'm taking a break from the regular podcast content to bring episodes focused on bringing awareness to all the tools that support our mental health. Contrary to what the media may tell you, you can change your brain. You can heal from mental illness. You can access resources beyond medication and more sleep, … Continue reading Mental Health Awareness Month: Special Podcast Episodes
Someone recently asked me, "What do you mean when you say you are a survivor of bipolar disorder?" I paused for a second. What does it mean? I ended up responding with this, “I no longer exhibit the symptoms of bipolar disorder.“ I’ve been thinking about this conversation ever since. Does not exhibiting symptoms of … Continue reading Mental Health Awareness Month: What it Means to Be a Survivor
I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder (what they then called "manic depressive illness") in 1999. While the diagnosis matched the symptoms I was experiencing, the treatment I received never seemed to make things better... and they never treated the root of why I was struggling. While I have shared about my personal experience with bipolar … Continue reading Identifying Root Causes of Bipolar Disorder
It is well-known that chronic stress contributes to chronic disease. Research shows that as much as 90% of illness is attributed to the impact of stress. Finding a way to manage stress in our very busy world of constant notifications is a challenge. So I was excited to connect with Erica Cuni for this recent … Continue reading How to Survive Stress Without Burning Out
