Bipolar disorder is a complex mental health condition that affects millions of individuals worldwide. If someone close to you has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, it’s crucial to understand the nature of this condition to provide meaningful support and compassion. In this blog post, I’ll go over what I wish my loved ones knew and …
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy vs Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) are two prominent therapeutic approaches widely used in mental health treatment. Both CBT and DBT aim to help individuals manage emotions, improve relationships, and cope with challenging situations. However, they differ in their focus, techniques, and target populations. If you are unsure of which modality will …
Finding Community: Where to go when you feel alone with Bipolar
Community is one of the most important aspects of emotional stability in humans. Despite the fact that approximately 3-4% of the population has bipolar disorder (source), many of us do not personally know someone who is open about their experience with bipolar. Communities of people with bipolar stand as a cornerstone of strength and support …
Documents to Keep for Managing your Bipolar
Monitoring our mental health is an essential part of self-care, especially for those of us navigating conditions like bipolar disorder. Keeping a close eye on daily mood fluctuations and being attentive to the signs of potential shifts—whether it’s a slide into depression or an ascent into hypomania—can significantly impact our overall well-being. Additionally, keeping track …
5 Habits for Managing Bipolar Disorder
As we enter into this new year, we’re all thinking about what to add or take away from our lives to improve them. This might look like eating out less, spending less money, exercising more, journaling daily, or any number of things. In this blog post, I lay out 5 habits that will help with …
Crisis Planning & A Free Crisis Plan Template
When I was first released from the hospital, I came home with a crisis plan. It included things like triggers, what to do when I was struggling, who to contact, etc. The problem was, it wasn’t a very good crisis plan. I didn’t see the value in it so I didn’t put the time in, …
Rapid Cycling
Rapid Cycling is a term you’ll come across often when you’re in bipolar spaces. Unfortunately, it means many different things to many different people. So what is the DSM-5 definition of rapid cycling bipolar? “Presence of at least four mood episodes in the previous 12 months that meet the criteria for manic, hypomanic, or major …
Mania and Manic Episodes
To start with, who is this blog post for? This blog post is for someone who wants to learn about what mania is. It is not for diagnostic purposes (if you feel that you are bipolar, speak to a professional. I am just a 20-something with a keyboard and a bipolar diagnosis) and it should …
Bipolar 1 vs Bipolar 2 vs Cyclothymic Disorder
Bipolar 1 The only requirement for a bipolar 1 diagnosis is a single episode of mania. (For more on mania, see this post). This is one of the hardest things for people to understand about bipolar 1: A single episode of mania is enough for a bipolar 1 diagnosis. It could have been 10 years …
Depression and Depressive Episodes
For many people with Bipolar, it started with depressive episodes, at least that’s how it started for me. My first episodes of depression occurred when I was around the age of 13, and they have continued throughout my life. Sometimes, depressive episodes are forgotten about when discussing bipolar as the hypomanic/manic episodes take precedence but, …