Mastodawn

Today is World Bipolar Day, so I thought I would share my journey to a diagnosis and beyond.

I grew up with the shadow of an absent, manic father. His condition was only ever brought up when I acted out of line, used as a way to explain what was "wrong" with me. By the time I was about ten, I was seeing psychiatric professionals and being told I had a "chemical imbalance."

Into my teen years, I knew something wasn't right. I had a lot of rage for no apparent reason. But my step-father decided there was nothing wrong with me and took me off my medication. That led to a dark spiral. I was thrown out of the house, experienced homelessness, and dropped out of school before eventually getting my GED and going to college. For a long time, I was just lost, drifting through a brief marriage and divorce by the time I was 20.

Everything shifted when I met my partner in my late 20s. Even when I was deeply upset and far from kind, she met me with patience and acceptance. She helped me advocate for myself, which led to a real diagnosis: Bipolar 1, characterized by extreme highs of mania and extreme lows. This period in my life I associate with learning empathy and kindness.

Having a name for what I was experiencing changed my life. For a long time, I carried a heavy shame about my diagnosis. It has taken me a decade to finally let that go. The diagnosis explained why I would obsess about some things and then drop them to move on to another subject. Because of my condition, I know a lot about a lot of things because at some point my attention latched on and would not let go of the subject for a while. For instance, I went to college for North American Indian History, but I can tell you a lot about Linux, computers, phones, and numerous other little things.

Since before Covid, I have been on numerous medications. Sometimes I would have to change because a medication was working ok, but I wasn't allowed to go past a limit. Other times, medications would give me terrible side effects, like psychosis.

I have been on my current medication, Seroquel, for about a year now, and it seems to be working well. I know that could change at any time, though, and this dance with different medications will probably go on for the rest of my life.

Typically, the thing that interrupts my mental health is a change to my insurance. It is hard enough for bipolar people to take medication regularly, but when you add interruptions to pharmacy and mental health benefits, it can make it extremely hard to get back into a habit after being knocked out of it. Some of my lowest moments have been when I have lost my healthcare because of an inability to keep a job (due to the illness) and not being able to afford refills or doctor visits.

I tell you all of this hoping that you understand that people aren't just "crazy" and bipolar is not an adjective. Good people are born with and develop these conditions in our brains. No one really completely understands it. The best thing you can ever do for another person is to show them kindness and love. And to anyone out there who is still lost in the dark or struggling with a new diagnosis: your life isn't over. It takes work, and it can be exhausting, but it is absolutely possible to build a beautiful, meaningful life.

#WorldBipolarDay #BipolarDisorder #MentalHealthAwareness #EndTheStigma #Bipolar1 #MentalHealth #ActuallyBipolar #MentalIllness #MentalHealthMatters

Mathrubhumi English 1d ago

Living with bipolar disorder: What real-life episodes look like and why awareness matters https://english.mathrubhumi.com/lifestyle/world-bipolar-day-2026-myths-facts-awareness-mental-health-aiog34wy?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #WorldBipolarDay #MentalHealth #BipolarDisorder #Awareness #EndStigma

Martin Pratt 1d ago

“Lancet 373, 234-239.doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60072-6.”

https://www.acamh.org/research-digest/progressive-cortical-thinning-might-identify-children-at-risk-of-developing-psychotic-spectrum-symptoms
#MentalHealthResearch #Psychosis #BipolarDisorder

Progressive cortical thinning might identify children at risk of developing psychotic spectrum symptoms

Offspring of patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder have an increased risk of developing these conditions. However, our capacity to predict the long-term outcomes of these at-risk individuals is limited.

ACAMH

SCAB Pharmacy Limited 1d ago

𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗕𝗶𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗗𝗮𝘆 – 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟯𝟬, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲
Today we honor the strength and resilience of those living with bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder causes intense mood swings—manic highs and depressive lows—that impact millions worldwide. But with the right treatment and support, stability and fulfilling lives are possible.

This day also commemorates the birthday of Vincent van Gogh, who faced these challenges and left a lasting legacy. Let's break the stigma, raise awareness, and support each other on this journey.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗲:
- Educate yourself about symptoms and treatments
- Wear a black-and-white ribbon to show solidarity
- Share stories to spread understanding
- Attend local awareness events or webinars
- Listen with compassion to those affected

Together, we can create a world where mental health is prioritized and bipolar disorder is understood.

#WorldBipolarDay #BipolarStrong #MentalHealthAwareness #BreakTheStigma #SupportAndCare #BipolarDisorder #MentalHealthMatters #YouAreNotAlone #EndTheStigma #MentalWellness #BipolarCommunity #VincentVanGogh

Martin Pratt 3d ago

“Meanwhile, MDD onset was predicted by earlier anxiety disorders.”

https://www.acamh.org/research-digest/which-disorders-precede-the-development-of-mood-disorders-in-young-people
#MentalHealthResearch #EvidenceBased #Anxiety #BipolarDisorder

Which disorders precede the development of mood disorders in young people?

Mood disorders such as bipolar disorder (BPD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) typically emerge in childhood or adolescence. Now, researchers in Switzerland, the USA and Canada have investigated whether certain other mental health disorders precede the onset of mood disorders

ACAMH

César Pose 4d ago

Aspasia was the teacher of Socrates, one of the greatest philosophers in history.
In a similar way, although with the big difference that I am not Socrates, my mother, who barely knew how to write, taught me to read when I was 3 years old.
In the many tests they gave me, they asked me how and why I learned to read at that age. And I answered that I saw children going to school and I wanted to go too, I saw my father reading and wanted to read too. Then I had my appendix removed and to keep me entertained my mother decided to indulge me and teach me my first letters.
A month later I was already reading everything I could find: posters, books, magazines, advertisements.
My father loved to read and bought books, entire encyclopedias. When I was 8 he bought a collection of 60 books and then 40 more books at a used book fair. So, between the ages of 8 and 10, I read those 100 books.
From Borges and Unamuno to Kafka and Poe. I read Papillon, Robinson Crusoe, Trafalgar, Cortázar, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Kant, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche.
Many of them weren't to my father's liking, but I liked them. One day he threw away a book with Chinese characters, and I rescued it and read it; it was the Dao De Jing.
Then came books on science, physics, biology, and astronomy.
I studied engineering, medicine, philosophy, and programming.
But it wasn't until I was 47 that I learned I was bipolar and gifted, and not until I was 59 that I learned I was autistic.
But if for a moment you might believe that this brought me success and happiness, I'm telling you it didn't. Rather, I had a worldview that made me a misanthrope, a nihilist, a loner, and a pessimist.
#actuallyautistic #gifted #bipolardisorder #neurodivergent #hyperlexia #highiq #misanthropy #nihilism

César Pose 6d ago

If you have autism and bipolar disorder, you're a poor kid with two disabilities.
But if you also have high intellectual abilities, gifted, let's say, then you're a damn arrogant jerk.
What the hell is wrong with those people?
It turns out that anywhere, physical or virtual, where you try to mention that you have a very high IQ but at the same time have a lot of trouble navigating the human world, you will be stoned by an angry mob of ignorant people who overvalue intelligence (and hate and fear it).
Yes, I'm a damn genius at many things, as I'm also level 2 autistic and have a pretty severe mixed bipolar disorder. And all of that with real, official diagnoses that required years of therapy, psychiatrists, hundreds of tests and some hospitalizations in psychiatric hospitals.
I have a long list of achievements and professions and an equally long list of failures, illness, and suicide attempts.
I'm now trying to compile information and studies on comorbidities or overlaps of these three things, and if anyone finds anything, please share the link.
Overlap or multiple exceptionality of autism+bipolar+giftedness. I want to delve deeper into this to understand it more thoroughly and refine my personal therapies.
I also have an overlap of autoimmune diseases and metabolic disorders. In other words, it's not an easy matter.
I have been practicing traditional Chinese medicine for almost 40 years and have practiced various martial arts and therapeutic techniques for almost the same amount of time. That's how I've stayed fairly stable for the last 15 years, without psychiatric medication and with very little for thyroid and allergies.
In order to extrapolate the theoretical framework to natural medicine and the methods I use, I need to study much more.

And obviously share all of that with people who have similar problems.

#autism #actuallyautistic #bipolardisorder #giftedness #autoimmunedisease #neurology #hashimoto #psoriasis #psoriaticarthritis #inflammatoryboweldisease #diabetes #hashimotoencephalitis

Psychotherapy Commission ACPE Mar 20

This brief highlights a major philanthropic investment in mental health science, underscoring how substantial funding can accelerate breakthroughs in understanding and treating bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. For mental health clinicians and researchers, the backing from the Stanley Family Foundation signals a broader shift toward durable, large-scale support for research initiatives that may translate into new interventions and improved patient outcomes.

Article Title: STAT+: A family’s giving to the Broad Institute’s research tops $1 billion

Link to STAT NEWS Mental Health Article: https://www.statnews.com/2026/03/20/broad-institute-mit-harvard-stanley-family-foundation/?utm_campaign=rss

Copy and paste broken link above into your browser and replace "dot" with "." for link to work. We have to do it this way to avoid displaying copyrighted images.

#MentalHealthResearch #BipolarDisorder #Schizophrenia #PhilanthropyInScience #ClinicalInnovation

A family’s giving to the Broad Institute’s research tops $1 billion

The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard is poised to receive a massive injection of cash to fund research in the understanding and treatment of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia research.

STAT

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