Recently I’ve written about my compulsive behavior: always having a drink of wine with dinner, and then continuing to drink and snack until bedtime. So one evening I decided not to have any wine that night, figuring that unless I was an alcoholic, it would be easy. I always used to say that the reason I had to have a glass of wine with dinner... Read more
I get tense and uptight daily, without much provocation. In a sense, being on edge is my natural state during waking hours. Therefore, anything I can do to calm down and relax is a healthy maneuver.
This week was especially stressful with dinner to prepare, a stepson staying with us all week, and having neighbors over one night for dinner. Of... Read more
A recent New York Times article by Lynette Clemetson discusses the problems faced by bipolar students going off to college for the first time. It is difficult enough to make the transition to life at college in a dormitory, with the temptations of night cramming, drinking, partying, and the freedom of living away from home. Having the additional... Read more
An interview with Meredith Small, author of The Culture of Our Discontent: Beyond the Medical Model of Mental Illness (Joseph Henry Press, 2006).
After reading anthropologist Meredith Small’s book, I thought perhaps she would reject our current Western model for treating mental illnesses such as depression and bipolar disorder. But when I... Read more
One advantage I’ve found in being bipolar is that I never run out of material, whether I’m expressing myself in writing or visual art. Some days I am way too depressed to WANT to paint, but if I can force myself to start, and then let my feelings come out through the process, amazing things can happen on the canvas. Even if they don’t, I... Read more