Living with Bipolar Disorder:

I have Bipolar Disorder. I have had it for 3 years. It ruined my life completely. I had to start over entirely. I was tossed into a handful of Pysch hospitals and 5150ed and 5250ed serveral times. It was extremely hard. I was living with my mom originally but had a "fight or flight" mentality. So I wanted to move and thought it would change things. It only made this far worse. I moved in with my dad and his girlfriend who were both alcoholics and drug addicts. So living in a addicts environment was difficult to say the very least.

I started seeing a therapist but quit after it got too costly. I began seeing a pyschatrist. He got me, and I enjoyed seeing him. I didn't feel as if it was a chore or something I had to do. I did an outpatient program through John Muir in Concord, CA and it seemed to get through the third time. I enjoyed being surrounded by others struggling with the same illness and problems.

Looking back I know everything happens for a reason. In the words of AA, "Take it ONE DAY AT A TIME." Which is easier said than done.

Hopefully in another year I will have made some progress and can look back to see what hard work I have done.

Kelli Tate