Archive for ‘Mental Health’

  • Shifting the Paradigm
    As saddening is it is to witness some of the anger and bitterness from those unwilling to open their mind’s a little more, I must admit that less than a year ago of this writing, I was just as angry and bitter and I felt very similar in the way the some have about dealing with bipolar disorder in my own life. To clarify my own transformation, I must share the ugly...
    by Rich Wallace at November 11th, 2009 at 02:11 pm
  • Bipolar Disorder: An Illness, Not an Identity
    When people read or hear about mental health issues in the media, the most common reaction from those uneducated by the topic are assumptions that those affected cannot be trusted, cannot live a “normal” life or worse yet, not worth developing any kind of relationship with. Rather than viewing an individual with bipolar disorder as a person, many people simply...
    by Rich Wallace at November 10th, 2009 at 06:11 am
  • Bipolar Disorder and Hypomanic Insomnia
    Bipolar disorder brings on a potential laundry list of symptoms that can wreak havoc on both the sufferer and the supporters as well. Keeping in mind that the symptoms seen by one that does not have bipolar may be seen as ‘regular issues we all have’, this simply is not the case and it must be understood that the challenges brought on by the disorder can truly...
    by Rich Wallace at November 3rd, 2009 at 11:11 am
  • How To Identify Triggers
    Managing a bipolar relationship without having a deep understanding of our loved ones triggers can put a serious strain on the relationship for both sufferers and supporters alike. For those that are newly involved in a bipolar relationship, or just looking for related information, we’ll touch on what a “trigger” is and how it relates to the bipolar...
    by Rich Wallace at October 28th, 2009 at 06:10 am
  • Bipolar Support: Respecting Personal History
    One of the key factors to keep in mind when supporting a loved one that suffers from bipolar disorder is to truly monitor their actions and reactions that may be related to their own personal history. Obviously, we may never know another individual’s true history, therefore, when a trigger fires, it may introduce some newly surfaced challenges that have not been...
    by Rich Wallace at October 20th, 2009 at 10:10 am
  • Bipolar With a Side of Abandonment Anxiety
    Along with the challenges that bipolar disorder brings to our marriage, my wife was recently diagnosed with abandonment anxiety as well. Reflecting over the years of our relationship, it makes sense now as the signs and numerous red flags were right in front of our faces, but we never really paid much attention until recently. Without going into great detail of my wife’s...
    by Rich Wallace at October 16th, 2009 at 11:10 am
  • Happiness In Disguise
    One of the most common, but highly ignored symptom of bipolar disorder is hypomania. In relation to a typical bipolar driven cycle, hypomania sits directly mania within the bipolar spectrum and can be very dangerous for a bipolar sufferer as at this point, any number of triggers may fire off into a full-blown manic episode. What is hypomania? In a nut shell, hypomania...
    by Rich Wallace at October 15th, 2009 at 08:10 am
  • Rapid Cycling: The Land of Confusion
    My wife was diagnosed as being afflicted with Bipolar Disorder Type II with Ultra Rapid Cycling a number of years ago. Based on my own research of the different types of bipolar disorder and the most common symptoms, it became more and more visible that we were not dealing with the ordinary disorder that most of the articles and blogs touch on. Typical sufferers of bipolar...
    by Rich Wallace at October 12th, 2009 at 08:10 am
  • Meeting the Psychiatrist
    One of the most important steps to take in order to locate the correct path of stability and recovery for those that may be afflicted with bipolar disorder, or any mental health challenges for that matter, is the first appointment with a psychiatrist. If this is the first visit to discuss options with a psychiatrist, make as much of an effort as possible to be there with...
    by Rich Wallace at October 10th, 2009 at 05:10 pm
  • Interview with Bipolar Disorder
    As a bipolar supporter, there have been many times over the years where I have tried to communicate with my wife about her experiences in dealing with bipolar disorder from the inside.  I’ve asked her such questions as,  “What does this feel like?” or “What is going through your mind when…?” This is a tough way to communicate as even...
    by Rich Wallace at October 8th, 2009 at 09:10 am
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