Julie A. Fast's Blog, page 101

Jared Lee Loughner and the Arizona Shootings

  

 

 

Here in the states, a man named Jared Lee Loughner opened fire
at a super market where a politician U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords
was giving a speech.  She was definitely his target.  There is a
lot of coverage on the news here about his behavior as well as
when he was in high school and once he graduated people were very
concerned about his behavior. The first article I read mentioned
his background and how he had left a note for the senator saying
what he was going to do.  

Then the article said every single thing except what was glaringly
obvious.  Jared Laughtner had a severe mental illness that impaired
his judgement and led to this terrible event. As I was reading the
articles, I said to myself:  "Are these writers blind? Don't they
know anything? He is 100% showing all of the signs of paranoid
schizophrenia. All of the signs from paranoia, inability to get
along with [ Read More ]


Related posts:Football Players, Depression and Bipolar Disorder
An Amazing Weekend!
Yahoo Shine Article: Six Surprising Signs of Depression

Tips to Help You Keep Going When it Feels Impossible

It's really, really tough to have bipolar depression. When I get down and feel that I will never get better, I constantly remind myself of the following:

1. Depression is a symptom of bipolar disorder. There is no way that life is as awful as depression makes it seem.
2. The more I know about how I am when I'm not depressed, the more I can recognize depression for what it is.
3. It's never a good idea to make big changes when you're depressed. It's ok to think about them and write them down, but it's so important to wait until you're better to change your life. (My book Bipolar Happens! talks about this. I used to just pick up and move when the mood swings were raging!)
4. Depression tells you that no one loves you. If this feeling only comes up when you're depressed, it's not real. Don't act on it. Wait for the depression to [ Read More ]


Related posts:What wellness feels like
Seven Money Saving Tips
Bipolar Depression: Great Event

It's My Birthday Today! 47

I'm 47 years old today. I have to admit I'm not much of a birthday fan. I find them stressful as I have a party and always think no one will show up. Is that bipolar or what!!! Of course, people do show up and we have fun. I just do happy hour and then karaoke.  Turning 47 is hard. It says to me- one more year gone by of depression Julie! One more year of rapid cycling! One more year! And then I say to myself, "What @#$@#$  Julie. That is ridiculous. Depression wants you to focus on age. Life wants you to focus on friends, self improvement, bipolar mangements, work and life in general. How good are you as a person Julie? Do you hurt people? Do you let your bipolar wreck your relationships like you used to? No, no, no! So what if I'm 47. It's great I have made it this [ Read More ]


Related posts:Shh.. it's a secret I even want to keep from myself!
Video blog welcome from Julie
Is it depression or disappointment?

Depression in the Workplace: Call for submissions from Esperanza Magazine

I write a column for BP Magazine (Bipolar Magazine). I love this work and love the magazine. If you don't have a subscription, it's so worth it for those with bipolar, family members, partners and health care professionals. And of course you can read my column!

BP Magazine has a sister magazine that focuses on Depression. It also is a superb magazine that talks with many high profile people about depression and how it affects their lives as well as those who face depression daily while not in the spotlight. Esperanza is asking for your ideas on how you deal with depression in the workplace. All of us with bipolar illness have plenty of depression, so I know that your ideas will be valuable. Here is the link for the submission:

Esperanza Magazine Survey

I know your information can help a [ Read More ]


Related posts:Depression Magazine needs your masculine opinions!
Bipolar Disorder and Work: BP Magazine Link to My Column
Get Up, Get Out, Get it Done

polar work, Depression in the Workplace: Call for submissions from Esperanza Magazine

I write a column for BP Magazine (Bipolar Magazine). I love this work and love the magazine. If you don't have a subscription, it's so worth it for those with bipolar, family members, partners and health care professionals. And of course you can read my column!

BP Magazine has a sister magazine that focuses on Depression. It also is a superb magazine that talks with many high profile people about depression and how it affects their lives as well as those who face depression daily while not in the spotlight. Esperanza is asking for your ideas on how you deal with depression in the workplace. All of us with bipolar illness have plenty of depression, so I know that your ideas will be valuable. Here is the link for the submission:

Esperanza Magazine Survey

I know your information can help a [ Read More ]


Related posts:Bipolar Disorder and Work: BP Magazine Link to My Column
Depression Magazine needs your masculine opinions!
Get Up, Get Out, Get it Done

Is bipolar disorder illness really REAL? I ask myself this all of the time.

  I was diagnosed with ultra rapid cycling bipolar II with psychotic features in 1995. Now there is a diagnosis! I had my first hypomanic episode in 1980. So I have been living with bipolar disorder for all of my adult life. I'm 47 now. You would think that I would be used to it. I'm not. It always shocks me when I get really sick. The mood swings are just so odd. They can be so random and simply stupid-  I can get psychotic just because someone is rude to me in public? That is crazy! I have an argument with my brother and I get in my car and cry so hard I can't drive? I go out and have fun and meet someone attractive and I get OCD so badly I never call the person again?

How about the depression that comes from change?  It can even be good change such as getting [ Read More ]


Related posts:Bipolar Disorder and Schizoaffective Disorder: What is the difference?
The Fine Line Between Creativity and Illness
Julie's Books

Blog Reader Success Story

Here's to successful bipolar disorder management in 2011. That is definitely my goal.  I always say to myself- changes have to be made in order for me to move forward. I have my list of changes ready- they are reasonable and doable.  It's great to hear from others who are making bipolar disorder management a priority.  Mary writes below of how important it is to know our own behavior so that we can tell the difference between the bipolar behavior and our own.  Thanks to Mary for the positive message!

Julie -
Thank you! Your truisms are in my journal, along with my own.

I was diagnosed with bipolar 2 December 14, 2010. I found your book "Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder 2 and this site. Both are helping me understand what I thought was "just" Major Depression, and me, is much more than that. Now I know that all of my feelings of wanting to run away [ Read More ]


Related posts:bipolar success story!
Reader Comment: Success and bipolar downswings
Reader Story: Sandra and the Teacher

Here are my New Year's Truisms for 2011

What are your plans for tomorrow night? I hope that you can be with people, have fun and know that you are important to the world. I certainly want that for myself. Depression doesn't want that for me – so I have come up with 2011 trusims that I am going to repeat to myself for the next few weeks- because of the pressures of the new year- because I turn 47 in a week and because I want 2011 to be better than any other year of my life.

1. Dates don't matter. 2010 and 2011 are the same thing. We just label them differently.

2. Age doesn't matter. I am the age I am. Nothing will ever change that.

3. What happened last year is done- either positive or negative- fantastic or terrible. It's done.

4. Life can always get better. Life can [ Read More ]


Related posts:Bipolar Disorder and Romantic…. Love… ah….
Bipolar Brain- Quiet Brain
Back from a Speech- and I'm stable!

How do you make a bad situation into a good situation?

Julie powers all of New York with her bipolar tears!

These are the signs I'm in a situation that's bad for my bipolar:

1. Trouble sleeping. I actually always have trouble sleeping, but in these situations I can't sleep at all without sleep meds.

2. Crying and crying and crying. The waterfall I wrote about before.  Crying a river.  My eyes are all red today from crying all day yesterday. It's not that I want to cry- and it's not that the situation even warrants that much crying- it's just what my depression does in stressful situations.

3. Feel hopeless and trapped. My brain starts to say terrible things about my past and my future and then I feel I have to get out of my present situation and just run away. I used to do that!

I knew yesterday that making decisions during a waterfall session is not a [ Read More ]


Related posts:Bipolar Disorder Depression and Worries
Bipolar and Political Stress
Bipolar Disorder and Sleep: Mania vs. Insomnia

Waterfall Depression

There are many kinds of depression. (There are also many kinds of mania!) I categorize my depression in two ways: negative or weepy. This is pretty simple. I often get mad, irritated, anxious and worried when I get depressed, but more often I get weepy. Of course there are other types of depression, silent depression for example where a person just stays in bed all day. But today I'm experiencing weepy depression and I hate it sdo much.

Bipolar is chemical- so it's natural it would also control our physical actions in certain ways. If I get depressed and can't stop crying, it's just the kind of depression I'm experiencing. I have friends with bipolar who never cry. They just get angry! And sometimes mean!! I can be like that as well, though I don't take it out on others like I used to. My challenge these days is to not take it out on myself.

Bipolar is [ Read More ]


Related posts:Depression Euphemisms
Bipolar Disorder Mood Swings: Weeks of Depression
Podcast: reader question – I need help for my son when I travel…