Julie A. Fast's Blog, page 43

Bipolar Happens! is a Bestselling Bipolar Disorder Book on the Kindle!

Bipolar Happens: 35 Tips and Tricks to Manage Bipolar Disorder is often the #1 Bipolar Disorder book on the Kindle. 

That’s exciting. I went to the Kindle store to see how my books Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder and Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder were doing on the bipolar disorder page. These books are in the top ten ranking- and then I saw that Bipolar Happens! was doing well on Amazon.

Fantastic! Bipolar Happens! is an enjoyable book about a serious topic.

Guess what- it’s only $.99              I want it to be available to everyone.

Yes, I think this is a great deal and a good way to get helpful information about bipolar disorder at minimum cost. Bipolar Happens! was my first book. I knew I wanted to talk about how I manage the illness, but I also wanted to tell stories about how it affects my life daily.

There are stories about anger, manic spending, anxiety at a baseball game and what it feels like to be psychotic! It’s a book that family members love too. I love it myself. It’s hopeful.

Click here to go to amazon.com. You can read part of the book and then add it to your Kindle. Wow, $.99!

Julie

PS: If you’re new to my work, this is a great way to experience my writing style and the quality of my information. If you like it, you can come back for more.

Related posts:
Bipolar Happens! is a Top Bipolar Disorder Book on the Kindle!
Bipolar Happens! is #1 Bipolar Disorder Book on the Kindle!
Bipolar Happens! is the #1 Bipolar Disorder Book on the Kindle!

Partner of a Person with Bipolar Disorder? It’s a Valentine’s Day Contest Just for You!

Partner of Someone with Bipolar Disorder? It’s time for a Valentines Day contest and it’s a good one. The contest is for partners of people with bipolar disorder and it starts now.

Here are the details:

The contest is open to anyone who has read my book Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder: Understanding and Helping Your Partner. This includes any and all partners I’ve worked with in my coaching practice!

1. Please send me a paragraph on how the book has specifically helped you in your relationship. I will publish the reviews, but will only use names if you so desire to use your name. You can post the review on this blog or DM me on my Julie A. Fast Facebook account.

All names will go into a hat and I will pick a name and the winner receives:

ONE COMPLIMENTARY COACHING SESSION

Yes, this is a quite a prize! Please note this is for partners only. I don’t work directly with those who have the illness. If you are not familiar with my coaching work, please visit my family and partners coaching page. There is no need to fill out a query, unless you would like to pursue coaching in the future. This contest is for a private call with no fanfare. We will simply talk about your topic of choice. This isn’t a ploy for more coaching clients as I am usually full and have a waiting list. This is for LOVE and relationship stability and my gift to partners of people with bipolar disorder because you are simply amazing.

Julie

PS:  No matter where your relationship is right now, you can learn to help your partner manage bipolar disorder. If you’re in a situation where you feel helpless and hopeless, we can talk about how you an find ways to get your equilibrium back so that you can decide what is best for you!

Related posts:
Are you a partner of a person with bipolar disorder?
A letter from a partner of a person with bipolar disorder
A letter to the partner of a person with bipolar disorder

Depressed with Bipolar Disorder? Suicidal?

Are you having a tough night? Here are a few words of hope from someone who has been there… and back.  I’ve spent a large part of my life dealing with severe depression. It was relentless from age 19 on.  I also had hypomania during this time but thought it was the REAL ME! But the vast majority of my symptoms were from depression.

I’ve been so depressed I’ve rolled in a ball on the floor saying out loud, “I will not kill myself! I will not kill myself!”

Bipolar disorder filled my head with untrue thoughts and feelings that made me feel like a leaf blown in the wind for more years than I want to remember.

Maybe you are going through something similar as you read this. Here are some words of hope that I hope will burn through the bipolar brain that might be telling you the same untruths I lived with for so long.

1. Bipolar disorder is 100% manageable.   It’s an illness. It’s NEVER personal and no one who has the illness is weak.

2. Management is daily and it’s not easy, but it’s infinitely better than a life of uncontrolled mood swings.

3. There will be times that bipolar disorder feels so strong you are scared you will die.  This is NORMAL. All people with bi-polar disorder get depressed.  When you are depressed, which is a real illness that changes the way you think- you will have thoughts that tell you all hope is lost. These thoughts are repetitive and are the same for anyone with the illness. We get depressed the same way each time. This is how I know it’s an illness and nothing personal.

4. I’ve been so scared so many times I can’t even count how often I’ve thought I was at the end.  This is why I created my treatment plan and still use it every day. This illness sucks the life out of you if it’s not managed!

Dirty rotten crappy illness!  You freaking suck!

5.  Depression is usually isolating. You are reading this blog which means you KNOW deep inside it’s bipolar and not you that is making you depressed.

Now for the good news you might not believe at the moment, but it’s true.

My depression is rare these days. I used to be depressed for YEARS at a time and it’s GONE. I still get depressed- and it’s awful, but it’s nothing like it was even a few years ago. I found my answers to manage this illness and you can as well.  I’ve been where you are right now if you’re thinking of killing yourself. That’s bipolar disorder talking.

Take charge of your brain and tell it to shut the hell up and get on the phone and call someone for help. And if that’s not possible, call a crisis line such as this one:

Click here to chat with someone live at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. 

You are not alone. If I can survive over 320 mood swings in 2011, you can get better too. Yes, I counted my mood swings. Crappy illness!

You are loved.

Julie

PS: Everyone with bipolar disorder is a phoenix!

Click here to read my column from Bp Magazine about my struggles with suicidal symptoms. 

 

 

 

Related posts:
Reader comment on suicidal thoughts….
Bipolar Disorder and Suicidal Depression Downswings
Living with bipolar suicidal thoughts…

Bipolar disorder management is an infinite loop of successes and challenges. We can get better.

Related posts:
Bipolar Depression Management Secret: Every day has a plan
Bipolar Disorder Medication Management
Newsletter: Bipolar Disorder Management Secret….. an answer (not THE answer, but an answer!)

Guest Blogger Gabe Howard on the Diffficult Topic of Violence in Bipolar Disorder

A Response to Julie A. Fast’s Bp Magazine blog post that received over 1000 shares on Facebook.   If you have not read the post, click here to read Three Bipolar Disorder Symptoms No One Wants to Talk About. 

Violent Behavior and Bipolar Disorder Are Linked. Let’s Talk About it Openly and Deal with the Problem! 

 by Gabe Howard

Before we dive into this subject, let’s acknowledge some facts. First, I live with bipolar disorder and no, I have never been violent. Secondly, whether we want to admit it or not, violence can be associated with bipolar disorder – typically with bipolar psychosis, but can also manifest when inhibitions are lowered due to dysphoric mania.

When people living with bipolar disorder see in the media that others with bipolar disorder are violent, they have a very defensive reaction. It is triggering, because the typical person with bipolar disorder is not violent, has never been violent, and is unlikely to become violent. While the possibility does exist, it is very rare. The incidence of violence in bipolar disorder is rarer than suicide.

 

To put this in a little perspective, we do not become outraged or fearful when we hear “he committed suicide because he was bipolar.” But swap out suicide with crime or violence and our collective backs raise.

 Yes, Violent Behavior can be a Bipolar Symptom

 Rare though it is, we must accept that violence is associated with bipolar disorder. If we deny this, we remove the possibility of leniency in a criminal trial for someone who has a credible defense. We remove the possibility of treatment, because if it isn’t related to bipolar disorder, then it is just a flaw of character.

Advocating on behalf of mental illness is a difficult task and, at the end of the day, all we have is fact and honesty. Society is already skeptical of the media so when people discuss violence as it relates to mental illness, we have a golden opportunity to educate when people are listening. Next time someone brings up violence and mental illness, no matter how offensively, look them straight in the eyes and say:

“Sadly, violence is a potential symptom of mental illness. It is extremely rare and obviously occurs when something has gone terribly wrong. The overwhelming majority of people living with mental illness will not become violent and we must not give in to that fear. This is why I advocate to replace fear with facts and ensure that people who need treatment can receive it.”

That will go a long way toward reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness as well as educating the public.

Gabe

Gabe Howard is a professional speaker, award-winning writer and advocate, as well a person living with severe bipolar and anxiety disorders. Since 2003, he has made it his mission to put a face on mental illness that isn’t stereotypical. Society often sees people living with mental illness at their worst and he works to add a more balanced view to the conversation. Gabe is frequently irreverent, often too loud, and always unpredictable, but anyone who knows him will tell you that life would be so boring without him. Click here to read more about Gabe Howard and his work. 

 

 

Related posts:
Guest Blogger: Dawn and Schizoaffective Disorder
Guest Blogger: Karen Tyrrell Tells Her Bipolar Disorder Story
Guest Blogger pt. 2 Gayathri Ramprasad- author of Shadows in the Sun on Speaking the Truth about Mental Illness

Three Bipolar Disorder Symptoms No One Wants to Talk About: My Most Viewed Blog Post Ever is from BP Magazine

My Bp Magazine blog post from last week had over 1000 shares on Facebook and generated hundreds of comments. Here’s the opening paragraph and a link to the full blog as well as a link to the post on Facebook. You have to read the comments- they will make you think!!!! I would love to hear your views about the three symptoms I believe we don’t discuss enough. Especially the hot button topic of aggression and violence in bipolar disorder. Here’s the opening paragraph:

“  I know how important it is to protect the reputation of bipolar disorder in the general public. We don’t want people thinking we are dangerous, scary, crazy people who can’t be trusted. But I do feel we need to own up to the fact that certain mood swings DO cause the behaviors we want to sweep under the carpet. The three symptoms below represent the side of bipolar disorder we all know is there, but we rarely want to let the public know exists. This is only an opinion of course, but I’m truly interested to know if you feel the same.

#1 Dangerous, aggressive and violent behavior

I work with parents and partners of those with bipolar disorder………

Click here to read the rest of the Bp Magazine blog post Three Bipolar Disorder Symptoms No One Wants to Talk  About. 

Click here to visit the Bp Magazine Facebook page.  You can read all of the comments under the February 2nd post and add your own. Please share it with your friends for their opinions as well.

I highly recommend a subscription to this amazing magazine!

Julie

Related posts:
My Bp Magazine Blog Post: Does My Teenager Have Bipolar Disorder?
BP Magazine Blog Post: Bipolar Friendly Travel Tips
BP Magazine Blog: Why Can’t I Take Anti Depressants or ADHD Meds if I Have Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar Disorder and ADHD Symptoms: It’s only fun if it’s happening to a puppy and not you!

 

My brain feels like there is a puppy inside chasing butterflies instead of letting me work! 

It’s common for people with bipolar disorder to have ADD symptoms as well.

If the person with bipolar disorder has ADD or ADHD symptoms when manic or depressed, it’s a symptom of bipolar disorder. If the symptoms are separate from a manic or depressed episode, the ADD or ADHD symptoms are a separate diagnosis. 

I wish I could take Ritalin regularly. It helps SO MUCH, but it also causes mania. People with bipolar disorder simply can’t take ADD medications unless they are also on a strong mood stabilizer. This means a natural management plan for the symptoms needs to be in place  I write about my plan in Get it Done When You’re Depressed. I  used my strategies this morning and finally got out of the house and was able to sit down and work.  Puppies chasing butterflies are cute- unless they keep you from getting on with your life.

These attention problems significantly affect my ability to work.  I have a separate ADD problem  that has to be treated separately from the bipolar disorder! Do you have ADD symptoms?

Julie

Related posts:
BP Magazine Blog: Why Can’t I Take Anti Depressants or ADHD Meds if I Have Bipolar Disorder?
Clean One Room at a Time and Don’t Cut Your Finger Off When Cooking
Odd depression and mania symptoms of bipolar disorder

I once again answer the critics on why this blog about bipolar disorder believes in medications for bipolar disorder!

I continually receive comments, posts on social media and direct emails trying to ‘open my eyes’ to the dangers of psychiatric medications. If you look below to the post under this one, you will see a post on Lamictal (lamotrigine) from a few years ago.

I re-posted the entry so that you could see the comments I receive from those who for some reason feel that a balanced blog that stresses management skills with medications when needed would be open to the idea that NO ONE with bipolar disorder should take medications.

 I guess they think I just love putting these toxic things in my body! I don’t like what medications do to us physically, who would. But as someone with very severe rapid cycling where I can go in and out of strong mood swings five or more times a day, sometimes a great management plan isn’t enough.  When I can’t sleep AT ALL because the mania is acting up,  using my management skills often isn’t enough.  The latest comment  I received gave what I consider dangerous advice to a reader- the advice- Get off psych meds as they are toxic and don’t really work.

Let’s be really clear here.

Medications are TOXIC! But to say they don’t work is ignorance in its most basic form.

 Please know  that I love a good debate- I love opinions and I often post opinions I don’t agree with. But when the opinion is dangerous to the health of those with bipolar disorder, I will post it, but I will not let the misinformation move forward without adding my opinion.  For those out there who are against medication use in mental illness, please know I respect your opinion! If you have a serious mental health disorder and it works for you not to take medications, I am happy for you.   If you want to get your message to the world, you are in the right country to do so.  But please know that this blog is not the right platform for your views.

 The comment that got me going this morning basically said that anyone who takes Lamictal is a fool and should stop it immediately as it doesn’t work and any success a person has on Lamictal is a placebo effect. Here is my reply: 

Hello Ellen, I’m posting your comment as I believe that a conversation about medications is important. I also like your balanced approach in writing. I will say that I do disagree with you about the Lamictal for a reason you might not expect. Robert Whitaker got it right in so many ways- but the biggest issue I have with the argument you present is that there are some of us who will die if we don’t have medications such as Lamictal. This doesn’t make the medications any less toxic. Do you think I like the stiff neck, breathing problems and itchiness I get with Lamictal? Heck no! But… when I don’t take it I often go down to 50% functioning because my rapid cycling is so all encompassing, I don’t have the energy to do what I have to do to move forward in life. Just this week my hypomania was so intense I had to take EXTRA medications to get back to baseline. I don’t want to do this! I have to do this.

I have a question- Do you take any medications? Tylenol? Aspirin? A sleep aid? Maybe something for a persistent physical illness?  Have you read their side effect profiles? I especially love the bleeding stomach ulcers that come with aspirin. I rarely find people who are against psych meds who are just as against meds for physical ailments. I ask this question with respect- do you go onto blogs that address those who have heart conditions and tell them to get off their medications?

Do you tell cancer patients to tough it out and NEVER use chemo? Would you put people’s lives in danger on sites that are not about mental illness?

If the answer is no, then how on earth can you in good faith go onto a blog such as this one and tell people to stop the medications that might be saving their lives? Think about it.

My coauthor Dr. John Preston and I revised my book Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder to address the medication question more fully. We added a new chapter in 2012 that addresses the dilemma all of us with bipolar disorder face when we need medication.

When people tell others not to take psych meds, they are risking the lives of the other person. If you are ok dispensing information such as telling someone the medication that helped was simply a placebo affect, are you just as willing to talk to the loved ones if that person takes your advice, goes off meds and ends up killing herself?

If you are willing to take this risk- then I say continue your work to make others feel bad about taking medications that are often needed, but be aware of the moral liability. I do respect your right to an opinion- which is why I posted your comment. I do respect that what you described worked for you, but.. and I mean this with the greatest respect- bipolar disorder is a very dangerous illness and anyone who has the nerve to get online and suggest to ill and often fragile people that medications don’t help is a danger to people with mental illnesses.  People who are ill often can’t see that they need medications and feed off of information such as yours- ask any parent who has gone through this and they will tell you that it’s the misinformation on the web that causes the most problems when a manic and psychotic child desperately needs help but instead sends the parents links to comments such as yours. I used to be quiet about this, but after five years of coaching parents and partners who are in this exact situation, I’m using my voice to do something about it.

Many of us would not make it without medications. I can’t stand what they do to our bodies- the weight gain, the skin problems, the twitching, the apathy and the memory loss- but, if I have to go through that in order to get myself out of a serious episode I will. You may notice that I have ZERO drug sponsorship on my sites. I could make a lot of money going that route, but I don’t do it. I believe in a full spectrum management plan where drugs are a PART of the system. This is why I am often off drugs for long periods of time.

Please know this simply isn’t the place for scaring and confusing others who are starting the journey to management. Bipolar disorder is not anxiety -it’s not depression and it doesn’t fit into the more moderate type of psychiatric illness that can be treated without medications. Instead, it’s a complicated and dangerous illness that often presents all of the symptoms at once- as you see in dysphoric manic episodes.

In the future, I hope you can find a blog that fits your needs. Bipolarhappens.com is not that blog. This blog has always been and will continue to be a place where those who want and need medication can come for information.

The Bipolarhappens.com blog also offers free information on how to manage this illness outside of medications. This is not a site where we put down the use of medications: ever. This is a site where the balanced use of medications if needed is discussed. No one is blind to the problem, least of all me- ask me again about my three cracked teeth, weight gain, rashes and fibromyalgia- I do get it that having to take these medications sucks. I use a management plan for 75% of my symptoms- it’s called The Heath Cards- when the 25% shows up- such as my continual hypomania- I TAKE MEDICATIONS.

Thank you,

Julie

Related posts:
Bipolar Disorder Medications: Mood stabilizers Lithium, Depakote, Tegretol, Lamictal
Bipolar Disorder Medication Blog Posts
Part 2: Find Bipolar Disorder Medications that Work for You

My Bp Magazine Blog Post: Does My Teenager Have Bipolar Disorder?

 

It’s hard to know if your teenager has bipolar disorder simply because teenagers are emotional creatures!   How are parents supposed to figure out what is typical and what is a possible bipolar disorder symptom when so many teenage behaviors seems to mimic the ups and downs of bipolar disorder? I address this question in my latest blog for Bp Magazine.

 

 

 

After years of working with parents who ask me this exact question, I came up with a quick tool all parents can use to at least determine if a teenager needs an evaluation from a health care professional.  It doesn’t take a lot of time, but wow, it can save a lot of future grief!

Click here to read the blog post from Bp Magazine and visit BP Magazine on Facebook and let me know what you think!

 

 

Related posts:
BP Magazine Blog Post: Bipolar Friendly Travel Tips
BP Magazine Blog: Why Can’t I Take Anti Depressants or ADHD Meds if I Have Bipolar Disorder?
My BP Magazine blog: I am not a SCROOGE!

Do You Care About Someone with Bipolar Disorder Who Refuses Help for Bipolar Disorder?

You are not alone! Many people with bipolar disorder can’t see they are ill and many know they have the illness, but stubbornly refuse help!

Here are three tips to ease your loved one into future treatment: 

1. If the person refuses to say the words bipolar disorder, don’t try to force the issue…yet. Instead, talk about feeling good, feeling down, feeling upset or feeling angry.

2. Focus on sleep. Many people with untreated mood disorders are open to getting help for sleep. Talk about sleep studies, small doses of melatonin four hours before midnight and talking to a professional to get help for sleeping issues.

3. If it feels right, talk about anxiety. I’ve learned through working with parents and partners that people who refuse to use the words bipolar disorder will often have an open discussion about anxiety, especially men.

There is always hope. People change and those who can’t see they are ill or who simply refuse help today can get better. I see it in my work all of the time!

Julie

Related posts:
Bipolar Disorder and Sleep: Football, friends, brain chatter and Ativan
Bipolar Disorder.. it’s always something!
Bipolar Disorder and Medication Side Effects