Looking back on 2007 MHA journalism award for BP Magazine column

Time Goes So Fast. I remember when I won this.  It was one of the first times I’d flown in years. Meeting everyone was fun- I did deal with the inevitable anxiety- but I reminded myself that I didn’t have to go to every event. That helped. I remember being stressed in the airport. Now airports give me no trouble at all. Progress.

It’s easy to think that you have done your best work when you were younger and see an accomplishment in  2007 as something that won’t happen again.  That is what depression wants you to believe. One minute it’s 2007 and then it’s 2012.  I ask myself- what have I done in between? How would you answer that? Have I done enough?

We can do ANYTHING at ANY AGE.  What happened in the past can be awesome or awful- but what matters is what you do now. (That was a pep talk to myself.)

People can have huge accomplishements, but if they are not happy, it means nothing.  Others can have less dramatic lives and be very happy.

Julie

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2007

bp (bipolar) Magazine’s Julie Fast receives Mental Health America Media Award for her column on living with bipolar disorder

BUFFALO, NY, August 7, 2007 — bp Magazine contributing editor, Julie Fast, was honored by MHA (Mental Health America) for her magazine columns about living with bipolar disorder. Her award was announced at the annual Media Awards Luncheon held in Washington D.C. in conjunction with the organization’s annual June meeting.

Her award was for “Personal Mental Health Columns” and Fast was one of 15 national journalists named by MHA from media as diverse as CNN TV, Glamour magazine, and National Public Radio.

Being the recipient of this national award for writing excellence means more than just recognition of her journalistic skills, she noted.

“The MHA Award is very exciting,” Fast says. “I never thought I would be able to work as a writer or have a career because of the challenges of having bipolar disorder.

“For me, the award is validation and proof that in spite of my illness, I can write–even when I am sick–and I can even be recognized for it.”

“Julie has been an integral part of the bp team from the start,” says Joanne Doan, publisher, commenting on Fast’s MHA Award. “Julie’s personal reflections and advice about living with bipolar disorder have enriched every issue of bp Magazine. The work of writers such as Julie help our readers cope better with the challenges of bipolar disorder, just as she does.”

Writing personal advice to the magazine’s audience is important to her personally, says Fast. “I know that what I write for bp reaches people who have the disorder, and their caretakers, and their health-care professionals too. It’s a pretty rare phenomenon for a writer to be able to reach an audience so diverse and all with a connection to bipolar disorder,” she says. “Even though I am considered an ‘expert’ on bipolar disorder, I learn something new myself from every issue of bp.”

In addition to her regular quarterly columns for bp Magazine (www.bphope.com), the Portland, Oregon resident is the author (or co-author) of six books including Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder and Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder. A new book, Getting Things Done When You’re Depressed, is scheduled for publication by Penguin Books in January, 2008.

(Wow- Get it Done When You’re Depressed wasn’t even done yet!)

About bp Magazine:

bp Magazine, the healthy living publication launched in the fall of 2004, offers a message of hope and harmony to people living with bipolar disorder. Bp, and it’s sister magazine bp Canada, have a total circulation of 70,000. The quarterly publication includes up-to-date news and research; features about major issues of interest to persons with bipolar disorder; interviews with celebrities; profiles about coping with the disorder; family stories; nutrition and body wellness; and other in-depth articles offering information, education, and hope about bipolar issues. The online companions, www.bphope.com, and www.bipolarbuzz.com offer additional resources for the bipolar community.

bp Magazine’s top advertisers consist of Platinum sponsor Pfizer Inc. and Gold sponsors Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. National mental health association advertisers include the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation, Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, Mental Health America and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

 

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