Bipolar disorder

2014 recap – a year of sharing in the PatientsLikeMe community

ALS, Bipolar disorder, Diabetes, Epilepsy, Fibromyalgia, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, Mental Health, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Patient Experiences, Pulmonary fibrosis / By

Another year has come and gone here at PatientsLikeMe, and as we started to look back at who’s shared their experiences, we were quite simply amazed. More than 30 members living with 9 different conditions opened up for a blog interview in 2014. But that’s just the start. Others have shared about their health journeys in short videos and even posted about their favorite food recipes. A heartfelt thanks to everyone who shared their experiences this year – the PatientsLikeMe community is continuing to change healthcare for good, and together, we can help each other live better as we move into 2015. Team of Advisors In September, we announced the first-ever PatientsLikeMe Team of Advisors, a group of 14 members that will work with us this year on research-related initiatives. They’ve been giving regular feedback about how PatientsLikeMe research can be even more helpful, including creating a “guide” that highlights new standards for researchers to better engage with patients. We introduced everyone to three so far, and look forward to highlighting the rest of team in 2015. Meet Becky – Becky is a former family nurse practitioner, and she’s a medically retired flight nurse who is living with epilepsy and …

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It’s time to recognize mental illness in October

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Think about this for a second; according to the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) 1 in 4 people, or 25% of American adults, will be diagnosed with a mental illness this year. On top of that, 20 percent of American children (1 in 5) will also be diagnosed. And so for 7 days, October 5th to 11th, we’ll be spreading the word for Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW). What exactly is a mental illness? According to NAMI, “A mental illness is a medical condition that disrupts a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. [They] are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life.” There are many types of mental illnesses. The list includes conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar II, depression, schizophrenia and more. MIAW is about recognizing the effects of every condition and learning what it’s like to live day-to-day with a mental illness. This week, you can get involved by reading and sharing NAMI’s fact sheet on mental illness and using NAMI’s social media badges and images on Facebook, Twitter and other sites. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #MIAW14 if you …

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Getting to know our 2014 Team of Advisors – Dana

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Just last month, we announced the coming together of our first-ever, patient-only Team of Advisors – a group of 14 PatientsLikeMe members that will give feedback on research initiatives and create new standards that will help all researchers understand how to better engage with patients like them. They’ve already met one another in person, and over the next 12 months, will give feedback to our own PatientsLikeMe Research Team. They’ll also be working together to develop and publish a guide that outlines standards for how researchers can meaningfully engage with patients throughout the entire research process. So where did we find our 2014 team? We posted an open call for applications in the forums, and were blown away by the response! The team includes veterans, nurses, social workers, academics and advocates; all living with different conditions. Over the coming months, we’d like to introduce you to each and every one of them in a new blog series: Getting to know our 2014 Team of Advisors. First up, Dana. About Dana (aka roulette67) Dana is a poet and screenplay writer living in New Jersey. She is very active in the Mental Health and Behavior forum. She is open to discussing the …

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“In my own words” – PatientsLikeMe member Eleanor writes about her journey with bipolar II: Part 3

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Over the past few months, Eleanor (redblack) has been sharing about her bipolar II on the blog, and today, we’re posting the final part of her series (thank you Eleanor for being so open and taking the time to share with everyone)! Eleanor talks about her relationship with her psychiatrist Jon and how they recently sealed “nearly four decades of struggle, pain and healing.” Read on for the final chapter, and if you missed Eleanor’s two previous entries, check them out here.       My Psychiatrist of Thirty-Seven Years: Jon Betwee What can I possibly say? Jon Betwee became my psychiatrist thirty-seven years ago, a month after we moved to Maui from western New York. He retired February 1st, but not before personally placing a few of his patients with one of the very limited number of therapists here. I was fortunate to be in that group. I am seeing a female nurse practitioner, licensed to write prescriptions and well-versed in bipolar disorder. As my PatientsLikeMe friend, Kitty, said to me last week, “She’s no Jon, but she just might turn out OK yet.” Jon is very reserved outwardly, but extremely discerning and compassionate inside. He became the best …

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“In my own words” – PatientsLikeMe member Eleanor writes about her journey with bipolar II: Part 2

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Back in May, Eleanor (redblack) wrote about her some of her experiences with bipolar II to help spread the word for Mental Health Awareness Month. She’s continuing this month by sharing about the personal support system she’s developed through a wonderful relationship with her husband Jim, her special bond with a particular mood community member and how she’s learned about the value of sharing the “whys” of her bipolar II. If you’ve been following along, keep an eye out! We’re going to post the third and final part of her interview in July. Miss the first part? Read that here. The benefits of spousal support My husband of thirty-seven years, Jim, is my strongest and most dependable support. We met forty-two years ago teaching high school in New York State. I was the single mother of two boys, four and five, who are Native American and Black on their biological father’s side. Jim was a Catholic priest. The boys soon adopted him as a father figure. We married five years later and moved to Maui. Jim adopted Mike and Mark, and later, we had James and Kalea. Before our marriage, he had already helped me through one suicide attempt. Over …

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“In my own words” – PatientsLikeMe member Eleanor writes about her journey with bipolar II: Part I

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  We just posted that May is Mental Health Month, and so we wanted to help raise awareness by getting the patient perspective out there. PatientsLikeMe member Eleanor (redblack) first experienced bipolar II as a young woman, and she’s been managing her mental health with the help of her family and psychiatrist ever since. She shared about her journey in a three-part interview series, and we’ll be posting one part each month. In this first edition, Steubenville talked about how twinkling Christmas tree lights gave way to thoughts of loneliness, how life in a convent seemed like the right plan, and how she learned to recognize oncoming depression and mania. Read on for her full interview and keep an eye out for part two in June! Navigating the ups and downs of a diagnosis Although I was diagnosed with bipolar II well into adulthood, I feel I experienced it very early in life. On a particularly joyous Christmas Day when I was about twelve, as the dusk fell early on a typical western New York winter afternoon, I stood alone, gazing at the twinkling Christmas tree, and suddenly thought, “This is how it will always be: cold, and dark, and lonely.” …

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“Mind your health” – Recognizing mental health in May

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This May marks the 65th anniversary of Mental Health Month, which has been observed by Mental Health America (MHA) since 1949. The MHA’s 2014 monthly theme is “Mind your health,” and it’s all about building public awareness for mental health and wellness while learning about the complex connections between the mind and the body. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), 26% of Americans ages 18 and older are currently living with a diagnosable mental health condition.1 That’s about 1 in every 4 adults. In fact, NIMH says that mental health conditions “are the leading cause of disability in the U.S. and Canada.” They can cause mood swings, anxiety, personality changes and more, and many times, the subtler emotional symptoms can be very tough to describe. The mood community at PatientsLikeMe is more than 33,000 strong, and in addition to tracking symptoms and donating personal data through detailed health profiles, members are sharing their experiences in the PatientsLikeMe forum. People are talking about everything from sleep habits and mood research to favorite emotional movies, and they’re also sharing photos symbolizing how they feel. If you’ve been recently diagnosed, connect with others who are experiencing the same and know what …

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National Depression Screening Day and National Bipolar Awareness Day

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As part of Mental Illness Awareness Week, today is both National Depression Screening Day and National Bipolar Awareness Day. It’s all part of a larger effort to raise awareness about the mental conditions that affect the lives of millions of people around the world. So what are the stats on depression?[1] Depression affects as many as ten percent of all people in the United States, an incredible 30 million people One out of four young adults will experience a depressive episode by age 24 10% to 15% of all depressions are triggered by other medical conditions (such as thyroid disease, cancer or neurologic problems) or by medications Here are the facts about bipolar disorder:[2] More than 10 million Americans are living with this condition, which is characterized by extreme mood swings and intense emotional states More than half of patients are diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 25 Bipolar disorder affects men and women equally But at PatientsLikeMe, we know that patients aren’t just a statistic, and that facts don’t tell the whole story. Your journey is unique, and this is why more than 15,000 PatientsLikeMe members with depression and more than 4,000 with bipolar disorder are sharing their …

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