"Erin Callinan writes with open-herarted honesty of her personal journey from the shock and confusion of her first manic episode back to inner peace and self-acceptance."--Page [4] of cover.
Overcome with mental anguish, Monica A. Coleman's great-grandfather had his two young sons pull the chair out from beneath him when he hanged himself. That noose remained tied to a rafter in the shed, where it hung above the heads of his eight children who played there for years to come. As it had for generations before her, a heaviness hung over Monica throughout her young life. As an adult, this rising star in the academy saw career successes often fueled by the modulated highs of undiagnosed Bipolar II Disorder, as she hid deep depression that even her doctors skimmed past in disbelief. Serendipitous encounters with Black intellectuals like Henry Louis Gates Jr., Angela Davis, and Renita Weems were countered by long nights of stark loneliness. Only as Coleman began to face her illness was she able to live honestly and faithfully in the world. And in the process, she discovered a new and liberating vision of God. Written in crackling prose, Monica's spiritual autobiography examines her long dance with trauma, depression, and the threat of death in light of the legacies of slavery, war, sharecropping, poverty, and alcoholism that masked her family history of mental illness for generations.
Brilliant, Beautiful, Bipolar is an autobiographical account of former physician Liz Casper’s diagnosis of and treatment for bipolar disorder. In this first book, Casper chronicles her unique experience as her world fell apart while trying to start a new life for herself in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Buoyed by the endless future opportunities and possibilities, combined with her limitless energy, Casper was unaware there was a far more sinister side to her life that would soon surface. Through her gut-wrenching and honest account of her life, Casper gives us an unusual insight into the mind of an actively manic, albeit brilliant mind; and the devastation that can occur along the way. As is common, Casper rejected the diagnosis until it became too great to ignore, her losses too deep, her pain too great to continue. This fast-paced story will leave you with jaw-dropping moments, brutally honest storytelling, and ultimate inspiration for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis. Casper’s account gives deep insight and hope to anyone suffering from any medical illness. Her book - filled with contemporary relevance - will leave you wanting more of her life stories; more of her revealing and highly entertaining prose; and more of her much-needed, sage advice.
When you travel to a new city, it helps to have a map close at hand. On the first day of school, you need to have your schedule of classes. And if you've been diagnosed with bipolar disorder or suspect you may have it, then it's even more important to have a guidebook within reach. Facing Bipolar will help you navigate the world of medications, therapists, and the up-and-down mood cycles common to the disorder. It clearly explains what bipolar disorder is and provides sound guidance for developing the necessary coping skills to manage its impact on your life. In this book you'll discover: How therapy and medications can help When and how to tell your friends, roommates, and teachers The four key factors that will bring more stability to your life How to develop a support network and access college resources Ways to overcome the challenges in accepting this illness
"Maricela tells it all and offers hope to anyone who's felt alone. A must read for anyone LGBT grappling with mental health issues." - Muffy Walker, co-founder and chairman of the International Bipolar Foundation Beautiful Bipolar Bisexual is an inspirational story about a woman living with bipolar disorder and the challenges she faces when she comes out of the closet. Maricela's strong faith in God helped her cope with mental illness, but when she discovers her true sexual orientation, she wonders if God still loves her. The author's life spirals out of control when her former boyfriend is murdered. Maricela always thought living with mental illness was the hardest thing she ever faced, but coming out of the closet was just as hard, and she struggles being accepted by her religious Catholic mother. Her pain becomes unbearable after her beloved girlfriend, Caylee, is diagnosed with untreatable lung cancer. Maricela decides if her girlfriend dies, she will kill herself too so they can be together forever in heaven. Surviving suicide made her realize that she would not let mental illness destroy her life. Hope came when she least expected it. Maricela's mental health recovery was through medication, therapy, support groups, spirituality, art, music, her service dog, and positive support from loved ones. Maricela Estrada is the author of Bipolar Girl: My Psychotic Self. She earned a BA in communications from California State University Fullerton. She works as a medical case worker for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. She is a mental health recovery speaker, dedicated to raising public awareness and decreasing the stigma associated with mental illness. Publisher's website: http: //sbprabooks.com/MaricelaEstrada
Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice From My Bipolar Life is the eagerly awaited sequel/ companion book to Forney’s 2012 best-selling graphic memoir, Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me. Whereas Marbles was a memoir about her bipolar disorder, Rock Steady turns the focus outward, offering a self-help survival guide of tips, tricks and tools by someone who has been through it all and come through stronger for it.
In her revealing bestseller Call Me Anna, Patty Duke shared her long-kept secret: the talented, Oscar-winning actress who won our hearts on The Patty Duke Show was suffering from a serious-but-treatable-mental illness called manic depression. For nearly twenty years, until she was correctly diagnosed at age thirty-five, she careened between periods of extreme euphoria and debilitating depression, prone to delusions and panic attacks, temper tantrums, spending sprees, and suicide attempts. Now in A Brilliant Madness Patty Duke joins with medical reporter Gloria Hochman to shed light on this powerful, paradoxical, and destructive illness. From what it's like to live with manic-depressive disorder to the latest findings on its most effective treatments, this compassionate and eloquent book provides profound insight into the challenge of mental illness. And though Patty's story, which ends in a newfound happiness with her cherished family, it offers hope for all those who suffer from mood disorders and for the family, friends, and physicians who love and care for them.
In the fall of 1999, 23-year-old Simon hit the road on a journey that took her across the United States. Her inspired interviews with other young men and women suffering from manic depression comprise the heart and soul of this remarkable memoir.
This workbook delivers a hands-on resource, with a variety of tools that enable readers to recognize the early warning signs of an oncoming episode, develop plans for withstanding the seductive pull of manic episodes, and escape the paralysis of depression.
With candor and humor, a manic-depressive Iranian-American Muslim woman chronicles her experiences with both clinical and cultural bipolarity. Born to Persian parents at the height of the Islamic Revolution and raised amid a vibrant, loving, and gossipy Iranian diaspora in the American heartland, Melody Moezzi was bound for a bipolar life. At 18, she began battling a severe physical illness, and her community stepped up, filling her hospital rooms with roses, lilies and hyacinths. But when she attempted suicide and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, there were no flowers. Despite several stays in psychiatric hospitals, bombarded with tranquilizers, mood-stabilizers, and anti-psychotics, she was encouraged to keep her illness a secret—by both her family and an increasingly callous and indifferent medical establishment. Refusing to be ashamed or silenced, Moezzi became an outspoken advocate, determined to fight the stigma surrounding mental illness and reclaim her life along the way. Both an irreverent memoir and a rousing call to action, Haldol and Hyacinths is the moving story of a woman who refused to become a victim. Moezzi reports from the frontlines of an invisible world, as seen through a unique and fascinating cultural lens. A powerful, funny, and moving narrative, Haldol and Hyacinths is a tribute to the healing power of hope and humor.