When Keely P. describes her first manic episode, she lists what might be considered “classic” bipolar symptoms. “I had lots of energy, a case of the giggles, and racing thoughts,” says Keely, who is ...

I’ve faced the more familiar facets of bipolar — unpredictable mood swings, medication side effects, irregular sleep patterns — for decades. However, I’ve discovered some difficult dilemmas that often ...

You walk into a social gathering and see that most of the guests have a drink in hand. So you grab a beer, too — maybe to calm your nerves before you mingle, maybe to join the festive atmosphere, ...

When living with bipolar disorder feels overwhelming or isolating, taking a moment to unwind with a movie or documentary can offer more than just a distraction — it can provide comfort, insight, and ...

Our award-winning bpHope Blog is a collection of posts written with heartfelt honesty by a group of bloggers from around the world, with each providing their own unique perspectives on living with ...

“I’m the PhD down the hall whose memory fails during critical discussions at the office,” says Debra. In her early sixties, Debra is a behavioral scientist with the Centers for Disease Control and ...

Are People With Bipolar Really More Creative? Author Virginia Woolf saw her artistry and her mood extremes as being inextricably linked. In a letter to a friend in 1930, she wrote of her “madness” ...

Today, I am talking about crisis plans: what they are, why you need one, and what they are not. A crisis plan is not necessarily a legal document, so that’s important to know upfront. And importantly, ...

Several elements must be present to diagnose a manic episode. First, there must be a distinct period during which there are marked changes in mood—abnormally elevated (on top of the world), expansive ...

Understand what drives self-sabotage in bipolar disorder, and learn expert-backed ways to protect your stability. Key Takeaways Like it or not, as humans, we tend to get in our own way. Whether ...

In the spring of 2017, Jess L. of Cleveland got the news that her estranged father had been in a serious car accident. The combination of uncertainty about his prospects, emotional baggage from their ...

In the United States, depression rates have reached an all-time high, according to a 2023 Gallup poll. Nearly 1 in 3 American adults surveyed said they had been diagnosed with depression at some point ...