I have been very lucky with the care I’ve received from medical professionals in the past few years since my diagnosis of bipolar and psychosis. The two psychiatrists who’ve been charged with my care have been understanding and respectful. All good news. That is, until this week. I have a new psychiatrist. My first appointment […]
Falling Through The Gap
I’ve lived with mental illness for more than half my life. Even so, it’s only been in the past few years where I’ve felt able to talk openly about bipolar, psychosis and bulimia. It’s everyones responsibility to help people like me find their voice. We shouldn’t have to feel brave for speaking up, we must […]
Breaking the Silence
Too many people with mental illness are silent. Silent with friends and family, Silent at work. Silent from their doctors, silent with themselves. Breaking that silence can feel like the hardest thing in the world. We worry about what others will think of us, and that they will judge us. Maybe they’ll think we’re attention […]
My mental illness Q & A
1. What is your mental health issue? I suffer from Bipolar Affective disorder. It first manifested as depression, but I was later diagnosed with Bipolar. As part of Bipolar, I also have psychosis, where I have times when I experience auditory hallucinations. I also suffer with panic attacks and bulimia. 2. Do you have medication and/or […]
Body Confidence and Self – Esteem
The confidence I have in my body and my self esteem are intrinsically linked. It’s always been this way, since I was a child. I can remember before I hit puberty that I was terrified of becoming a woman. The very idea of having breasts and curves filled me with dread. In a way, I […]
My Eating Disorder Recovery Tools
I have started on my journey to recovery from bulimia, and I’m determined to conquer this dreadful disorder. I talk about it in more depth in the post I have an Eating Disorder. It has taken over my life and that is the hard part; what do I do to fill my time when I would otherwise […]
The beginnings of my eating disorder
I have been thinking about this recently. Where did it come from? I suppose as a child I was always a tomboy, and didn’t look forward to the idea of being an adult and having curves. I was almost scared of the idea of becoming a woman with breasts and big hips. I became overweight […]
I have an Eating Disorder
I have bulimia. Believe me, I hate talking about it. To me it’s an embarrassing secret I keep hidden from others. For years I wanted no one to know about it. I’m ashamed that as a grown woman I do this to myself. It’s not just a teenage illness; I developed bulimia in my early […]
101 Things Nobody Tells you about Bipolar
It is more than just happy or sad Bipolar is a complex long term condition Sufferers all have slightly different periods of depression, hypomania, mania and stability Depression will be severe and unrelenting A depressive episode could last months A hypomanic or manic episode could last months Mania is not always fun Mania makes you […]