Hello. My name is Judy and I have a Mental Illness which was diagnosed as Bipolar I Disorder in 1999.
I experienced a ‘Full Blown Mania‘ episode at home and was then hospitalized for a week.
My doctor prescribed a mood stabilizer medication and an antidepressant medication. Due to ‘not’ following my doctors prescribing instructions, I stopped taking my mood stabilizer and I continued taking the antidepressant medicine and twelve months later my Bipolar I Disorder began to rekindle into mania.
Within 24 months I had another ‘Full Blown Mania’. I was hospitalized a second time and was discharged two weeks later.
Following my diagnosis came medications, group therapy, counseling, multiple appointments with my psychiatrist, transitioning behavior to a balanced emotional life and being compliant with the treatment plan.
One of my psychiatrist’s made a statement that has lingered in my thoughts ever since 1999.
“Full Blown Mania episodes kill brain cells.”, states Dr. T.
I don’t want to kill my brain cells so I will stay on my prescribed medication; always!
Allowing friends and family to be a part of my behavior transition has been a challenge. It is a balance between being accepted by others and trusting them with my emotions. Being vulnerable and real with myself and with those who love me is a challenge.
Another psychiatrist that I had encouraged me and gave me hope that I would be able to live a balanced life with family, friends, and socially.
“Observing social cues in others will help in the recovery of appropriate behavior.”, advises Dr. K.
Encouraging others on their Bipolar Journey has been on my mind for quite a long time. I considered leading a Bipolar Disorder Support Group and because I haven’t had training in the Mental Health Care Field, I decided not to go in that direction. I decided to have my own website and thus the idea of Blogging bloomed. Designing my own blog has been a lot of fun and very satisfying. I have put a lot of thought and planning into it.
Launch Date: April 1, 2025
I chose this launch date as it is the Anniversary of my first Manic Episode; twenty six years ago.
Launching this blog is exciting for me. Is my excitement hypomania? Some days maybe, other days maybe not.
Do I have anxiety about posting new information regularly? Yes. Anxiety can paralyze me at times as it can be difficult for me to focus and to stay on task.
I can say that using a blog to encourage others makes me happy because I can share my story.
Do you want to share your story? There is an opportunity on this blog for others to share their story of hope. Hope Stories are to be uplifting and encouraging. The instructions for submitting a Hope Story can be found on the ‘Hope Story’ page.
Please note that I disclose only my first name on my blog due to the sensitive nature of mental illness.