At the age of 25 when I first became seriously ill with Bipolar I didn't sleep for three days. This all happened over Christmas Eve into boxing day. It was a brutal experience. My mind just wouldn't switch off and incoherent thoughts just kept bubbling and turning in my head, constantly, without respite. Eventually an… Continue reading Fractured Sleep. (John)
I've been thinking about 'psychiatric time' – it works differently to 'normal' time, and if you have a mental illness you have to come to some accommodation with it. Patience is required. Psychiatric time just runs slower than normal time. We're dealing with human beings – not blood tests. We get brought up short the… Continue reading Patience (Elle)
As my consultant said recently, medication has its role, but it's not the be all and end all. I really respect her for this view - it's close to my own opinion. So this had me wondering how else I 'medicate' myself aside from the meds I take. My first risky run in with self-medication… Continue reading Self Medicating (Elle)
Both John and I experienced misdiagnosis before we were finally diagnosed with Bipolar 1. This I believe is a pretty common experience. The figure often quoted is that it takes on average 10 years from the onset of symptoms to the point where the diagnosis is made. There are a number of reasons for this… Continue reading Getting the ‘Label.’ Elle
I was in hospital two and a half years ago. Since then I've had a kind of grimy time of it. I've been low and flat and I haven't been looking after myself well. I failed to eat to the point of malnutrition, and then developed TB last year. A terrible stasis kind of crept in… Continue reading Certainty. Elle
Mind Palaver 