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Julie Fast - Bipolar Disorder
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Julie is the author of Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder: Understanding and Helping Your Partner, Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder: a Four Step Plan to Help You and Your Loved One’s to Manage the Illness and Create Lasting Stability and Get it Do
Recent Posts Tagged With 'loving someone with bipolar disorder'
Reader Question: Bipolar Disorder and Natural Treatments
Julie, I love your book on Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder. I am bipolar and my partner and I have been working with it for HOURS since I got out of the hospital (a true hellhole) a few days ago. I see that you work with a naturopath, but I se...
Bipolar Disorder: Relationships and Respect: Reader Question
Here is a reader question from my blog on respect in relationships: Hey Julie! Here’s a terrible question. What if the person who is not treating you with love and respect is your husband of 16 years? My friends comment on how he treats ...
Reader Question: Ebooks?
I just received a question from Michael asking- Do your books come in ebook format? Hi Michael, I started my career with ebooks. My Health Cards Treatment Plan for Bipolar Disorder and my books Tips for Talking with Health Care Professionals and Bi...
A Thought for the Day
Just because one things goes ‘wrong’ it doesn’t mean that all things are going wrong! Bipolar is a tricky task master- it says- oh, something just caused you some trouble? That’s because it has always caused you trouble and it...
Bipolar Disorder Mania Check In
It’s hard to write about mania considering that I have been in a downswing for a week, but it’s a topic I have to continually address- I hear stories all summer about people who go off their meds because they feel so GREAT and then the di...
It’s ok. It’s going to be ok. You are ok.
I have said this to myself many times in the past 15 years since being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Just a few weeks ago I dealt with a lot of suicidal thoughts- even when I was crying and scared, I said, “Julie, it’s bipolar disorder...
Julie, how do you manage bipolar disorder so successfully?
How I manage bipolar disorder successfully…… I get a lot of questions from readers asking how I can do so well despite having chronic bipolar disorder mood swings. Here is my long answer. There is a short answer as well. I will put that at th...
July 4th Holiday Blues
I am constanly astonished at how much trouble I have with holidays! It’s never ending. Yesterday was Independence Day here in the states. We do some major celebrating on that day. The weather was gorgeous here in Portland, Oregon. I go to ...
Working through bipolar anxiety
Bipolar anxiety is really common when you’re depressed- and a large part of dysphoric mania where depression and mania are combined. But there is also just plain old anxiety that visits on its own. I call this free form anxiety as it just sor...
Bipolarhappens.com podcast: My husband can’t sleep….
Here is a question from Liz. Her partner has bipolar disorder and recently got out of the hospital. She asks an interesting question- as a partner of someone with the illness, where does help end and needing the person to take care of themselves on t...
Doing better…. all right! Finally!
What a nightmare week! As you have probably read below- I had a bad reaction to Zoloft. Whew, that was tough. I knew what was happening and I used my treatment plan, but it was still hard. I managed to get some work done- except for one article on p...
Living with bipolar suicidal thoughts…
Hi, It’s hard for me to write blogs when I’m so suicidal. I wrote a few days ago about a bad experience with Zoloft that put me into a severe downswing. I just had a conversation with my coauthor Dr. John Preston and he said, “Jul...
Twitter Bipolar Definitions
Twitter makes a person write in really, really short sentences. I decided to define bipolar disorder terms with as few words as possible. Here are a few: BIPOLAR DISORDER: A genetic illness that makes it difficult for a person to regulate their moods...
Bipolar disorder medications: Dry mouth?
There are a lot of bipolar disorder medications that can cause a dry mouth- anti depressants, mood stabilizers and anti psychotics are equal opportunity employers when it comes to side effects. Our bodies are so different - which means that some of...
Thanks for all fo the reader comments!
I really appreciate and learn from reader comments. I read all of them. I try to respond as much as possible. I especially appreciate comments that give different opinions to what I’ve written on the blog and in my books. I really mean this. My vie...
Depressing media coverage of our ‘economic’ situation
My media fast I decided to go on a media fast a few months ago. All of the depressing news about our world economy was not helping the reality of my own economic situation! So I turned off all news. I stopped listening to NPR, reading Yahoo headlines...
Podcast: Conversations with Sherri- Pt 1 MANIA
I am excited to post my new bipolarhappens.com podcast series called Conversations with Sherri. Sherri is a dear friend of mine who has bipolar I. She has been in an off and on manic/psychotic episode for over two years- and of course, there is a lot...
Cyclothymia- a milder form of bipolar disorder
I just received the following comment from Eddie: Thanks for sharing the secret and lucky I found your blog. Going to have a look at your videos in a second. I have been doing some blogging therapy - I have never been offically diagnosed but I posit...
A good night….
I’m well tonight! Normally I would write that sentence: I’m not sick tonight! but I’m going to be positive this evening. It always amazes me how normal it is to be normal. I sort of just do things without thinking about them. When the bipolar d...
bipolar mood swings and the beauty of a rose
Bipolar is so very weird. When I’m depressed I can look at this rose and see nothing of beauty. I’ve also had experiences where the beauty of something is painful because I feel so left out. With mania, the rose is too beautiful. I could ...
Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder: Reader Question
Hi, I just received a question from Sandra asking if it’s normal that her depression seems to show up every two months- oh, yes it is normal! Here is my answer: hi Julie, I have a question. Looking back at about eight months of journali...
Is it depression or bipolar depression? A Quiz!
The following is an excerpt from an article I wrote for healthyplace.com on the difference between bipolar depression and uni polar depression. I wonder how well you can do! A lot of it was new to me as I wrote the article! A Quiz: Name that Depr...
Feeling better.. a lot better
This blog is a chronical of my severe rapid cycling- it helps me to write it and I’m glad it helps others. Two nights ago I was worn out and despondent and then I sat up and said to myself, “Enough of this. No matter what, you can still f...
Animals, love and bipolar disorder treatment!
Bipolar Disorder Treatment and Animal Friends I call my cat Bibi my depression companion. It always amazes me at how much better I feel when I spend time with her. Even when I’m crying and feel I can’t function- I can still pet Bibi! It is the sa...
Bipolar disorder and the economy: A great reader comment
Here is a comment from J. on my blog about the economic climate in this country- it’s a good one! thank u for this. I needed some cheering up. financially we are at out wits’ end. I function only due to my meds. without them i’d be...
A Wonderful Weekend Retreat
Well, isn’t it nice to read that I had a great weekend! It was great to experience it, believe me. This past few months have been such a challenge (euphemism!), so feeling better is wonderful. And no, I’m not manic. (Thank goodness.) I w...
bipolar disorder and going to the hospital
Just out of the Hospital? Here are some tips: - Try to recreate the hospital environment at home so that you can ease back into life. Hospitals can be traumatic, but they can also be comforting. There is a routine with set meal times and doctor rou...
Podcast: reader question - I need help for my son when I travel…
Here is a question from Jackie regarding her son. So many parents worry about their children when they have to travel or be away from home for an extended period of time. I know my mom worries about me and I’m 45! As you can see from Jackie&#...
Where is euphoric hypomania when I need it?
That is only partly a joking question. I know that my mania is just as dangerous as my depression. But why can’t I at least have as much hypomania as depression! If a psych read this they would remind me that what goes up must come down. In fac...
The BP Magazine Forum is finally here!
BPHope Forum: Conversations, questions and a place to put your poetry! Finally! BP Magazine has started an excellent forum for people with bipolar disorder and their loved ones. And it has a poetry corner! I receive a lot of poetry and am not sure wh...
