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Three years ago, I took a careful read of hypomania in the DSM-IV and had one of those knock-me-over-with-a-feather moments. ...
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Wednesday, January 14, 2009
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About Me
- John McManamy
- I am an award-winning author and mental health journalist. I have been writing about mood disorders since being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1999, ranging from a website, an email newsletter, a book, articles for HealthCentral, and this blog. More recently, I have been producing videos. Writing about my illness has played a very strong role in my healing and recovery. Writing allows me to come to terms with my past, gives meaning to my present, and gives me the courage to face the future with hope.
"Hypomania may be to this decade as depression was to the last, but more as a trait worth preserving - a legitimate baseline for many - than a pathology that needs eradicating."
ReplyDeleteWhat can I say to this besides AMEN and ALLELUIA!? This is pure gospel.
As I pick up scraps of stories from 3 generations of women before me - I grow very suspicious that fear, anxiety, abuse and isolation became the combustible agents that blew up our mighty hypomanic engines.
Brave and talented souls buried alive by the fearful ignorance of friends and family, quick trigger ECT and enough daily doses of Lithium to knock out a horse.
As I begin to unpack the pieces my own story, your intelligent and compassionate delivery of data in this article is helping to calm the waves - and I think I see the sun peaking out from behind the clouds.
Time to put the sails up again!
Thank you...
Thank you so very much for this article. You've said everything I've been trying to vocalize to my husband and to my doctor and will be discussing this information with them. I need my life back.
ReplyDeleteAgain, thanks so much :)
My doctor thinks I am cyclothymic. I have always had 3 times the energy of most people. He tried many different meds on me. First he tried to calm me down, then he determined that he wanted to perk me up to just below manic. I am excessivly happy. When I quit my last job it took 3 people to replace me. Finally, Doc said there was nothing wrong with me and I should get an advanced degree at Havard or Yale. Hmm. I quit seeing him.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the article. I have been diagnosed as having Bipolar 2 Depression. Late in life, 60 yo, I found this runs in the family on the male side. Only one in the last 3 generations have died from a natural death. Most are suicides with the rest death from alcohol. I have known something was wrong most of my life but to go to a professional would be reported to my employer and I would have been unemployable in my field.
ReplyDeleteThe main problem is depression. It has caused me to quit or get fired from most of my jobs. During my normal or hypo manic periods I do well. At age 53 I graduated Magna Cum Laude in engineering from a major university. I am going to try a professional instead of my GP. Any sugestions on what questions to ask to see if the Dr. is up to date on the latest bipolar 2 information?
Thanks for your time,
Bill