It is extremely difficult to find people who suffer from bipolar disorder, are successful, and are also willing to talk about it. Those of us who enjoy success usually keep mental illness a secret to all but the closest of friends. Although our loved ones try to support us, there is nothing like the support of others who share this illness- it is especially wonderful to connect with people who have found ways to cope.
There are support groups out there, but they often attract people who are not coping well or not coping at all. Support groups often focus on the worst of mental illness, and rarely on success. You rarely hear about people who are bipolar and successful. We know they are out there, but how do we find them? Image my surprise when I found a local meeting for business professionals who have a mental illness. I just learned about this group and attended my first meeting tonight. What a wonderful and inspiring group!
NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness runs my group. You can contact your local NAMI and find out if they have a group like this near you. If they don't, they may be willing to start one. Is anyone else involved in something like this? If so, I'd love to hear about it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
14 comments:
Thank you Amy...im an interior designer and Bipolar for 12 years...my career has been up and down not bec of bipolar but bec of life changes, marriage, kids, relocation etc...Im planning to transition into a different career and i'm very anxious about it...a typical bipolar of me, i was gang ho in the beginning but now, i don't think i can do it. anyways, thank you for the information off NAMI. I will look for a local group. Thank you and keep on writing...i wish to do the same in the future.
Amy, you're right, we don't hear enough about those with bipolar who are also successful. My boyfriend is bipolar, and I wish he had positive role models with the same diagnosis. We are struggling at the moment because he is no longer sure he wants children, as we had been planning. He thinks the stress of children will be too much for him and that he won't be a very good parent. I just wish there were bipolar parents he could speak to. I know he would be an amazing father, and it saddens me that we may not have the family we dreamed of.
Thank you for this. I am diligently searching a group in my area and will get back to this blog if I find something, or an organization that reaches out beyond my city. I am ambitious, full of life, and every person around me believes I will be a success, however I am hindered by my insecurities of my cycles, never knowing when they will come on. I would love a support group with successful people living with bipolar. Just emailed NAMI we will see what they have. Thanks again. & I will be in touch.
Wonderful, upbeat--and very true post! I'm linking to it now on a post I hope to publish tomorrow on bipolar. We tend so often to look at the down, debilitating side of it--and forget the vast number of not just functioning, but highly functioning people are out there, managing their illness like they would manage any other obstacle in life. Thanks for this!
This is great! I want to see if NAMI has one by me. This is what I need!
Thank you Amy, I really enjoy reading your blog.. I am 25 and have been diagnozed with Bipolar a few months ago after a drastic manic attack that followed a depressive one. It seems I have been dealing with the illness since my teen years alone, without meds or psychotherapy. Even though I am still young and at the beginning of my career, I do consider myself to be successful given my age. I studied Finance and graduated with distinction. I worked with Deloitte and Touche in risk management for a little over 2 years then joined General Electric Healthcare in compliance. Soon, I am going for my masters in financial engineering and risk management in London. My therapist says I have a tendancy to become manic rather than depressed which is a blessing (although I did experience one really bad depressive episode). To be honest, I believe my disorder is the reason why I am successful. My manic attitude makes me a really good communicator, very upbeat and enthusiastic about my job and when I am hypomanic, I achieve so much and am more efficient than most. I learned to manage depression by exercising, staying on my meds and productively managing stress in the sense that I tend to plan ahead of time to finish my projects on time, I am able to face stressful work situations much better when I am on top of things. Even before I started a treatment plan, when i felt depressed, I usually identified the root causes which most of the time are stressful events happening in my life, then I would tackle each by finding a solution. After having found a solution for the stressful cause of my depression, I felt fine. That is how i dealt with it up until the depression became too much and I had to seek medical help at the age of 24. I believe to be a successful bipolar, forget that you are bipolar for a while and try to find ways to take advantage of your symptoms (when you are hypomanic but dont let yourself become manic because in my case, i find it hard to manage myself) such as exercising when you have a lot of energy, working hard since you are efficient, coming up with new business ideas since your mind is on an ultimate high ect.. When you feel down, get moving. Also, seek help. Personally, I found myself a couple of hobbies that make me feel better when I am depressed such as rowing, horse riding and painting by number while listening to some nice music. It has been proved that people who focus on tasks that require a lot of concentration are happier because they feel productive and at the time when they are practicing the activity, their thoughts quiet down, it is a nice way to detach.. Dont listen to anyone who limits your potential because you are bipolar. I am fortunate enough to have a very supportive family but even if you don't, you must believe in yourself and plan your future.. once you do, it gives you a sense of security and purpose that you can always fall back on when are depressed. I hope this helps.. I live in Dubai and suppose NAMI does not operate here. Do you happen to know organizations that exist in this part of the world? Thanks
Excellent blog. I myself have been diagnosed bipolar, but I have still been very successful in personal relationships, creative outlets (I've been a touring musician for a number of years), education (managed to land my Bachelor's even after a nasty manic psychosis paused college for a year), and professionally (have been working as an engineering consultant for 6+ years). I know on paper I am a "crazy person", but since I look just like everybody else, I have to say that my illness may have been responsible in a large way for the successes in my life.... but then again, it's always hard to feel that way when you're in a major depressive swing! :}
To all those out there struggling, know that you're not alone, that your extreme pain and confusion and hurt are just essentially illusions generated by your head, and that you are a human being and you don't need to feel ashamed of who you are. I think the people who should feel ashamed are those who hold prejudices against people with nonstandard health/brain configurations.
Interesting. I will decidedly look into the NAMI business group. Also, I wonder if there is some means of getting in touch with the Engineering Consultant above (or anybody with long-term success in a field such as consulting or investment banking). I'd like to hear his story and receive advice. I'm a rookie Bipolar in my senior year of college, concerned about how I'm going to make it in the real world with my condition.
Poster above again: and I'm medicated and live very mindfully. However, I haven't been in a high-pressure environment such as consulting since getting my condition under control. I'd like to know how the Engineer above reacted to his environment and how he successfully avoided relapse, aside meds, sleep and exercise. In fact, how did he manage to get enough sleep and exercise amidst the intensity that is consulting. As I understand consulting, they work extremely long hours. How did you squeeze in regular sleep and exercise?
Thanks. Gosh I hope the fellow comes back and reads this.
Poster above again (one more thing, sorry): More specifically, how did you - the Engineer fellow - manage sleep and exercise when you don't have control over your schedule and workload, contrary to most business owners and artists who managed to be successful in spite of the illness. I hear that Consulting is very team-oriented in addition to that fact that the consultants' are often at the whim of the clients. Please elaborate on how you handled that. I'm rather glad I ran into you, since I'm studying Engineering at school myself and plan to go into Management Consulting (preferably Strat and Op but that's the long-term goal).
Hi Amy,
I just started reading your blog. I find it very comforting. I have bipolar 1 disorder. I struggled with my mental health through my teen years. At age 19, I had my first full blown manic episode. My last manic episode was at 21, nearly 10 years ago. I also struggled with bouts of crippling depression and substance abuse in between. About six years ago, I got on the right meds and got my life back on track. I got my RN and have been working full time in a busy ICU for almost two years. I have learned techniques to deal with the shift work and long hours. I am well respected there; I just got asked to precept a new nurse. I am also going to school full time to get my BSN and I have a 4.0. I plan to go on and get my Master's degree. Maybe my doctorate, who knows?
I am proud of my successes, but I am also incredibly lonely. I feel like it is almost more difficult to be well with a mental health disorder than sick with one. I don't feel like I can be honest about my past with people. I shy away from becoming close with new people because I am afraid that they will abandon me or judge me once they learn about my illness. Medical professionals are extremely judgmental when it comes to mental illness, so I don't feel like I can get close to any of my colleagues. Most of my close friends have moved away. My boyfriend of seven years tries to be supportive, but he doesn't truly understand what I am going through. Most of the time I forget that I am bipolar (besides every day when I take my meds). But when I remember, I am overwhelmed. Therapy has not been helpful. A support group like this would be. I haven't been able to find one in my area...but I am tempted to start one!
Until then, I will continue to read your blog. Thank you for letting me share my story and for the support that your blog offers. :)
Hello, I'm new to this. My fiancé has bipolar but in denial. I am hoping to find some "success love stories" on here because it is a real struggle.
Post a Comment