The Marriage and Bipolar Disorder Authority

It has been estimated that 1 million people commit suicide each year, around 35,000 of those happening in the United States. Since my husband’s official diagnosis with mental illnesses including Bipolar Disorder, Agoraphobia, and Schizoaffective Disorder in February 2010; suicide has been a fear of mine. It wasn’t because I was paranoid either. His doctors were very intent on making it clear that the results of his tests were consistent not only with someone who is Bipolar, but with someone who would consequently attempt suicide. Read the rest of this entry →

I have posted a few blogs in the past about stigma and what we can do about the stigma of mental health issues in society. Unfortunately, this reaches all areas of society. Everywhere from the church to the doctor’s office. That’s right. I said the doctor’s office. Stigma doesn’t belong anywhere, but one place that it has no business showing up is the doctor’s office, especially when that doctor specializes in psychiatry. I know stigma has a tendency to be a soapbox that I step up on regularly, though I think the knowledge needs to be shared. Often times you won’t realize there is the stigma or discrimination until you face it head on. My husband has faced stigma in his medical care in three different settings. Read the rest of this entry →

This is a second installation of a four part blog series surrounding hospitalization and your bipolar spouse. Yesterday I discussed when you should seek medical help when your spouse’s mental condition has gotten worse whether it is sudden or gradual over time. Today I will be discussing the outpatient program experience and whether or not this might be a good option for your spouse. Read the rest of this entry →

Today I am starting a four part blog series on how to survive when hospitalization is recommended for your spouse. This will be based on our recent experience in the last week on mental hospitalization. I intend for this to be used as a starting point, though should not be considered an all inclusive series on every aspect of hospitalization. Because these posts are experience based keep in mind that different hospitals in different states or even countries may have different guidelines for hospitalization. I hope that this series will help you if your spouse is facing inpatient or outpatient hospitalization. Read the rest of this entry →