Several people have said to me that as I write everyday (I still reckon I am an author even though I have only had one book published), why don't I do a blog? Well, maybe I am bit old for that, or maybe the world has plenty of blogs, or maybe I am scared that under pressure to write something everyday... I just wouldn't.
Instead of a blog I have decided to add some recent thoughts and those of friends, associates, visitors to this site (in fact anyone who is happy to have their words and first name published here). I will put these in reverse date order (a bit like a blog)...
27/3/10 Added a new page with discussion of causes of mood disorder.
10/3/10 Mood Mapping courses should soon be available all ove rthe UK. See www.moodmapping.com for latest information.
21/2/10 Seven more people have subscribed to my Bipolar Recovery Bitesize© email series.
20/2/10 The Bipolar Disorder Group at www.linkedin.com
has reached 100 members. Quite an achievement for a group only started a few
montsh ago.
03/02/10 I was contacted by Henry Willey today and found out about a new
network called Bipolar Wellness Network at http://bipolarwellness.yolasite.com/
seems to be in and around Arizona, USA.
27/1/10 Two more people have subscribed to my Bipolar Recovery Bitesize© email series.
26/1/10 I have just added a page for subscribing to my Bipolar Recovery Bitesize© email series.
12/1/10 My new newsletter series is now available. Please use my contact form if you would like to subscribe now - or simply wait a couple of weeks when I will put a form for requesting it on this site.
2/1/10 Over Christmas and New Year I have been writing about hope & positive thinking, the importance of quality sleep, self sabotage and a whole lot of other things. I even had some time not thinking quite so much about moods - a little holiday.
15/12/09 John McManamy, Mental health journalist, author, and advocate contacted me. It is amazing how much work John is doing. This is just one of his web sites: McMan's Depression and Bipolar Web at: www.mcmanweb.com I hadn't realised that John is the author of 'Living Well with Depression and Bipolar Disorder: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You...That You Need to Know' - have you read this book?
4/12/09 Gregory Montgomery (G Hugh Montgomery Jr) contacted me through www.linkedin.com which made me aware of his blog called, 'The Art of Surviving Bipolar Disorder' at http://bpwellness.blogspot.com
25/10/09 Bipolar disorder comes in many forms. One of these is cyclothymia. Cyclothymia is not talked about a great deal in the UK, with perhaps most people with this form being told they have Bipolar II? The other day, Kathryn who set up The Cyclothymia Collective in 2002 contacted me and mentioned www.cyclothymiacollective.com. This looks like a really useful place for people who have this form of mood disorder.
14/10/09 I have read all "Mood Mapping" and am very impressed. There is a lot more to the book than I first thought there would be. I am particularly interested in Dr Miller's description of the "5 keys to mood". I am planning to meet with Dr Miller in October.
25/9/09 I received my copy of "Mood Mapping" by Dr Liz Miller from Amazon today. Pretty good going as it is not due out until 2nd Oct. (Surprisingly bright orange cover!) Seriously though mood mapping is the most amazing idea ever for understanding moods. It is a simple idea yet explains so much. For anyone with a mood disorder this is an important idea - see Mood Mapping.
14/9/09 At www.bipolarrecovery.net there are the beginnings of some lists of sites about bipolar disorder and which I am hoping to sort to make the lists helpful for those working on recovery from the disorder or recovery from the diagnosis.
12/9/09 I communicated on-line with Katy Sara Culling the other day. She has a site at www.katysaraculling.com that is just the sort of site I could add to my list of useful sites regarding bipolar if I get around to creating it. Katy is the author of DARK CLOUDS GATHER - a bipolar memoir. (A True Story about surviving Mood Disorders, Eating Disorders, Attempted Suicide, and Self-Harm).
10/9/09 There seem to be a great many web sites about bipolar these days. Some are quite official looking ones, whilst others have been created by individuals with the diagnosis. Is anyone aware of any sort of directory of web sites on bipolar?... well, of course we could just google "bipolar" but maybe I am thinking of a list with some comment by each saying how useful the site is likely to be.
7/9/09 A journalist asked me for some comments on Dr Liz Miller's Mood Mapping...
"Liz presented Mood Mapping to our bipolar self help group just over a year ago. The idea that moods have two major components matched the way I had been thinking for years. The idea of putting these as axes on the same chart was totally new to me. That evening I created and printed a page with 31 little mood maps so that I could record my moods over the next month. I found it was very easy to plot points on the charts.
I had previously found that using a traditional (up/down) mood scale was useful in knowing how to control moods. Using the mood map simplified this process of knowing what to do in response to an undesirable mood. I used the charts on paper for 2 months then found that I was carrying the image of the mood map in my head such that I could say where my mood was at any time should I ask myself or want to tell people how I was feeling.
I facilitate training in Mental Health Awareness, Understanding Mood Disorder and Food & Mood. Mood mapping has become an integral component of all 3 courses meaning that I have now shared mood mapping with people from many walks of life. Workshop participants are amazed that feelings and moods can be explained so simply and they find they can be using the mood map to describe their own feelings just moments after seeing it for the first time.
I see mood mapping as the greatest breakthrough ever in understanding mood disorder! For the first time we have a way beyond words that accurately says where our moods are and also where we want our moods to be. In my workshops new ideas are coming forward all the time as to the ways mood mapping can be used by those in distress, carers and professionals."
5/9/09 This web site was out of action for a week due to a hacker messing about with files on server. Have taken advice and security now improved.
25/8/09
I have just changed the menu option of "Contact form" to "Contribute to site"
Roger
21/08/09
Your web site looks really interesting - there's lots of good information
in it. The page on "bipolar symptoms / mood swings - a
brief introduction" in particular is really good and easy to read.
Julie
20/8/09
When I first started working in the wellness field for those (including myself) for bipolar disorder, there were hardly any hits on a Google search about bipolar and recovery. Now there are nearly 2 1/2 million. Wellness happens. And it happens with medical treatment, psychotherapy, education, street knowledge (learning what others have done for their health) and hope. No one should ever take our hope away.
Jane
17/8/09
I also wrote a book regarding my experience with bipolar disorder it will be released on September 17th. The book is called `Bipolar Shoes' it is for the everyday working person to understand. Take a look at: http://daveoriordan.com
Dave
16/8/09
Hi Roger,
I put details [of the talk in Grantham] on www.bipolarassociation.org
and will pass it around the email groups
Liz
15/8/09
What you describe resonates with my mood I think but I must try to be positive
and see bends in the road rather than mountains and pitfalls :)
The site looks good and the frank debate and feelings about recovery very
relevant.
Ian
14/8/09
I don't think that we need more sites. It can be confusing to know which one to access but I think you should try to create a balanced view/discussion about recovery. I am with you in being told that there is no recovery only remission. How do they know? Optimism is very healing. If you want to discuss this further please say.
Linda
13/8/09
I felt so sad when I read your discussion. Not just sad for you and me but for all the people like us who were never offered any hope of recovery. My life, as I saw it, was to keeping swallowing my pills and wait for the next episode to occur to take me back into the loathsome psychiatric hospital. And then a miracle happened - one day someone at my local mental health centre started talking about recovery and running recovery groups. It was like a light bulb going off in my head. I attended the recovery groups and I spent hours and hours on the internet researching bipolar disorder and mental illness and I discovered that lots of other people were talking about recovery. It is a hard journey because you have to begin to know yourself inside out and you have to stay so positive but it has worked for me. I have not taken any medication for a year now and I have been completely signed off by my psychiatrist. I can only hope that you will be able to take the same journey and realise that there is most definitely light at the end of the tunnel.
Carolyn
12/8/09
I have spent some time thinking about your new web site and
I find the links very useful and I haven't got bi-polar.
There are lots of good sources of information there if you want to read around
the subject. In my spare time I have been doing that and sometimes I find
it a bit disturbing because some of it is not very positive, I like reading
positive stuff which really helps, like making lots of little choices and
decisions as you go along to help you in your recovery.
As for if people do really completely recover or just have long periods of
time when they just manage to seem well is another matter, I like to think
you can be happy and enjoy life even though you might never come off medication
or always need support.
What ever we do even if we are very successful in life, we still need special
people who love us, accept us and are willing to step in in an emergency.
Sarah
Training courses currently available from Stop Paddling include:
** Understanding Bipolar Disorder
** Wellness Recovery Action Planning