I love writing books- but it’s very hard to stay focused when you are your own boss. A friend of mine who is also a writer and who also has bipolar disorder just sent me this quote:
Bestselling novelist Margaret Atwood was at a party talking to a neurosurgeon. He said that as he had just retired, he thought he’d write a book. (Paraphrasing) Margaret said, “That’s a coincidence. I’m thinking of becoming a neurosurgeon when I retire.”
So true! If you’re a writer- no matter what kind- you are talented and it’s not as easy as some may think it is!
I have taught myself to write when I’m depressed- I wrote a book about it- I guess I’m lucky I’m not a neurosurgeon. I don’t think that’s a career that would be as flexible as writing !
Julie
Related posts: My self perception is not the world’s perspective! | Write Your Bipolar Self Help Book! | Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder |
Hey Julie!
I have wanted to be a writer all my life. I guess I have been a writer all my life as I have always written stories and articles I just haven’t been published in too many places. I recently wrote to you about my hours being cut back at work due to my illness. Now my work has been further reduced due to cut backs and my benefits will be ending on February 1st. Aaagh! But I guess I’m also at a crossroads and there is an opportunity to be found in the panic. I just have to step lightly and not overstep my bounds and bite off more than I can chew. Any advice on doing that would be wonderful. Thanks so much for all you do and all the great words of wisdom!
- Melissa -
Well, this will certainly be in the book I’m planning to write! After the traumas of Drs. meds, hospitals and drained finances( over 30 something years ), I finally got a CORRECT diagnosis, today! I don’t have bipolar disorder! I have ADD to the max! You would think that after all these years SOME ONE of those docs would have asked me the right questions and maybe even listened to me when I tried to convey what I go through!!!! Anyway, Thanks to God that my GP is kind, caring, educated and informed; not to forget he LISTENS! After taking a very long test and one short one, he called back to say I was very much ADD and that he would have meds ready at his office in the am!!! If this works and I’m back to my old self….then Halleujah! If not, then plan B, but I will still use the health cards and books if I ever receive them! Hope no one else out there has gone through what I have. I’m so tired of being jerked around by the “medical” community that I could just scream! THIS, my fellow bloggers is the last hoop I’m going to jump through! Makes me really question if ANYBODY really knows ANYTHING about ‘medicine’. After all….it is called a “Practice”!!!
THAT WAS FANTASTIC….LOL. My daughter is a writer and I’m sure she feels the same way. Thanks for sharing.
Good Morning, Julie!
Not only are you are very talented writer (the information in your books is “reader-friendly” and your blog is extremely helpful), you are a speaker and a bipolar coach. That’s a lot of gifts to be thankful for!
Sandra
I don’t think it’s fair to compare the two. One person may choose to be a writer by gift, and the other by hard work. I know many people who have written about their bipolar disorder and, since it comes from personal experience, and not being a professional writer, their words are heartfelt and understood and related to by many other people with bipolar disorder. The main thing is that it IS being written about, whether the person is a professional writer or not.
Hey Julie!
I am going through a really rough time right now as I have written recently to you. My adopted mommy Holly and my therapist are encouraging me to stop protecting my husband from the truth of my illness and let him in so he can step up and be the man and help me through this struggle. My therapist has been telling me this for years but I’ve been reluctant because I don’t want to be seen as less than and because I fear what his reaction will be to some of my symptoms, particularly my hypersexual symptoms. Last night I was sitting in the emergency room of our local hospital waiting to be assessed for admittance to the psych ward and it occurred to me that maybe I should write him letters about my illness. Then I can craft what I want to say and he can take it in at his own pace. I don’t have to face the conversation and the possibility of chickening out or sugar coating the truth if I do it through writing. I’m hoping to give him one to two letters a week for as long as it takes to explain to him the situation of Bipolar and to let him in. This is a task fraught with fear – I don’t know how he will react. But the thought of sharing isn’t as daunting when I think of writing it in small chunks such as letters. I am planning to keep a copy of each letter before giving it to him – in case it gets torn up or pitched in the process of acceptance. It has crossed my mind that maybe these letters would make an interesting book. “Letters to Mike” A Journey to Discover a Wife’s Battle with Bipolar Disorder. What are your thoughts? I don’t plan to jump right in to writing the book in my fragile state but I plan to keep the pieces that could become the book. I’m very interested in your perspective.
Thanks
- Melissa -
Hello Melissa,
I think that writing letters to your husband is a great idea. It’s hard for others to understand what we go through- and why should they? It’s not like this illness is easy to understand. It’s not like a broken leg or the Swing Flu! Those are experiences people can relate to.
I defintely suggest your husband reads Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder. It was written for partners. It can teach him so much about the illness- you can then use your letters to explain how it affects you and how you need his help. As you know, all of my books say that we must teach others what we need- because knowing how to help us is not innate!
I am going to reprint a newsletter here- it’s very long- but I think it’s applicable. It may help him to read it. I wrote it from my perspective as a professional writer who has the illness.
I do think the letters are a good idea for a book- they will be a comfort to you as well! It sounds like you are finding your path to staying stable. It’s very admirable! Here’s the letter. I hope it’s helpful!
**
A note from Julie
I receive so many letters asking how a person with bipolar disorder can get a loved one to accept the diagnosis- I see comments such as, “I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder but my dad says I just need to get a job. Or, “My mother gets on my case for needing my meds and says that I should take care of things on my own.”
So I had an idea. If people who doubt the diagnosis won’t listen to the person they care about, maybe they will listen to me. I wrote the following letter so that you can send it to anyone you like – copy it to family, friends, health care professionals, etc. Use it wisely- you don’t want to be seen as making excuses. If they are receptive, you can then send them my books. I suggest Loving for partners and Take Charge for family members. If they are really receptive (miracles happen!), you can all use the Health Cards together. As with all of my work, please use it exactly as written with my contact information intact. Good luck and definitely let me know how it works out.
Hello,
My name is Julie Fast and I have bipolar disorder. I was diagnosed with the illness in 1995 at age 31. I created a treatment plan in 1999 that is now used by people all over the world to manage the illness. I have been close to suicide too many times to count and have had destructive manic episodes since the age of 17. I’m the author of Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder, Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder and Get it Done When You’re Depressed. I wrote all of these books when I was depressed and often psychotic.
Bipolar disorder is a rotten illness.
I’m writing you on behalf of a person who cares about you very much. This person has been diagnosed with the illness bipolar disorder and is concerned you may not understand the reality and seriousness of the diagnosis. I hope that reading this letter can open a window of understanding to help you see that although bipolar disorder can look like someone is faking, whining, lying, making excuses, causing you trouble, making waves, being weak or just making it all up, it’s not. It’s a illness that originates in the brain. It’s a physical illness that comes out in emotional ways, which is why it’s so hard for people to understand.
Here are some interesting details about bipolar disorder:
- As with any major illness, people with bipolar disorder share the same symptoms- the symptoms are so similar for people around the world that I can list what a person says, thinks and does during certain mood swings without knowing them. This is quite a party trick! Thus, it’s not random emotional behavior that causes problems, but a very structured set of symptoms that lead to a bipolar disorder diagnosis.
- Bipolar disorder is under diagnosed because of the reasons you may feel it isn’t real- it looks like those of us with the illness just need to get a handle on our emotions! The problem is that we can’t without the proper treatment. If we could handle our emotions, then the overwhelming symptoms of bipolar disorder would be easy to manage.
- Bipolar disorder affects an estimated 15,000,000 million people in the US alone. I think this is a ridiculously low number as I meet people with a bipolar diagnosis almost everywhere I go. It’s important to get this into perspective- it’s estimated that around one million people in the US have HIV/Aids – one million. Compare that to the 15 million who have bipolar disorder. You probably know a lot more about AIDS than bipolar, but the chance of your knowing someone with AIDS is very slim. You already know someone with bipolar disorder and they need your help.
Bipolar disorder has killed far, far more people in the US than AIDS.
- Bipolar disorder as an illness has not increased in the past 50 years, but there is a lot more awareness these days which makes it seem like doctors are going crazy with the diagnosis! Awareness is a good thing- the diagnoses are real. The diagnosis of the illness is quite new and has helped many, many children with mood swings.
- I write treatment plans and can’t survive without one, but there is a fact that no one with the illness can deny:
Without medications, the life quality for a person with bipolar disorder is very, very low. This means that most people with bipolar disorder need medication treatment. Just as people with cancer need chemotherapy.
- All people with bipolar disorder will struggle with relationship issues, work problems, physical health, parenting, cooking, going to school, thinking, traveling, etc, etc at some point in their lives. We all get overwhelmed very easily. Our struggles, as you may have noticed are far more emotional and often out of control than what is considered the norm.
- Anything that causes an emotional response can lead to a bipolar disorder mood swing. Think of it this way- if our lives are a teeter totter- with our stable selves in the middle, we all have to struggle to keep our lives in balance. Get a picture of that teeter totter in your mind and then put a 10 ton weight on one side and see how hard it will be to find the middle stability. That is what it’s like to have bipolar disorder- it’s a ten ton weight that we didn’t ask for. If it were golf, our handicap would be off the charts!
When the weight is too heavy and the balance is too hard, people kill themselves to get out of the pain.
- Up to 20% of people with mood disorders kill themselves. I get letters from family members quite often thanking me for my work – and then giving me the news that their son, daughter, father, mother, lover, grandmother, etc has died. They thank me because they know that we all tried to help the person who had the illness called bipolar disorder- but the illness won. Just as cancer wins sometimes. Suicide is NOT a weakness. It’s an outcome of an illness that was just too strong. The 10 ton weight on their shoulders was just too much.
As you can imagine, I could go on forever here, but I do have a final question:
If someone who loves you has said they have bipolar disorder and you have your doubts of the diagnosis- or even feel that the whole thing is a sham, why do you feel they have told you the news?
They have told you because they are scared and need your love and support. Bipolar disorder is an illness that has been documented for over 2000 years. It’s a killer- just as cancer is a killer. The medications can be harsh and without support, the person with bipolar disorder can lead a life of constant hell. It needs treatment and the best way for treatment to work is through education especially for the people who love us.
I recently asked my mailing list to send in questions for my radio show- my mother was the guest and I wanted to get an idea of what information they needed. Hundreds of people replied and many people asked how they could get someone they cared about to believe the diagnosis and give them help, especially around medications. This is why I wrote this
I encourage you to let go of your anger, frustration, sadness and disbelief – these feelings are all normal by the way- and see bipolar disorder for what it is- a very serious illness. Someone you love has bipolar disorder and they need your help. The rest is up to you.
Julie Fast
http://www.juliefast.com
Hi Julie, thank you for reprinting the newsletter here. As I’ve mentioned in my earlier comments, I have a close friend who is diagnosed with BD and I want to understand this condition better so that I can help him and support him in the best way I could. I am going to buy the books you mentioned, especially LOVING SOMEONE WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER. Thank you so much for all your work in providing insight into this illness. I’m glad I bumped into your blog. God bless you!