With everything that’s been going on in my life, work, and the world in general it’s more and more clear that we simply cannot get through this world without the society, love, and support of others. All of us will struggle at some point, and all of us will need a helping hand. We’ve made it shameful to ask for help, shameful to admit that we need or want help, shameful to be anything but capable and strong at all times.
But none of us are superheroes, at least as far as I know. I know I’m not. I need help sometimes, and I hate asking for it. I hate needing it. But sometimes I do.
Some of us spend even more time on the Struggle Bus than others, too, and we aren’t great at making sure everyone has the resources to keep that bus going. Particularly when it comes to mental health diagnoses like bipolar disorder.
We’ve had some serious struggles in this regard in our family, and it amazes me that NEVER ONCE has any mental health professional provided us any resources on how to handle the worst that something like bipolar disorder can throw at you. Which is A LOT, and can be pretty awful. I mean, shouldn’t they hand you a booklet, at the very least, when they hand out the diagnosis?
“Here, folks. This is going to be a rough ride, and you need to be prepared.”
“Gee, thanks, doc! I had no idea I needed to be prepared for things like calling for a 5150, or how to navigate the mental health care system, or what signs to look for to know my loved one might be headed for acute mania or deep depression…”
Even the clinicians I’ve mentioned this to agree that some sort of handout would be helpful, and a couple have graciously agreed to review it if I write one. So I’m going to write one, and once I have it done I’ll be posting it on this website. For free. For everyone. Because someone needs to.
But before I do that, here are some of the useful links I’ve come across as we’ve been navigating this complexity.
Resources
National Suicide Hotline - https://988lifeline.org
SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline - https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/helplines/disaster-distress-helpline
National Treatment Facility Locator - https://findtreatment.gov
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance - https://www.dbsalliance.org
Johns Hopkins Medicine on Somatic Self Care - https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/office-of-well-being/connection-support/somatic-self-care
National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) on Bipolar Disorder - https://www.nami.org/about-mental-illness/mental-health-conditions/bipolar-disorder/
National Institute of Health (NIH) on Bipolar Disorder - https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/bipolar-disorder
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) - https://www.samhsa.gov
Mayo Clinic on Bipolar Disorder - https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bipolar-disorder/