BIO

I've recently learned I have a twin sister, only we reside in the same body. My twin is doing awesome (shameless plug coming). Her name is Simone Lisbon and she wrote a book titled, Forced to Change which will be available for purchase soon. 

So back to me. Me? Well, I just took a mini vaca from my life and discovered that although I've got a pretty good handle on managing the manic side of my condition, I've been dropping the ball when it comes to the depressive side. This discovery was made when I realized I'd been defining depression wrong ever since I was first diagnosed bipolar in July of 1996. 


Since I was diagnosed, I've let my condition destroy my life every once and a while, completely unwilling to pay the consequences of my actions. The number one destroyer of my life? Refusing to take medication as prescribed. I’ve tried to rationalize this behavior over and over. What I discovered on my most recent hospitalization is that I need to rethink this thinking if I’m going to change my goals with treatment of my condition.

See I’ve gotten pretty excellent at figuring out when mania is approaching. I can read my own triggers & symptoms and so now instead of letting mania blow up my world I check myself into a mental hospital for treatment. However, or as good as this is, I’m sick of going into treatment. Period. So if there is a way to prevent the necessity of checking myself into a hospital at all, I’m going to figure it out. I’ve got the rest of my life to get there.
 
As many of you have heard me say time and time again, 'The US government moved Memorial day from May 31st to the last Monday in May the year I was born in preparation for my entrance into this world'. If my words and story saves one life, then I feel this statement is correct, at least for that person.

I choose to creatively edit some of the details of my life, but for the most part this blog is going to be my honest perspective on how I've handled my bipolar diagnosis. As I remember it. Oh, my path to handling bipolar is not for everyone and is extremely difficult. It only works for me because of a major support system of friends and family. Uh huh, yup that's me in a nutshell (get it, nutshe...what ever).