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A Pound of Cure
To combat his bipolar disorder, Gabi Coatsworth’s son was given a cocktail of mood stabilizers—to disastrous effect. The plane was late, but had finally landed. For the last hour, I’d been pacing the...
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What actor James Franco taught me about Life, Bipolar & being stunningly good...
If the work is good, what does it matter? I’m doing it because I love it. Why not do as many things I love as I can? As long as the work is good. -James Franco While other folks actually pay James...
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I am Just Giving Myself a Pep-Talk
Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are. -Malcolm S. Forbes The older I get the more emotionally isolated I become. I am not this way because I’m embracing some...
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Bipolar Disorder on Televison
Shawn Maxam credits TV with improving the public’s understanding and acceptance of mental illness. I have Bipolar Disorder. Today when I mention this to people they often have heard about the disease....
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How I Learned to Stop Worrying …. And Love the Bipolar Disorder
Shawn Maxam discusses the importance of accepting his mental illness. Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. -Confucius Most of the time having bipolar sucks! The medication, the...
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The Myth of Individual Exceptionalism
Shawn Maxam explains the paradox of every person being important and irrelevant at the same time. Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers. -Voltaire Special: Surpassing what is common...
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The Benefits of Anger
Shawn Maxam explains why anger can actually be a constructive and positive emotion especially for people with mood disorders . Get mad, then get over it. -Colin Powell What do you do in an insensitive...
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Heroes vs Villains
Shawn Maxam talks about the gift and the curse of living with Bipolar Disorder An excellent man, like precious metal, is in every way invariable; A villain, like the beams of a balance, is always...
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Waiting for Superman
Shawn Maxam explains how the only person who could save him — was himself. People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel....
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Why Men Can’t Be Feminists
Shawn Maxam explains how power dynamics and issues of privilege can distract us from the real conversations men need to be having. When I was first diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, the therapist I...
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The Bipolar Black Man’s Biography Pt. 2
Shawn Maxam describes his experience living with a mental illness. The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness. -Abraham Maslow I have weird dreams. Dreams of my...
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The Unbearable Lightness of Being…Alive
Shawn Maxam shares Bill Zeller’s suicide note which illustrates the true despair of depression. Suicide is a fundamental human right. This does not mean that it is morally desirable. It only means...
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“As a sibling of someone diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, I wonder if James...
This is a comment by Sister of Bipolar Brother on the post “The Evil That Men Do—James Holmes, Aurora Colorado and Mental Illness“. “What a good article! I am a sibling of someone diagnosed with...
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Suicide Shatters
Suicide shatters the lives of everyone around its victim. I lost my husband Rob to suicide in December 2000, he was 47, I was 43, our son was 9 1/2. Never could have imagined this outcome after...
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The Anger Within – Surviving being Black, Male, Poor and Mentally Ill in America
Shawn Maxam shares the story of his first suicide attempt and memories from his difficult childhood. A year after I was initially diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, I decided to write some of my...
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The Trouble with Monogamy and Mental Illness
Shawn Maxam shares a story about his struggle with being faithful while having a psychotic break. Marriage requires a special talent, like acting. Monogamy requires genius. -Warren Beatty *Originally...
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Psychiatric Meds Helped Me Become a Better Person
Dennis Scimeca looks back at the time before he started treating his bipolar disorder, and is grateful that his abusive, rage-filled self is far behind him. As it always seems to, the recent shooting...
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Should You Tell Your Girlfriend, Wife, Partner, Family and Friends that...
Andy Behrman knows firsthand that for men, there are few things more taboo than admitting to mental illness. Despite the fact that it’s 2013, American men are struggling silently to talk about...
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The Discomfort of the Mirror: Silver Linings Playbook, Bipolar, and Me
Ryan W. Bradley squirms through a film about a man like he was, not long ago: undiagnosed, violent, and about to hit bottom. It’s disconcerting to watch a movie about yourself. Maybe even more so when...
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The Boy Who Couldn’t Stop Bleaching
A day in the life of Andy Behrman, obsessive-compulsive. — Los Angeles, California. It’s another sunny day in the suburbs. But I’m trapped in my house bleaching the tub, toilet and tile floor in the...
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