This is Part 6, the final article in a series of personal articles detailing what it is like to be a caretaker for Bipolar disorder, titled "Outside Looking In" Read Part 1 here Caring for a loved one with a mental health diagnosis is more than a full-time job. It’s a...
As a caregiver for a loved one with a mental health diagnosis, few roles are as important as helping figure out the morass of the healthcare system that tries to care for mental health patients. For the person in the throes of a mental health episode, there’s no way...
This is Part 4 of a series titled "Outside Looking In" Read Part 1 Read Part 2 Read Part 3 Every couple dealing with a mental health diagnosis has to wrestle with the question of children. Can the parent with the mental health diagnosis contribute to parenting? Can...
This is part 3 of a series titled "Outside Looking In" Read part 1 here Read part 2 here Every family has its routines. Someone washes the dishes. Someone takes out the trash. Someone cooks. You get the idea. But what happens when a family member has a mental health...
This is part two of a series titled “Outside Looking In“. Read Part One here. One of the biggest challenges in dealing with a family member who has a mental health diagnosis is that no one has all the answers. No one. Unlike a broken leg, which can be fixed by...
In 1988, my wife, Becky, was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Since 1994, when we got married, I’ve been her primary caregiver. Like many with Bipolar Disorder, she leads an ordinary life. She works. She’s given birth to, and helped raise, two children. She’s buried...