Hi,

How are you today?

I was talking to my friend Stef the other day. She is a teacher in high school.

She was telling me that there are so many rumors around her school that circulate among the kids.

She says that it starts with one kid telling another kid who tells another kid who tells another kid
who tells another kid.

After a while one story winds up turning into something totally different.

Sounds kind of like the old “telephone game” we played as children, doesn’t it?

I see this happen with bipolar disorder as well.

I see people who heard from someone who heard from someone who heard from someone that a certain medication for bipolar disorder is bad.

I’ve also heard the opposite.

That someone who heard from someone who heard from someone that a certain medication for bipolar disorder
is good.

Well, which is it? Bad or good?

It can be so confusing, can’t it?

If you listen to someone else, instead of your own doctor, who knows what’s best for you,
you might do the wrong thing for yourself and your stability with your bipolar disorder.

I usually hear these things at the support groups I volunteer at.

This person thinks that their medication is the greatest, and that everyone should be on it.

Well, you should be warned about this, because what works for one person doesn’t work for another person, and especially not for EVERY person!

And this person definitely shouldn’t be saying something like that.

And, again, the opposite is true.

Maybe one person had a bad experience with a certain medication.

So that person tells everyone they talk to that this certain medication is bad.

Not just for them, but for EVERYONE!

And that NO ONE should take this medication!

This is one of the things I teach in my courses/systems – that only your doctor is qualified to prescribe your medication, and that you shouldn’t listen to anyone else tell you what is best for you.

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
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SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
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HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
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Well, first of all, what this person is doing is wrong.

And second of all, what if this person tells that person, and that person tells another person, and so on and so on?

Pretty soon, what might be a good medication for someone, they’re refusing to take, just because this one person said it’s a bad medication!

You can’t just take one person’s word on a medication.

What works for one person may not work for you.

And what doesn’t work for one person may work great for you!

You just have to check with your own doctor.

Remember that these people are only people with bipolar disorder.

They are NOT doctors!

Have you ever had this experience?

Have you ever heard someone do this?

Have you ever listened, or seen someone else listen?

Tell us about it below.

Hi,

How’s it going?

It’s not going well for me. I actually have strep throat. I had to go to the doctor yesterday.

I feel better today. It took a lot of energy for me to send this out.

This is why I am sending the daily email out so late.

Someone wrote me that I am really, really negative and try to scare people.

They said that with reports and guides like: Bipolar Disorder-The REAL Silent Killer, and
others like it…

Where I tell the shocking truth about this and that related to bipolar disorder…

The x mistakes for this and that…

Deadly this and that…

Anyway, you have seen some of my titles for reports and such.

So someone said that I am negative and trying to scare people.

Well the truth is, I am trying to scare people, if that’s what it takes.

I am trying to get them to take bipolar disorder seriously.

Why?

Well, when I started, I saw so many people who took their own life, went home less, lost EVERYTHING or destroyed their family…

And I came to the conclusion that many people thought that bipolar disorder was no big deal.

My own dad didn’t even think that it was a big deal until I explained that it was…

After my mom finally got diagnosed after over 35 years of struggling with bipolar disorder.

Now that’s a big deal, don’t you think?

And I’ve heard so many stories from people saying the same thing.

Like that they’ve had it all their lives, but weren’t diagnosed until they were older, and everyone missed it, and they suffered all those years when they didn’t have to…

All because no one thought it was any big deal.

Well, if you’re a supporter of a loved one with bipolar disorder, you KNOW it’s a big deal.

In my courses/systems, I try to show people what a big deal bipolar disorder really is. I try to educate them.

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com

HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net
I think educating people is the best way to help them see what a big deal bipolar disorder really is.

People just don’t understand, in general.

I heard of this one lady, and this is a true story.

She was out shopping with her husband.

Now she has bipolar disorder, but her husband doesn’t – he’s her supporter.

And a lady she knew came up to her and started talking to her about this woman she knew.

She was saying that this other woman was a real “witch,” so “she must have bipolar disorder.”

Yea, she really did say those words (only she didn’t say witch, if you know what I mean).

So this lady who was telling the story turned to her husband and said, “Honey, I’m not like that, am I?”

And her husband said, “No, you’re not like that at all.”

And she turned back to the woman and said, “I’m not like that, and I have bipolar disorder.”

And she said that the woman turned all kinds of shades of red.

See what I mean?

This other woman who was saying all this stuff didn’t think bipolar disorder was any big deal.

She knew nothing about it, or she wouldn’t have said that the woman she was talking about it must have it, just because she was a “witch.”

But the lady who was telling this story used that opportunity to educate the woman about bipolar disorder, showing her that you can meet anyone on the street and they can look and act as “normal” as anyone else and still have the disorder.

Have you ever had an experience like this?

PLEASE FORWARD TO YOUR FRIENDS

Hi ,

How are you?

I am not well. I have a really, really, really bad sore throat.

I have to get going so let me get you the news.

To read this week’s news visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews432/default.shtml

Mental Illness And The Law
DO> What do you think of this?

A Walk And Story Of Hope
DO> great article.

True To His Form
DO> Another great article.

Briton To Appeal Death Sentence
DO> What do you think of this?
For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews432/default.shtml

==>Help with ALL aspects of bipolar disorder<<==

Check out all my resources, programs and information for all aspects of bipolar disorder by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentralcatalog.com

Your Friend,

Dave

Hi,

How’s it going?

Everybody has problems.

Some people see their problems as big ones, and some see them as small ones.

Some people see problems as an everyday thing we just need to deal with.

I heard a negative person say that problems are “a reality that ruins my day.”

Yet a positive person said, “Problems are opportunities in disguise.”

Some people just complain about their problems, while other people do something about their problems.

The point is, we all have problems.

We just differ in the way we approach them and in the way we solve them.

Like take bipolar disorder, for example.

People with the disorder tell me their biggest problem is not with taking their medications.

It’s not with going to all their appointments.

It’s not with sleeping right, exercising, or eating a healthy diet.

It’s not even with dealing with the stigma associated with bipolar disorder.

The biggest problem that people with bipolar disorder tell me that they have is coping with having
the disorder itself.

Sometimes it feels like the disorder has taken over their whole lives.

Even when they’re not in an episode they live in fear of when the next episode is going to come.

In my courses/systems, I talk about this, but I also say that if you’re prepared for it in advance, you don’t have to live with this fear.

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com

HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net

But I asked some people to give me suggestions on creative ways to cope with bipolar disorder, and here are a few suggestions:

1. Have a pet
A dog or cat gives you unconditional
love. even just petting them can
soothe your nerves when you feel
stressed out. And they’re always
so happy to see you when you get
home (whether you’ve been gone
5 days or only 5 minutes!). How
can you be depressed when you’ve
got a pet?

2. Crossword Puzzles
Doing Crossword Puzzles or
Word Find Puzzles help you to
focus and keep those distracting
thoughts to a minimum. You also
feel a sense of accomplishment
when you’ve finished one. It’s
best to do the easy ones (at least
at first) so you don’t feel
overwhelmed or get too
frustrated, which would be
defeating the purpose. Be
careful, though, because these
can be addicting!

3. Coloring
I know this sounds like “baby
stuff” and yes, this is the same
coloring we did as kids, but many
people with bipolar disorder
have found coloring to be very
therapeutic. It keeps stress
levels to a minimum, helps you
focus and concentrate, and brings
out your creativity at the same
time.

4. Doing Puzzles
This is very good for focus and
concentration for people with
racing thoughts. You may want
to start with a fewer piece puzzle
at first, however, so that you don’t
get frustrated or overwhelmed.
Remember to work the outside
pieces first (and the corners)!

5. Music or Art
If you have talent in either of
these two areas (or even if
you don’t!), many people have
found it to be helpful to them
to do this – if for nothing else
than just to keep their fingers
busy. Some people find that
just listening to some quiet
music to be soothing and
calm their stress as well.
These are just some suggestions to help with coping with bipolar disorder.

Can you think of some more?

What are some creative things that you do to cope?

I’d love to hear them.

Hi,

How are you doing today?

These days when you turn on the news or read the paper there is a lot of negatively.

I personally don’t read the news, watch the news look at news websites.

I very carefully guard my mindset.

When I go to the gym I have trained myself never to look at TVs that might have news on them.

I quickly stop talking to people who have doom or gloom to tell me.

When you are dealing with bipolar disorder, I advise you to do the same AND also to avoid people who are negative about your bipolar disorder or your loved one’s bipolar disorder.

You need to be positive. You need to be aware and prepare for anything negative but focus on the positive and not be saturated with negative information.

It all has to do with your mindset.

Like in my courses.

I talk about being negative vs. being positive, and how much that has to do with whether you get better or not, if you have bipolar disorder.

And, if you’re a supporter, being negative or being positive has a lot to do with how good a supporter you are.

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com

HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net
But, again, it has to do with your mindset.

I think you can choose to be negative or positive.

And I think a lot of that has to do with what you surround yourself with.

For example, if you have a job where everyone there has a negative attitude, you’re going to have a negative attitude, too.

And you’re probably not going to like that job very much, either.

And if they gossip, you might even be pulled into that.

On the other hand, if everyone there has a positive attitude, the opposite is going to happen.

The atmosphere at work will be a more positive one, everyone will have a better attitude, and working conditions will be better all around.

Now, that kind of job you’ll be happy to go to, because your own attitude will be a more positive one. Your mindset will be better.

Another example is, take me.

I work out a lot in the gym.

There’s a lot of negative attitudes there.

There’s some guys who believe that they won’t get the bodies they want.

That’s their negative attitude coming out.

That’s their negative mindset (I think it’s because they won’t do the work, which makes them even more negative about working out).

Where I’m just the opposite, because I have a positive mindset.

I believe that if I stay focused, ignore those negative people around me, and keep a positive mindset, I will get the body I want if I do the things I need to do to get it.

Ok, let’s look at how your mindset affects bipolar disorder again, with that example in mind.

If you believe that your or your loved one’s bipolar disorder is never going to get better, you are going to have a negative attitude.

Then, say you go to your support group, and they think their or their loved one’s bipolar disorder is never going to get better.

Now you’re surrounding yourself with other negative people. So now you have a negative
mindset.

So do you think you or your loved one are going to get better?

On the other hand, if you or your loved one have a positive attitude and surround yourself with positive people…

You will have a positive mindset…

And, guess what?

You or your loved one will get better!

See? It all has to do with your mindset.

But, like me and my working out, you also have to be willing to do what it takes to get there as well.

But you can do it with a positive mindset!

What do you think?

Have you been in the situation where you have been surrounded by negative people?

How has that affected you?

Hi,

How’s it going for you today?

I was reading an article in Reader’s Digest recently on ways to hide all sorts of things.

For example, they talked about how to hide extra weight just by the way you dress, or by
the way you accessorize the way you dress.

And how to hide your personal identity (especially on the Internet) so that you don’t fall prey to identity theft.

This was an important one, and if you go online a lot, you can check with your Internet provider for help with this.

You can hide from phone solicitors by getting on the National Do Not Call Registry by calling: 1-888-382-1222.

You can hide your phone number from people by having it unlisted by the phone company.
Then it doesn’t even appear in telephone books.

You can even hide your bad breath by nibbling on a sprig of parsley or lemon rind, or
drinking a cup of black or green tea.

But although this was an interesting article to read, and it did have some practical information on how to hide your things (and yourself)…

It didn’t tell you that there are some things that you can never hide.

Like your bipolar disorder.

In my courses/systems, I talk about how telling people whether you have bipolar disorder or not is a personal choice.

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com

HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net
And that’s true, it is a personal choice.

But if you have bipolar disorder, you still can’t hide it from yourself.

You’ll always have the disorder (unless they find a cure for it).

You can’t hide from the fact that you have to take medication every day for the rest of your life in
order to keep from going into bipolar episodes.

Even if you choose not to tell others that you have bipolar disorder, they can usually tell –
especially those closest to you, like friends and family.

And you will never be able to hide your bipolar disorder from your supporter.

Unless you’re perfect, which none of us are.

Even with medication, there will be times that the signs and symptoms of your disorder will
be there anyway.

And you can’t hide them from your supporter.

You shouldn’t even try, because for one thing, the stress of trying to do that will just make you worse.

But mostly because your supporter cares about you – they wouldn’t have stayed with you if they didn’t.

They just want to help you, and they can’t do that if you try to hide your bipolar disorder from them.

Your disorder isn’t going to go away.

There’s no use trying to hide from it (or to hide it).

Are you still trying to?

Is it helping you or hurting you?

Have you stopped trying to hide your bipolar disorder? What happened?

If you are a supporter reading this and your loved one is trying to hide their bipolar disorder,
how do you feel about that?

Hi,

Happy Memorial if you live in the United States and celebrate it.

I hope you doing great today whether you are or you aren’t.

Actually I have to get going today because I am doing a bunch of things but first wanted to send this out really quick.

You know, there are a lot of hard things in life.

Growing up is hard.

Going to college is hard.

Making a marriage work is hard.

Raising children is hard.

Getting along with difficult people is hard.

Making things meet financially is hard, especially in today’s economy.

Having, coping, and dealing with bipolar disorder is really hard.

But THIS is when it is HARDEST:

Here’s an email I got about it:

“Hi, Dave,
Just wanted to tell you how very
effective your emails are to give
down-to-earth information to many
areas for those who suffer the unasked
for condition of bipolar disorder. I
have a wonderful friend who works
hard daily to made a productive life
for himself but seems to be constantly
punished for his disease especially by
his immediate biological family, who
should certainly know better. They
seem to have targeted him as the
family scapegoat and constantly
remind him that they certainly
aren’t mentally ill. I could smack
every one of them! Andrea Farrell.”
—————————————————–

This has got to be one of the hardest things of all for someone with bipolar disorder to deal with –

When not only does your own family not support you, but they actually BLAME you for your own disorder!

This family is obviously grossly misinformed.

Let me state a couple FACTS right here and right now.

First of all, bipolar disorder is a chemical imbalance of the brain.

You don’t get it because of something you did or didn’t do, like having a childhood disease or doing drugs or something.

BIPOLAR DISORDER IS NOT YOUR FAULT!

Second of all, most scientists believe that bipolar disorder has a hereditary element to it.

In other words, that the disorder is passed down through the family.

So these people may THINK that none of them has a mental illness, but I bet if they look, they’ll find someone who – if they don’t have bipolar disorder – at least suffers (suffered) from major depression!

But the main thing here is look what they’re doing to this man!

It’s called STIGMA. It’s very common, and it’s very ugly. And we have to fight it every day with bipolar disorder. That’s why I talk about in my courses/systems below:

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com

HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net
Look at the words:

“They seem to have targeted him as the family scapegoat and constantly remind him that they certainly aren’t mentally ill.”

That’s STIGMA.

That’s what people do to another person who has a mental illness.

Do you hear the FEAR in that statement?

People generally fear what they don’t understand.

If these people took the time to really understand bipolar disorder, I’m sure they wouldn’t treat this man the way they are.

Especially because he seems to be doing everything he can to manage his bipolar disorder, according to Andrea’s email.

He sounds stable, which is what we all want for our loved one, and we know it isn’t easy.

We also know they need our support.

Can you imagine:

“…but [he] seems to be constantly
punished for his disease.”

What if this were you?

How would YOU feel?

Do you think you would want to get stable?

Or do you think you would just give up?

Hi,

How’s it going?

Sorry again yesterday that the bipolar news was late.

Today is the day before Memorial Day and I have a friend who really has problems.

Well, at least he thinks he has problems.

He can never get things right with his girlfriend.

That’s because he’s always saying the wrong thing.

And he just doesn’t get that.

But it’s not all his fault, you see.

Like the other day…

His girlfriend asked him, “Do I look as good as when we first met?”

So my friend said, “Sure.”

He thought he was saying the right thing.

So then she said, “Does that mean I didn’t look good before?”

And then my friend just lost it. He didn’t know what to do.

He told me he absolutely does not know anything about how to deal with his girlfriend, and
was ready to give up on women altogether!

Well, after I stopped laughing…

I told him that you have to have a system.

See, I have systems for everything.

For one thing, I told him, you have to remember every special event.

Not just her birthday, but every anniversary of everything – the first day you met, the first time
you kissed, each month (year) you’ve been together, etc.

That’s a system!

Well, you have to do the same thing with bipolar disorder.

Everyone who has bipolar disorder and their supporters have problems.

So you have to have systems.

And there have to be steps in these systems.

Like if you had a little house fire, you wouldn’t call the firemen right away, would you?

First, you would try to contain the fire by yourself…

Maybe use the fire extinguisher?

You would not get all hysterical and call 911 and scream that your whole house was burning
down.

That’s like my friend saying that he was giving up on women completely!

Well, a bipolar disorder system is like using the fire extinguisher first, before the entire house is on fire, before you have to call 911.

So, let’s say we’re talking about a bipolar episode here.

Let’s talk about the parts to a sample system.

The preparation part would be learning all you can about bipolar disorder, so you can be informed.

The very last part (the calling 911 part) would be having to hospitalize your loved one.

So now we have to work on the parts in between.

The next part might be establishing a relationship with your loved one’s doctor, psychiatrist, and
therapist.

But you can’t do that until your loved one signs a Medical Release of Information form, so that might come first.

The important thing to remember here is what I recommend in my courses and systems: that you do this when your loved one is NOT in an episode, so that they know what they are doing. You also have to get the form notarized.

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com

HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net
So you should sit down with your loved one and involve them in this system. The more the two of you can work out this system together, the better.

It should include:

• Loved one’s patterns & triggers
• Signs & symptoms of episode
• Phone numbers of professionals
• When to call them
• What to do if episode happens
• When to seek treatment
• When to hospitalize
• Etc.

Any other specific things that the two of you can come up with to put in your system can only help your loved one.

The best thing is to write everything down, including phone numbers, and to keep it in a handy place.

What about you?

What kinds of systems do you have in place?

How do they work?

PLEASE FORWARD TO YOUR FRIENDS

Hi,

How are you?

Here is today’s news.

To read this week’s news visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews431

Proteins Implicated in Brain Disease
DO> VERY interesting article.

Bipolar Man Comedy Tour
DO> What do you think of this?

Bipolar Patients often Relapse: Study
DO> This is unfortunately very true

Tips for Getting Insurance When You Have a Pre-Existing Condition
DO> Great article, take a look.

Upton: Help Protect Your Child’s Mental Health
DO> If you are a parent, great article

For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews431

POST RESPONSES TO THE NEWS HERE

==>Help with ALL aspects of bipolar disorder<<==

Check out all my resources, programs and information for all aspects of bipolar disorder by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentralcatalog.com

Your Friend,

Dave

Hi,

I hope you’re doing well today.

You know, we’ve all made mistakes.

And we’ve all made them for various reasons.

Some have been made because we just didn’t know any better.

Some have been made because we knew better, but we thought this time would be different.

Some have been made because we depended on someone else and they let us
down.

And some have been made because we took something for granted that we shouldn’t
have taken for granted.

Well, that’s something that you just can’t afford to do when it comes to bipolar disorder.

What am I talking about?

Well, I’m talking about medication, for one thing.

You just can’t take for granted that it will always work for your loved one the way that it is working now.

It may have to be changed some time in the future.

Another thing is that you shouldn’t take your loved one’s treatment team for granted, either.

If your loved one has a good doctor, psychiatrist, and therapist, you both should be very grateful.

Reward these people by always having your loved one show up for their appointments, and
show up on time.

Your loved one can’t take for granted that these people always know how to help them, either.
Your loved one has to help their professionals to help them, by giving them information.

Remember, that these professionals are not mindreaders. They only know what you tell them.

Also, don’t take your finances for granted.

Always put away something for a rainy day, because you never know if/when you’re going to need it.

That’s just sound financial advice, whether you are dealing with bipolar disorder or not.

That’s just one of the things I teach having to do with bipolar disorder in my courses/systems:

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com

HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net
Don’t take your relationship for granted.

Especially because your loved one has bipolar disorder.

The disorder can sometimes seem to take over your lives.

I know, because supporters tell me that all the time.

It’s important that you keep close communication with your loved one, and that you don’t take things for granted, like how they are feeling.

It’s also important that you share your thoughts and feelings with your loved one, because you can’t take for granted that they know these things, either.

But the most important thing is that you do NOT take your loved one’s STABILITY for granted!

If you do that, the whole stack of cards can fall down around you.

If you take your loved one’s stability for granted, you won’t make plans for an episode, and one can sneak up on you, and then where will you be?

If you take your loved one’s stability for granted, you won’t be watching for signs and symptoms of an oncoming episode, and you might miss the warning signs.

Then the bipolar episode will be upon your loved one before you know it, and they may end up in the hospital, all because you took their stability for granted.

Have you ever had to deal with an episode in your loved one because you started taking their stability for granted?

What happened?

How did you handle it?

David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.