Hi,

How are things for you today? I hope they’re going well.

I want to tell you about something that happened with Michele, who works for me, recently.

You know that she has bipolar disorder, right? I’ve talked about that before. And about how she’s a really hard worker. She usually does a really good job, and I have no complaints. Usually.

But recently, I’d noticed that her work wasn’t up to par, and she seemed different. Kind of distant. Not her usual bubbly self. She didn’t seem to have her usual energy. I’m not saying her work was bad or anything, because it wasn’t – it just didn’t seem to have her usual “flair” to it. It just seemed like something was “off.”

I didn’t mention anything to her about it, figuring that if something was wrong, she would tell me about it.

This went on for a couple weeks. Like I said, her work was fine, just kind of “different” for her.

And she seemed fine, too, just kind of “different.” It’s kind of hard to explain, or to put a finger on, really. You’d have to know her. But trust me, I knew something wasn’t quite right.

Then one day, all of a sudden, she was back to her old self! She was energetic, excited about all

of our new projects, and you could even hear in her voice that she was herself again! So then I felt that I could say something. I asked her if something had been going on with her. I told her how I had noticed that she had been acting differently, and that even her work seemed a bit different as well. Still good, but not quite the same as her usual work.

She said that her nighttime bipolar medication had quit working, and that she hadn’t been sleeping. She even went a whole night without ANY sleep at all! One night she only had two hours sleep, she said. And other nights were troubled sleep. She told me that she would wake up

just as tired as when she went to sleep. And that she had just been exhausted for the past couple weeks. The point was, she just hadn’t been herself because of a lack of sleep.

She had finally called her psychiatrist and told him what was going on, and he switched her medications. That night she slept great! After a couple nights’ of great sleep, she was back to her old self. It didn’t just show in her personality, it even showed in her work! So much so that not just I, but another one of her coworkers noticed as well!

Michele’s story is a good example. This could have been very costly for her. It could have led to a bipolar episode for her. It could have even cost her her job! But simply by telling her psychiatrist what was happening, and him making an adjustment in her medications, her situation was corrected, and she was back to her old self in no time!

Take a lesson from what happened to Michele. If you are having trouble sleeping, don’t put it off. Let your doctor or psychiatrist know what’s happening. The solution could be as simple as

making a change in your medication.

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave