Hi,

A long time ago, there used to be an old song called No Man is an Island and talked about how none of us is alone. Yet many of us can feel that way anyway.

You know, one of the things that bipolar supporters as well as survivors struggle with the most is the idea that they are alone in their battle. I’ve even had people tell me that they still feel alone, even when they’re in a group of people. They just don’t feel like other people can relate to what they’re going through. That’s why these people don’t attend support groups. That’s why they don’t have friends. That’s why they even shy away from their co-workers.

But, whether you are a bipolar survivor or supporter, isolation is not a healthy thing for you.

My mom used to think that no one else had the disorder but her. So I asked her to think about anyone else she knew that might have it. She thought of two others. Then I told her the statistic from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), who says that about 2% of the people in our country have bipolar disorder, amounting to around 5 million people.

So I told my mom that I figured that for each person that has the disorder, there are probably at least 3 others who are at least associated with the disorder in some way. I told her to conduct this experiment – I asked her to go out of the house that day and ask the people she came in contact with if they knew anyone with bipolar disorder.

It turns out that my mom proved my theory right! The average was about 3 people for every person she talked to! So when I did my calculations again, based on our population, bipolar disorder affects about 15 million people in our country every day! Now, that’s a LOT of people!

So if you’ve been feeling alone in your struggle with the disorder, just remember what I just

told you, and you’ll know that you’re not alone. If you don’t believe me, try it for yourself. Do what my mother did.

Ask around – and you’ll probably find that for each person you talk to, there will be at least 3 others who are at least associated with bipolar disorder.

I mean, I was on the phone with my insurance agent the other day, and while we were waiting

for her supervisor to get on the line, we started talking just to pass the time. She asked me about what I do, and I told her about how I work helping people with bipolar disorder and their supporters, and she told me that her sister had just gotten diagnosed with the disorder!

See how prevalent it is?

And this was just someone who I’d been talking to on the phone about my insurance! Bipolar disorder really is all around you, and you really are NOT alone!

Still, you might feel that way sometimes if you’ve been isolating yourself, or if your loved one has been isolating.

Isolation, in someone who has bipolar disorder, is one of the triggers to a bipolar episode, so

your loved one needs to be careful about that. You both need to have things to do outside

of the disorder. Try having a social life, friends, outside activities, that bring you pleasure.

Have fun, and do things that make you feel good, that you enjoy doing, that keep the bipolar from being the focus of your life. Don’t let it make you isolated.

Your Friend,

Dave