I am very interested in the Admin position you have posted and reading the job description carefully, I believe it would be great job for me(I worked as an HR generalist, for more than 2 years). Also, the bi-polars support activities would be a great challenge for me, as for any other medical person, I believe ( I am a dentist by profession).
I would rather apply for the position, but I am not a US citizen and I live outside the US. If there is any on-line activity of job that I can do-I would be happy to apply, help, work or whatever else works for you
Regards

I totally agree with Dave on this one..My 16 yr old grandson has grown accustome to hearing me say,:you can if you want to”. Nothing is impossible,it is your choice to be who you are. Bipolar or not.”.Thanks for your info.I have learned alot from you..Sincerly,Beverly

Dear Mr. Oliver,

Thank you for taking the time every day to write. You keep me positive. What you said about no limits with medication is right on. I have had biploar since I was 15 and I am not 52. I thought when they finally diagnoised me it was a blessing because then I knew what I was dealing with. I don’t seem to be high functioning anymore. In August I am getting a new psychiatrist and am going to ask for a review of my medications. Well didn’t mean to take up so much of your time. Thank You for being as close as an email every day.

Sincerely,
sandie Porter

Another thing with encouraging people to take their medicine, another danger is taking TOO much medication. As some one with BiPolar and a seizure disorder, I take medication 3 times a day. For years I have been using a box with 3 slots so that I can see at a glance if I have taken my meds or not. Life is busy and sometimes you wonder. Just like the just the right dose of medicine can do wonders, too much can be very harmful. In addition to increasing the side effects, you are doing damage to your liver and kidneys.
When I was in middle school I had a very nasty bout of bronchitis that wasn’t clearing up. My mom took me to the doctor for treatment. Well, my doctor gave me an antibiotic and a cough syrup. Turned out I was allergic to something in the cough syrup and the antibiotic was not strong enough. After mixing and matching medication – and my doctor being on vacation – I started to feel better in my chest but became very sick to my stomach. It turned out that all the mixing of medication over the past few weeks had poisoned my body. The doctor was an idiot and said to my mom “Oh, no big deal! We just poisoned her.” Like it was an every day thing. My mom was livid.
As I got older I made friends with a nurse. Turns out that poisoning due to the wrong amount or wrong mix of meds is VERY common and can be deadly! This is most common in older people AND people who take several medications at a time. I take 4 meds right now, and if I couldn’t keep them straight with my box, I could see how it is possible to poison yourself – even on accident.
Just a warning! I don’t want what happened to me to happen to others. Develop a system so that you take your medicine(s) and are able to remember when and where you took them.

Hi Dave I could not agree with you more. I have been diagnosed with manic depression, Personality disorder, Severe Mood Swings; PTSD Along with a lot of other things the Military does not want to admit. Point is that my Dr. and I have thru the years worked out a program working together with me being totally honest about my feelings and trying different medications until the right ones were found. It was not easy it took quiet some time in the hospital until we finally got it all under control and either I were not trying to either hurt myself or someone else. Point being I refuse to give in and kept fighting. I kept talking about my feelings and what was happening with 10 years and me later I am helping others with Bipolar to have a place to live and to learn to live with it. I show them that I am living proof that one can function “normally” (whatever that is). I was recently laid off because of other health problems and am currently looking for employment. But I am still running my house and taking care of bipolar people that come to me for help. Grant it most of them have other problems like Drug or Alcohol addictions some don’t. Just whatever God sees fit to send my way. Well hope to hear from you. Hope I can help in some way.

Dear Dave
thank you for all the information and support.I live in Belfast Northern Ireland and sent my friend fo assessment as I felt he was bi-polar as well as Aspergers Syndrome..
I have researched and there is no support group here or in the Republic of Ireland….the nearest is in Wales which has 12 support centres…and one in Scotland…so why is this region without support group..?
your mails a re very valuable and greatly appreciated by me so thank you again
mo

dear dave, you are sooooooooo right. anyone can be whatever they want to be! It just takes a little disapline, and dedication, and persistance, to follow your dream and become whatever it is you want to become. by the way, there are a number of programs that people with disorders can use to alliviate their problems. some are as easy as listening to subliminale tapes, or cd’s. some have to do with mentally tapping into the universe through a portal that is available to everyone, that provides the answers they are looking for. but knowing your own disorder, and getting help for it is key to the happiness that we all deserve. Anyone interested in gaining some of the knowledge that can cure some of the disorders found in bipolar people can contact me: rahnalan@yahoo.com I am more than willing to share and help any way I can. I also suffered from depression and bipolar until I found these remarkable programs. The best part about them is the fact that I no longer have to take any medications, or suffer any side effects! Thank God !

Ok, this is kind of a tricky one. Yes, everyone should be encouraged to, well ok I’ll say it though I hated that phrase when I was a kid, everyone has a potential and should be encouraged, helped and supported to work to achieve all they can given their limitations.
Now before anyone freaks, I’m not saying that bipolar in and of itself needs to be limiting. I agree that support groups are often not the places to go to get motivated. I’ve had similar experiences with bipolar support groups and, for that matter, with twelve step groups and with support groups for other conditions, particularly those for supporters/caregivers who often feel an obligation to assume their roles but harbor resentment both toward the diagnosis and their loved ones. When I have led support groups, I have allowed time for people to vent. Some of them have no other people who will listen to them nonjudgmentally and that includes both supporters and survivors. However, while initial frustration and anger are normal, after all, some may view the need to take medication, to deal with issues such as self-medication, the need for a concrete action plan and the fact that they are mnore vulnerable to go into episodes if they don’t follow a sensible treatment plan, though I realize that a diagnosis of bipolar can be viewed either as a relief, because then you know what you’re dealing with and can proceed to take steps to increase functioning, I also know that some view it as a loss and are grieving for what they once had and now, at least temporarily, have lost. I realize that people generally go through the five stages of grief, though they overlap sometimes. I know everybody goes through that at different rates. But when I listen to the complaints, the floor is then opened for solutions, for what other people say has worked for them. During that time, the person who has presented a problem, such as anger over need to take meds resulting in medication noncompliance, must agree to listen to feedback before further commenting and then the comments have to be on the feedback, not diverted to another issue. This has worked sometimes for me when I’ve led support groups for people with disabilities, for blind people, for people with dissociative identity disorder (also known as multiple personality disorder) and for groups for depression and anxiety disorders as well as those for incest survivors, grief groups for widows, and even groups for teenagers. I remember in one of the several blindness groups which I led, every one of the people was older than me but none were totally blind. While such issues as giving up their cars, something which to them meant a loss of independence were dealt with with empathy and compassion and understanding by those who had been there, done that, the discussion would follow to ways they could get around, such as specialized medical transportation services, home health care, special transit, busses, taxis (occasionally since most were low income), rides with others who were going to the same places, offers to pay for gas in exchange for rides, (though with the current ridiculous gas prices I’m not sure that one would work now.) (lol) Running groups this way quickly weeded out the ones who were there solely to complain. Of course, it wasn’t always easy. I didn’t want them to leave, I just wanted them to be open to new ideas, new ways of coping so they could experience better quality of life. But you can’t force anyone to change except yourself and how you react to the crazy environment around you. I felt sad when someone dropped out but gratified if they came back later with a more positive mindset and were open to feedback. Sometimes, they even had good suggestions for newbies because they’d gone through the negative stuff and come through it for the better.
Unfortunately, the DBSA groups in our area are pretty negative so I don’t go. NAMI isn’t very active here either and many NAMI groups I have been to were more geared to families than to survivors which is fine since that’s a lot of NAMI’s focus though they do have a recovery program for people with mental illness.

But, as I said before, limits are tricky. I used to be in a program for children with disabilities called CHAP (children have a potential). Everybody has some potential and I believe should work to maximize it. But everyone is an individual with unique gifts and possibilities. I, for instance, have mentall illnesses and physical ones. I am totally blind and have spatial difficulties that some other blind people don’t have. So that along with the anxiety I constantly battle, makes it difficult for me in new surroundings. When I’m less stressed, when I’m not in episodes, I do better. But that is a limitation. At the moment and probably for the foreseable future, until they develop actual eye transplants that include the ability to connect with the optic nerve, it is unlikely that I will be able to see. So, I’ll bet you wouldn’t want me as your chauffeur. (lol) I’d have a better chance as an airline pilot because with the technology they have now, I might be able to get the computer system that runs the instruments to convert the information to text like my computer software does. But seriously, that wouldn’t work well either because it’s faster for a pilot to glance at the instruments and know what to do than it would be for a blind person to have to listen. It just takes longer. Now i know blind people who have done what would be incredible things even for a stable sighted person, such as mountain climbing (I’ve actually done that but not on one of the big, famous peaks, skydiving (in tandem, tethered to someone who could see) ski, (done that too, with an instructor with a walkie-talkie) my husband who is also blind did scuba diving for awhile. So ok, motivated people can do a lot. But the unemployment rate for blind people, even those who are well educated and trained, is always between 70 and 90 percent. Put one or more mental illnesses and other disabilities into the mix and life can seem pretty daunting. Limits? Well, I applied one time for what I thought would be a great job for me. I love to talk on the phone and an answering service was hiring. But they wouldn’t allow me to try the job, despite previous switchboard operator work and crisis hotline work, because their dinosaur mainframe conputer system was inaccessible to me. I pointed out that I could receive incoming calls and type messages, keeping a Braille copy for me in case there was a problem, and I could get them to the person by various means, which I elaborated. But they wouldn’t agree to try. I have had many such incidents. Limits? Our limits are more because of other people’s attitudes and discrimination than because we actually have limits. We are perceived by others to have limits and, though we may really not have them in an ideal world, we are often forced to bend to the negative attitudes of prospective employers and the general public as well.
I won’t bore you with further details except to say that I have been able to do some jobs without disclosing my “hidden” disabilities like mental illness and diabetes etc., at least for awhile until I go into an episode or something. But I know, at least for things like employment, access to such basic things as, say, a sign on the door of a rest room or some restaurant menus, the physical disabilities, which are also often not understood by an ignorant and often unwilling to be educated public, have caused me more problems than some of the more hidden ones.
A survey was done a number of years ago which listed about 25 disabilities including “hidden” ones as well as obvious ones. At the time, people were asked to rank the disabilities in order from the one they would least like to have to the one they would most be able to manage. In the first survey, blindness was ranked at the top as the disability the participants would least like to have. In a subsequent survey it was ranked second and I forget which was first. People have postulated that this is because of the primeval fear of the dark and the fact that people depend so much on sight, that they say at least 75 % of learning is visual etc.
With blind people, though some are in employment in private companies, that is often because a state agency has intervened to help provide training and support. Most work for government agencies, some in make-work programs, or they work in blindness rehab agencies, teach at schools for the blind or teach blind children in schools, work in sheltered workshops like Goodwill and/or the Lighthouse for the Blind. Although I am a good musician and music teacher, music is still often considered a very stereotypical career for blind people though many are talented, few become truly successful.
Interestingly, Governor Paterson (I think he’s governor of New Jersey?) is legally blind but does not know Braille, does not use a mobility aid such as a guide dog or white cane and, though he has served for several years on the board of the American Foundation for the blind, downplays his visual impairment rather than telling the world, “See what I’ve been able to do? You can too!” But his reaction is typical of many people who are considered legally blind (20/200 in the best eye with correction or no less than 20 degree field of vision) who can often hide that disability. It is true that some prefer to hide it rather than explain some of their visual difficulties, such as being able to see better when it’s cloudy than when it’s sunny or being able to see sometimes better than others) but, just as paraplegics and quadriplegics, those with cerebral palsy and other physical disabilities, sometimes people who are profoundly deaf, can not hide their disabilities. They face them every day and every day they face other people’s reactions to them, many of which are fear, ignorance, lack of respect and outright discrimination.
When I was a child, unwanted, told that I would be mentally retarded and shoved into institutions where girls were routinely “sterilized” so we wouldn’t produce any more blind kids like ourselves, even if our blindness was not hereditary. There was horrific abuse, both by schools and family. It was only when I got out that I started trying to make a life for myself and by that point I had tried to run away numerous times, had two suicide attempts, the first at age nine, and was finally diagnosed as bipolar, with more diagnoses to follow. But I have completed several college degrees and worked successfully at teaching jobs, clerical jobs, phone work, medical transcription, and won awards for writing and for crafts. I try to encourage everyone I deal with to do the best you can with what you have. If I can do that, then the limits I may have are most often due to other people’s ignorance and closed mindedness. But not all of them.
There’s an old joke that Bob Hope used to tell about a friend of his who was a blind golfer. Actually, Bob Hope was very involved with the Blind Golfers Association, going to tournaments, lending his name to publicize and legitimize (in the eyes of the public) the sport. Anyway, one of the association members bragged that he could beat Bob Hope fair and square with no “handicap” (used the sports way as in bowling, giving someone a few strokes or pins as a start so they don’t start from scratch). Bob agreed. So Bob said, “Let’s set up a time to meet for this historic match.” “Sure,” said the blind golfer. “I’ll meet you at the first tee at midnight.”
There are positive things to many situations. I used to get away with reading Braille at night when the lights were out. I used to love leading sighted people around when there was a power outage. I’d tell them we were out of candles and there were no batteries left for the flashlight. So you find the positives. You know, for instance, that many high-functioning people with disabilities do the job well. Even in the Bible, when Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, then left to rot in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, though people meant it all for evil, it was used for good when Joseph became a great leader in a foreign land. The same can be said for Daniel.
Limits? Yes, we do have them. Sometimes, they are imposed by others. Sometimes, we need an attitude adjustment. Sometimes they are not true limits, but a person is so weighed down with the negative that the positive is difficult to see. Sometimes our limits are self-imposed. Sometimes they are caused bbby the bipolar only in that one must take meds, get adequate sleep, diet etc. as with diabetes, so perhaps you have to say no to certain activities in which you formerly engaged. This can sometimes mean you have to turn down being in a situation that is overly stressful and could trigger an episode. That’s plain common sense and good self-care. Is it a limit? Maybe in the short term. Sometimes we have to accept certain things that we perceive to be limitations in order to yield something better down the road.

Dear Dave,
Thank you for replying to my e-mail.
I am not interested in the jobs.
The reason I wrote you is because my granddaughter was just diognosed with Bipolar.
Really, I wanted more information. However, I have to leave this up to my daughter.She is so stressed out over this diognosis after taking her to
therapists and psychiatrists for about 12 years,(the girls age is 17)

This was found through a evaluation. Now, my daughter will not talk to me or any one else.So I don’t think I can go any further than getting infor-mation, which I already got.

Thanks again for the reply
Lois

Ihave adaughter 40years old who swears she has a hormone disorder.
I cannot get her to a Psyh Doc because she says they are all idiots. She taking steroids for her hormones and this makes her moods worse. The other day she told me in an e-mail she cannot stand me. She argues with all her friends and doesnot have a good suppot system . I don’t know what to do anymore because there is no communication, this makes it easier
for her not to face the truth. Please give me some advice as to what to do.

Very Grateful, BarbH

Hey Dave, i also wanted to send a HUGE HUG TO ANYONE TODAY WHO MAY NEED ONE~ JEAN

Thank you Dave for all your emails that are so encouraging and give knowledge and understandig in dealing with our loved ones bipolar problems. Unfortunately you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink. In the case of my loved one he
doesnt need help at all there must be something wrong with me for even suggesting such a thing.
He is happy with his ups and downs and with his excuses, lying and cheating (I think
he does cheat but cannot prove it). It is a very comfortable life not to be accountable for ones actions especially the fits of anger, the abusive speech ,the humiliating things that the supporter has to endure and at times some physical abuse the supporter has
been given.
The spending sprees that amount to huge debt that will never be paid. Being completely irresponsible, not having to worry about bills, etc.
Making friends believe that he is perfectly alright, everyone else is the problem.
Thank you so much for the education you are giving me free of charge – understanding the problem is very helpful to me. As the supporter I just feel like I am spinning my
wheels, getting nowhere. with my loved one.
I feel that he needs help now but I cannot force a grown man to do what is good for him.
Educating himself about his illness is not something that he wants to do.
Maybe I just need to learn more to be able to be more effective.
We have separated as the abuse escalated and there seems to be no end to his present episode. AT least today, he seems to be content with his new found entertainment. Please keep sending you emails – I enjoy them very much and I have learned many things so far. Thank you Natalie

Hi Dave:

Thank You, for all the info that you always provide to all of us, that have to support a Loved One, with this condition!! I truly believe, that we can do anything we want if we really want it that bad. But it is also a shame that a lot of our loved ones have the help at the palm of their hands and don’t do anything to take advantage of it!! It is very sad, that is what is happening with my qualifier, he refuses to go and get help, he thinks he is in control of the situtation, and he is killing himself w/crack,meds/alcohol.

Regards to all,

May God Bless you all!!

MG

i would like to hear more because i,m marrying a man that i love dearly ad he has bipolar ad i understand him but sometimes he can get irrated but i understand him ad we get along great ad he dosen,t mind talking about his bipolar ,his doctor wants to write a book about him i would like to hear your reponse it would be very much appreciated

Dave:
I am quite sure that my son (age 29) is bipolar. With the help of my daughter we have been looking into what we can do. He has resisted help from qualified professionals in the past. We are both getting information on the disease and trying to figure just what to do from here. I will continue to read the information that you send and will come up with a “plan” soon. Any ideas?
There is a support group in our area which we will begin to attend.
Thanks,
Bill

One last thing I forgot to mention. If you take alot of supplements as I do you can take small little dixie cups and label as you need to (i.e. am, noon, pm). fill them up and then stack, in order. That way you also know if you remembered or not, good idea?? It works for me for many years now. Good luck.
Another thing I want to mention and I hope I am not offensive to anyone. My faith in God has saved my life many times. I am never alone and he’s never let me down. He is my savior.
God’s blessings again – Barbara

Hey Dave – I read over your job descriptions. Do you ever use part time people? I ask because I am on disability and can’t loose my benefits. I can earn so much money a month without going into a 9 mo. work program. I believe it is about $650. I would have to look it up. There are probably others on disability that would like to know .
Thanks for your response.
Barbara B.

I would like to believe that we can be whatever we set in our minds to be if we have the ability to do the work. We certainly should not expect to be all things to all people but, we must work at setting realistic goals and achievements for ourselves given certain circumstances.
I am indeed encouraged when I see a person that has a physical handicap or may have autism and are able to accomplish so much in spite of the condition. I believe that there are circumstances such as environment, economic status, religious beliefs, attitude and habits that play major parts in what we place limits on.
We are all unique individuals with our very own thoughts, DNA, looks, etc… and we should not expect everybody to be able to achieve, learn, behave, or respond at the same level. If someone is really doing the best they can, then that should be good enough.
If a person is not able to be all that they can be because of a mental condition that they can not control no mater how much support they have or how much medication they take, then that’s when there are exceptions to the rules.
If we were all the same then it would be insignificant. We are here for each other to love, and share, to give and teach each other what really matters. I am no rocket scientist, No doctor, or lawyer, hell I don’t have a degree. But, dose that make me a failure. What constitutes no limits, doing anything, being whatever you want to be. For Who? If you are not mentally stable, all the aforesaid mentioned won’t mean a thing. Being able to adjust to life unexpected blows and create some balance in between so that we can handle to some degree what we or nobody else can fix is in and of itself no limit.
It takes more that effort, medication, support and desire, to overcome the debilitating effects of mental illness, It takes acceptance and divine intervention through our belief and faith that we are worthy of all that life has to offer and act accordingly.
To much of anything is not good for you, but lack of necessity can rob you of life simplest pleasures.
Set no limits on self love and the love you share.

Good morning, David,

First of all : many thanks for all this info you sent me.
I think I have bipolar. But, when reading some of your correspondence, I wonder if you are not the pharma labs’s best ally for them to sell me, ZYPREXA, (or other medication -actually to me : they are “drugs”), for example. I do not want to read about people praising medication. ZYPREXA, for example, being a very DANGEROUS medication to my eyes.
Voila.

When I read your letters I see hope at the end of the tunnel.
My 13 year old daughter has given us a run for our sanity, and we are still trying to find the right mix of meds to stop the voices so she can continue her schooling. Thank you for your information, I would love to buy your books but of course I can not afford them. I would like to know how long it takes to find the right mixture of meds for my child to be stable. She is a very loving child which at times she still is she just isn’t stable.

While medication goes a long way towards stabilizing, you do not touch upon one of the more sticky aspects of bipolar, namely the fact that some sufferers have adapted to, like and depend upon their disorder. I am referring to people (I am living with one) who use their manic phase to carry them through busy times at work. This person even takes on more work thatn he can handle, then begins to cut down on sleep in order to get himself “high” and, Boom, he’s there! He can handle any workload, go 48 hrs without sleep. The corporate world rewards this behaviour and does not see it as dangerous at all.

Hey, I just wanted to say that I am bipolar and sometimes I have a hard time keeping things together. I am currently trying to recieve unemployment and also trying to get disability. Has anyone been there?

I tried to click on the additional forms links, but couldn’t. I already printed 10 of the 19 pages of application(don’t you think this is a little long?) Today I will print the other 9. I’m only allowed 10 free prints a day here. Is there a way you could mail the other forms to me, or tell me where I could pick them up? The I-9 form is pretty standard, and so is the W-2. I’ve never heard of the other two, though.