Bipolar resources
Discover bipolar resources to inform and empower you.
There are many excellent resources about bipolar disorder. However, sometimes there is just so much information available that we get overloaded. And unfortunately, some sites have unreliable information or hidden agendas.
Here is our directory of the best of the best - handpicked sites that we have already vetted and where we know you can surf with confidence.
There are 4 commercial sites we endorse:
1. Dr Susan's excellent guide to building a bullet proof case and WINNING
Social Security Disability for Bipolars.
2. Married to Mania:
a must read for anyone in a relationship with a bipolar person.
3. Panic Away:
If you have read my About Me page, you will know I used this wonderful program to recover from panic attacks. It is VERY common for bipolar people to also suffer from panic disorder. The problem is that anti-anxiety meds like Xanax and Valium make bipolar depression worse, and anti-panic SSRIs like Zoloft and Paxil can trigger mania. This means there is a real need for bipolar resources like Panic Away that use drug free methods to effectively treat panic attacks.
4. Binaural Beats:
based on over 70 years of scientific research, these easy to use audios quickly shift your brainwaves and control your mood and mental state without drugs or complicated, time consuming and risky or unproven "techniques".
Professional organizations
Top of my list has to be
The Black Dog Institute.
The Black Dog Institute is an educational, research, clinical and community-oriented facility dedicated to improving understanding, diagnosis and treatment of mood disorders. They offer everthing from diagnostic tests, to writing competitions to bleeding edge research findings in a dynamic, exciting but easy to use site.
The next significant organization I want to mention is the
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA).
DBSA have really spruced up their site lately, with podcasts, exciting contests, and easy to access information on diagnosis and treatment. They have a range of excellent bite-sized publications on everything from Food and Mood to a downloadable mini Mood Calendar.
The National Intitute of Mental Health (NIMH) have a great
NIMH Bipolar Disorder in Adults page.
This is offered as part of the NIMH Mood and Anxiety Disorder Program. It provides links to the latest cliniscal research studies on bipolar disorder, and a link back to the NIMH's main bipolar information site.
Personal bipolar sites
The bipolar resources I am suggesting here are actually one bipolar blog and one bipolar site.
Bipolar Chicks Blogging
has the perfect bipolar tag line: "It seemed like a good idea at the time". I don't know about you, but I can sure relate to that. Funny, candid, real and clever. Any bipolar person will recognize themselves in these posts, maybe flinch a little, but come away feeling better about the world. Kay Redfield Jamison is right - we ARE more creative!
Next a personal site I really love: Juliet's
Bipolar Brain.
This site is special for a couple of reasons. It combines high quality factual information about bipolar with very personal writings about Juliet's experiences, including her hospitalizations. It also includes fabulous creative expressions in the form of animations, poetry and artwork. Somthing very special about it is that the site includes comments from Greg, Juliet's husband, on her illness and their relationship. This is a great site for those in relationships, creative people, or basically anyone with a beating heart. Thank you Juliet and Greg!
Best kept secrets
One of the most under-used gems on the Net, for bipolar people, is
bp Magazine.
This is an excellent magazine devoted to bipolar disorder. It is possible to subscribe to the hard copy (which I do suggest) and to access the back issues online. The only drawback is that the back issues are not indexed so you need to just click through them until you find something useful or interesting. It is worth the effort. Included in every edition are invaluable bipolar resources. Information is expressed clearly and concisely, and covers a lot of "hot topics" - and bp Magazine are not afraid to present a range of viewpoints.
Some of you will know I am lawyer. You probably won't be surprised to see me include
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
as another under-used but very valuable one of our bipolar resources. This is the United States leading civil rights organization representing people with mental illnesses or mental retardation. If you need information about legal issues, or are interested in mental health advocacy, this is definitely the place to start.
Tools
This final section is where you will find bipolar resources that are not always explicitly for the bipolar community, but which are really helpful tools for daily living.
First, take a look at
Dr. Debra Moore's PsychPages.
As you can see, there are articles here on many issues - just scroll down for the bipolar ones. The articles on Internet Addiction, Anxiety, Depression, Emotions, Caregiving - heck there are heaps - may also be very valuable depending on your personal situation. If you live in the Sacramento area, Dr Moore is also available as a therapist.
The final site I want to recommend relates to the vexed subject of bipolar people and money management. When I first started this site www.Bipolar-Lives.com, I was surprised that so much of the email and contacts I received from readers related to money issues. Of course, I should not have been surprised because my own manic episodes have had such serious financial consequences. Also, all my research and experience have taught me that impulsive and uncharacteristic decisions about sex and money are the two classic hallmarks of mania.
This is why www.Bipolar-Lives has a special section on
money management for bipolar people.
Anyway, the site I recommend as a great resource for bipolar money management is
Credit Cards Comparisons.
This is a true credit card comparison site that will make it easy for you to get the exact card for your needs. It has the best in low interest, cashback and balance transfer deals. It also has a lot of high quality information about FICO scores and getting out of debt. Unlike a lot of online credit card applications, you are not being offered cards from obscure companies with high built-in fees to cover all their marketing commissions - just concrete practical help on this stressful subject.
Download your FREE Credit Secrets e-Book
Bipolar resources that teach is about bipolar disorder are very important. However, for many of us, what we need most now are bipolar resources that are practical tools.
Bipolar scholarships
Reliable bipolar resources about bipolar scholarships are scarce, but lately readers have ben asking about bipolar scholarships a lot. We now have a page dedicated to
Bipolar Scholarships
and wish you the best of luck with your college endeavors.
Bipolar Treatment Centers
Sometimes a period of skilled treatment and intense self-care is necessary.
See our page on Bipolar Treatment Centers.
Other bipolar resources
We have a further page of
great links on bipolar disorder and relevant issues.
The goal with this second page is variety and quantity. We don't monitor the contents as closely, but we are sure you will find something new to intrigue or inspire you.
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