Touched with fire: Harnessing the fire of bipolar

Over the last few weeks, new PatientsLikeMe member Paul has been opening up about living with bipolar and how this condition inspires his art. Touched with Fire, a debut feature film now playing in select theaters, was written, edited, directed and scored by him and draws on his personal experiences. Discovering Kay Jamison’s book of… Continue reading Touched with fire: Harnessing the fire of bipolar

Meet Cyrena from the PatientsLikeMe Team of Advisors

  Say hello to Cyrena, another member of your 2015-2016 Team of Advisors. Cyrena is living with bipolar II and lupus, and currently a PhD candidate in pharmacology. Cyrena describes some days with her conditions as “swimming through a vat of molasses” — which makes managing her intensive student workload along with her health a… Continue reading Meet Cyrena from the PatientsLikeMe Team of Advisors

Touched with fire: A meaning behind the suffering

We’ve been talking with new PatientsLikeMe member Paul, whose debut feature-film, Touched with Fire – inspired by his experiences living with bipolar – opened last week in select theaters.  For Paul, the road to diagnosis was more like being on a rollercoaster. Years of using marijuana seemed to stimulate his creativity at film school, but… Continue reading Touched with fire: A meaning behind the suffering

Meet Paul, an artist “touched with fire”

“I’m a filmmaker, husband of my NYU film school classmate, father of two children and bipolar. Of these labels, the one I’m certain stands out in your mind is bipolar – and not in a good way.” Being bipolar is not something that new PatientsLikeMe member Paul has ever tried to hide. On the contrary,… Continue reading Meet Paul, an artist “touched with fire”

Allison’s story

Last month we introduced Allison, a member of your 2015-2016 Team of Advisors living with bipolar II. She recently opened up in a video about how sharing her data on the site helped her recognize when she might have an episode, and partner better with her doctor to prevent new episodes from happening. You can… Continue reading Allison’s story

The highs and lows of bipolar disorder

Since it’s still Mental Illness Awareness Week, we thought we’d share some facts on bipolar disorders, found in this dynamic infographic. Read our previous post for more information on how to get involved during this year’s awareness week – and all year long.  Did you know bipolar disorder is a worldwide condition? In Australia there… Continue reading The highs and lows of bipolar disorder

Recapping with our Team of Advisors!

Many of you will remember meeting our inaugural Team of Advisors from when we first shared about this exciting team last year! This group of 14 were selected from over 500 applicants in the community and have been incredible in their dedication and desire to bring the patient voice directly to PatientsLikeMe. As the team… Continue reading Recapping with our Team of Advisors!

2014 recap – a year of sharing in the PatientsLikeMe community

Another year has come and gone here at PatientsLikeMe, and as we started to look back at who’s shared their experiences, we were quite simply amazed. More than 30 members living with 9 different conditions opened up for a blog interview in 2014. But that’s just the start. Others have shared about their health journeys… Continue reading 2014 recap – a year of sharing in the PatientsLikeMe community

It’s time to recognize mental illness in October

Think about this for a second; according to the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) 1 in 4 people, or 25% of American adults, will be diagnosed with a mental illness this year. On top of that, 20 percent of American children (1 in 5) will also be diagnosed. And so for 7 days, October… Continue reading It’s time to recognize mental illness in October

Getting to know our 2014 Team of Advisors – Dana

Just last month, we announced the coming together of our first-ever, patient-only Team of Advisors – a group of 14 PatientsLikeMe members that will give feedback on research initiatives and create new standards that will help all researchers understand how to better engage with patients like them. They’ve already met one another in person, and… Continue reading Getting to know our 2014 Team of Advisors – Dana