Bipolar Disorder and Aging

Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that is usually diagnosed during late adolescence or early adulthood. But over a quarter of individuals living with bipolar disorder are over the age of 60. According to the National Institute of Health, “it’s generally agreed that older people with bipolar tend to have more depression than mania and… Continue reading Bipolar Disorder and Aging

Bipolar Disorder and Nutrition: Dietitian-Approved Tips

Healthy, black woman and drinking a green smoothie for nutrition with vegetables for supplement. Girl, detox and enjoying a vegan drink for home or weightloss with vitamin or plants and fruit shake.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes Eating a Healthy Diet with Bipolar Disorder Living with bipolar disorder can be challenging, but one aspect that can significantly impact your well-being is your diet. While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, prioritizing a balanced, nutritious diet can complement other treatment strategies and contribute to mood stability. Let’s explore some dietary… Continue reading Bipolar Disorder and Nutrition: Dietitian-Approved Tips

Bipolar Disorder: Understanding, Coping, and Thriving

What is Bipolar Disorder?  An estimated “4.4% of U.S. adults experience bipolar disorder at some time in their lives,” according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Bipolar disorder, formerly referred to as manic depression, is a mental disorder where people experience extreme mood swings. Most people with bipolar experience extremely high highs (known as… Continue reading Bipolar Disorder: Understanding, Coping, and Thriving

Team of Advisors member Laura takes over the PatientsLikeMe Instagram for World Mental Health Day

In honor of World Mental Health Day, we asked PatientsLikeMe member Laura (thisdiva99) to take over our Instagram feed for the day. Laura is a professional opera singer, Massachusetts native, a member of the PatientslikeMe Team of Advisors, and is living with bipolar disorder. She gave us a glimpse into a day in her life, Check… Continue reading Team of Advisors member Laura takes over the PatientsLikeMe Instagram for World Mental Health Day

5 tips for practicing self-care when your chronic illness is trying to take over

As a woman with bipolar disorder I and PTSD, I can pretty safely say that no two days are the same. There are days when the world is sunshine and roses; life is grand! Then there are days when the inside of my brain is trying to run the show without me, and it’s leaving… Continue reading 5 tips for practicing self-care when your chronic illness is trying to take over

Meet Christopher – “PTSD is not just soldiers whining and complaining about struggles in life”

Say hello to Christopher (ChrisBC), a father, musician and Purple Heart recipient living with PTSD and bipolar disorder. We recently caught up with him to hear about how PTSD affected his marriage and how his diagnosis pushed him get the help he needed and connect with his feelings. Keep reading to learn how he copes… Continue reading Meet Christopher – “PTSD is not just soldiers whining and complaining about struggles in life”

Meet Laura from the PatientsLikeMe Team of Advisors

  Say hello to Laura (thisdiva99), another member of your 2016-2017 Team of Advisors. Laura chatted with us about what it’s like to live with bipolar disorder and why she thinks it’s essential to find and connect with others who live with the same condition: “It is of the utmost importance to connect with other… Continue reading Meet Laura from the PatientsLikeMe Team of Advisors

PatientsLikeMe Welcomes Next Patient Team of Advisors

  CAMBRIDGE, Mass, November 14, 2016—PatientsLikeMe has named 11 members to its patients-only 2016–2017 Team of Advisors, which this year will focus on elevating the patient voice. Team members will share their stories, participate in community initiatives, and give real world perspectives to our industry and research partners. “Each year, our Team of Advisors has proven… Continue reading PatientsLikeMe Welcomes Next Patient Team of Advisors

Patients as Partners: Cyrena on connecting through social media

Earlier this month, Team of Advisors member Cyrena shared how she relies on many of the Partnership Principles in her interactions with her physicians. Today, she offers some insight into a different type of relationship in our health journeys — the ones we have on social media. In addition to PatientsLikeMe, Cyrena is active on… Continue reading Patients as Partners: Cyrena on connecting through social media

Touched with fire: Reframing the dialogue of bipolar

We’ve talked a lot with new PatientsLikeMe member Paul, diving into issues like getting a diagnosis, management and coping, and overcoming stigma.  Now, Paul is sharing how he’s trying to change the conversation about bipolar through his debut feature film, Touched with Fire. Here he talks about framing Touched with Fire as a love story because in a condition defined… Continue reading Touched with fire: Reframing the dialogue of bipolar