It’s mid-morning when the ambulance drops me off from my “sleepwalking” misadventure. The neighbors see the drop off. The roommates see the drop off. Everybody is uneasy. Glasnevin is a tight-knit neighborhood of working class Irish people. This is not a place where Americans abroad would typically stay. Living here, I’m already a novelty. Now, I’m a cause for concern.
Today was the first day I've laughed about bipolar1 since my son was diagnosed with it in July... nearly a year after his first (of several) manic/psychotic break last November during his senior year of high school. He's currently inpatient again--his fifth hospitalization so far--for mania after quitting his meds, for the second time. I mostly just cry and catastrophize about the future, but found your podcast today and felt an odd sense of relief. And I fucking laughed. I *just* had a visit with my son where he explained to me that the day before his admission he was listening to Spotify and EVERY SONG WAS ABOUT HIM. He earnestly believes this... So I got a massive kick out of hearing you discuss the same. Instead of scaring me like it did when I first heard my son say it, I understood it a bit more, and I appreciated the cringey hilarity of it in a way I didn't think was possible just yesterday.
This disorder is a nightmare and I'm still terrified about what it means for my son's and our lives, but hearing you talk so openly and with just enough humor has tempered my fears substantially, even if just for an afternoon. Thank you for putting your experiences out there.
Today was the first day I've laughed about bipolar1 since my son was diagnosed with it in July... nearly a year after his first (of several) manic/psychotic break last November during his senior year of high school. He's currently inpatient again--his fifth hospitalization so far--for mania after quitting his meds, for the second time. I mostly just cry and catastrophize about the future, but found your podcast today and felt an odd sense of relief. And I fucking laughed. I *just* had a visit with my son where he explained to me that the day before his admission he was listening to Spotify and EVERY SONG WAS ABOUT HIM. He earnestly believes this... So I got a massive kick out of hearing you discuss the same. Instead of scaring me like it did when I first heard my son say it, I understood it a bit more, and I appreciated the cringey hilarity of it in a way I didn't think was possible just yesterday.
This disorder is a nightmare and I'm still terrified about what it means for my son's and our lives, but hearing you talk so openly and with just enough humor has tempered my fears substantially, even if just for an afternoon. Thank you for putting your experiences out there.
"This life is more than just a read-through"