Testify

By Sandra Kiume
April 11, 2007

Katy-Sarah Culling writes, “Equilibrium aims to bring together bipolar survivors, their friends and family, other charities such as the MDF Bipolar Organisation, and health professionals to work together to understand this baffling disease and to improve treatments available. Equilibrium is thinking on a global scale, trying to bring together people involved with bipolar disorder all over the world with the development of the Testimony Project, “a new scheme whereby people give accounts of their experience of bipolar disorder in their home country, and share them on the website to help and encourage others, and to combat stigma.”

A project that aims to collect consumer experiences (good and bad) in their own words is a boon to others with bipolar disorders, their family and friends. Far more useful than some blogger’s opinion about whether or not the disorder really exists and what treatments he believes shouldn’t be used. The Testimony Project is about real-world coping using proven treatments along with searching for improved ones; real clinical and community settings; real people rather than statistics to be distorted into handy little politicised packets of punditry.

Emerging Into Light is an older web site similar to the Testimony Project. It showcases stories from people, in their own words, who struggle to maintain wellness while managing this devastating brain illness. It offers profiles, inspiration and ideas to consumers who need that hopeful message after a few turns in the blogosphere. “Celebrating courage, recovery and resilience,” Emerging Into Light outshines anything that the sceptics rant about.

Sandra Kiume is a mental health advocate and editor of Channel N who lives in Vancouver, Canada.