Want to hear my story? It seems that some people do. I’ve lately noticed notices for people with bipolar to share essays, art, demographics and videos. It smells like crowdsourcing. Get hundreds of people to make ads for free, the company gets publicity for the contest and then gives token prize money to the ad they like best. On the other hand, it can be good to examine my life and turn it into a product. That’s what writing is about! Here, then, are people seeking that product (and yours).
The “A Day in the Life…” essay contest is sponsored by Astra Zeneca. They’re asking for essays, videos, art, or songs and offering a $1000 prize. I share Philip Dawdy’s scepticism; he says it looks like “soft advertising.”
The Bipolar Testimony Project by Equilibrium is doing a survey on bipolar, and asking for personal testimonies (no payment or contest). They aim to get a snapshot of life with bipolar across the globe. The stories I’ve read so far are not happy ones. I’m not sure what this project may lead to, but what it could be great for is shrinking the mental health monkeysphere.
The Facing Us contest seeks cute YouTube-style videos, film student PSAs, and amateur art. The videos are to raise awareness and the graphics to raise money by selling greeting cards. What does it raise for me, you, all of us? Number one, it raises memories that may help clarify life now.
My story; my story is one of neglect, years of misdiagnosis, severe side effects, family abandonment, financial ruin, discrimination, a suicide attempt, self-medicating due to lack of real treatment, lost relationships, disability, and a pile of dumb things I shouldn’t have bought while manic. Homelessness and hospital wards, struggling to survive.
Then there’s beating addictions (I don’t even smoke ciggies now, yay), finally finding a great pdoc, meds that do help, a housing subsidy for a decent apartment, fun and rewarding volunteer work, more time for writing, and finding someone to love who didn’t run away at the mention of bipolar. I don’t cultivate self-pity and don’t seek it from others; bipolar just is what it is and I accept that now. I’ve learned a lot and value the perspective. This is all good, yes?
Yes and no. Ultimately, my story is one of a malfunctioning brain that reacts to seasonal light, sleep problems, severe stress and sometimes nothing I can identify. I’ve been stable one day with life under control then woke up the next morning suicidal; same with hypomania and mania. Everything I do to manage bipolar only makes the episodes less severe. They still happen; have since I was a kid and will until I die. That’s my real story: hopelessness.
I wonder what contest that would win.
(7 votes, average: 4.57 out of 5)
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“Personal Stories”
have been trying the AA program to get clean and sober for many years. I finally got sober in 2000. I do not know why I became willing to take ant-depressants but I did. Getting off of them has been the hardest experience of my life. I went to a shrink thinking she could fix me. I will trade in my anti- depressions for my own problems.I have two children and one is in the program.i went to school to become an addictions counselor, now I have a BA in sociology. None of this would have happened had I been drinking and using.I tore up my body and have to deal with feeling weak every now and then.I wanted to be anyone but me. i tried everything to die and I am still here.People like me live under bridges and die everyday.I have a good relationship. I did not like people when I got clean. I was very afraid of being vulnerable and intimate. Gradually I allowed my sponsor to guide me through the fear of people places and things.i thought that I was one of the ones that could not get clean and sober. Eight years later I have been proven wrong time and time again. I do not know what is best for me, but my spirituality does.I have alot of papers to write. i am going to get a Masters degree. Who wouldve thunk it.I like to write. I got published twice. another gift.Sometimes I am on a hamster cage with my thinking, I go to a meeting when the going gets rough.
have been trying the AA program to get clean and sober for many years. I finally got sober in 2000. I do not know why I became willing to take ant-depressants but I did. Getting off of them has been the hardest experience of my life. I went to a shrink thinking she could fix me. I will trade in my anti- depressions for my own problems.I have two children and one is in the program.i went to school to become an addictions counselor, now I have a BA in sociology. None of this would have happened had I been drinking and using.I tore up my body and have to deal with feeling weak every now and then.I wanted to be anyone but me. i tried everything to die and I am still here.People like me live under bridges and die everyday.I have a good relationship. I did not like people when I got clean. I was very afraid of being vulnerable and intimate. Gradually I allowed my sponsor to guide me through the fear of people places and things.i thought that I was one of the ones that could not get clean and sober. Eight years later I have been proven wrong time and time again. I do not know what is best for me, but my spirituality does.I have alot of papers to write. i am going to get a Masters degree. Who wouldve thunk it.I like to write. I got published twice. another gift.Sometimes I am on a hamster cage with my thinking, I go to a meeting when the going gets rough.
have been trying the AA program to get clean and sober for many years. I finally got sober in 2000. I do not know why I became willing to take ant-depressants but I did. Getting off of them has been the hardest experience of my life. I went to a shrink thinking she could fix me. I will trade in my anti- depressions for my own problems.I have two children and one is in the program.i went to school to become an addictions counselor, now I have a BA in sociology. None of this would have happened had I been drinking and using.I tore up my body and have to deal with feeling weak every now and then.I wanted to be anyone but me. i tried everything to die and I am still here.People like me live under bridges and die everyday.I have a good relationship. I did not like people when I got clean. I was very afraid of being vulnerable and intimate. Gradually I allowed my sponsor to guide me through the fear of people places and things.i thought that I was one of the ones that could not get clean and sober. Eight years later I have been proven wrong time and time again. I do not know what is best for me, but my spirituality does.I have alot of papers to write. i am going to get a Masters degree. Who wouldve thunk it.I like to write. I got published twice. another gift.Sometimes I am on a hamster cage with my thinking, I go to a meeting when the going gets rough.
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Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 17 Sep 2007
