“Mental Illness.”

“Mental Illness.”

The following is an excerpt from my upcoming memoir, BrainStorm: From Broken to Blessed on the Bipolar Spectrum. I’m advocating that bipolar depression II is misnamed, misunderstood and misdiagnosed when we refer to it as a “mental illness.” If I had a knife in my...
Phoenix Rising

Phoenix Rising

The following is an excerpt from my upcoming memoir, BrainStorm: From Broken to Blessed on the Bipolar Spectrum. Jim Head was the anti-professor—young, cool, charismatic and infamous on campus. In 1981, when I took his course “Earth, Moon and Mars” (we called it,...
Coming Out, Ending the Stigma, Lifting the Shame

Coming Out, Ending the Stigma, Lifting the Shame

The following is an excerpt from my upcoming memoir, BrainStorm: From Broken to Blessed on the Bipolar Spectrum. I’m writing this partly because it’s healing for me to tell my story and partly because I wish I had found a guide like this, written from the inside, when...
The Beauty of BALANCE

The Beauty of BALANCE

My friend Jill is a consummate achiever. Mother of four, Yale Law School alum, married 30 years to a successful surgeon. She has numerous professional awards and accomplishments, and a book-shelf packed with hard cover volumes that she’s actually read. A pristine...
Blurred lines

Blurred lines

The following is an excerpt from my upcoming memoir, BrainStorm: From Broken to Blessed on the Bipolar Spectrum. Ronald Reagan was president, the “me generation” and Wall Street traders were king. The imposing buildings and Ivy traditions of Dartmouth sucked the life...