My Bipolar Diagnosis: Finally Feeling Seen and Taking Control

Being Seen: My Journey with Bipolar Disorder and the Importance of Representation in Mental Health Care"

I was very recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder and to say that a light bulb went off went I got my diagnosis would be an understatement. I always knew that I had something more than depression and whenever I would discuss it with therapists that didn’t look like me they would never take me seriously. 

Starting my journey was easy because I am very aware of when my mental health is taking a turn for the worse. It starts very small and then grows into this massive darkness. When I felt it increasing I immediately used the site Black Girls Therapy and found myself a counselor to talk to. That was going very well until it wasn’t. She recommended that I find a mental health nurse practitioner (MHNP) to get back on meds and so the search began. 

Prioritizing Self-Care: Managing Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis with Lifestyle Adjustments and Medication

After countless phone calls and insurance woes, I finally found someone and she was Black. We were going through all of the intake questions and discussing all of my prior behavior and current feelings and that’s when she gave me my bipolar diagnosis and for the first time in forever I felt like I had been seen. We immediately started to discuss my care plan and the ways that I can use medication positively as well as some immediate lifestyle changes that can also help. 

One of them was decreasing the amount of negative media and true crime I digest at least 5 hours before bed. That was so helpful to me because I am a sucker for true crime and the news and with the way the world is set up it's not like you see positive news coverage anymore. The other was to exercise now I failed at this with amazing grace and it’s because of the lack of consistency I am afforded as a teacher but I really do plan to fix it somehow. 

Recognizing the Importance of Medication in Managing Bipolar Disorder

I am taking everything very slowly but this time no matter how good I feel and much I think everything is managed I have to keep telling myself that it’s the meds ensuring that it gets done. I can’t allow myself to come off of them again because thats how it gets me. It allows me to think that I am better and don’t needs the meds.