Mood Music: Bright Eyes – Fevers and Mirrors
Conor Oberst, a.k.a. Bright Eyes, is perhaps the greatest songwriter of my generation. Evoking bipolar and depression, this album is as moody as it gets.
Conor Bezane is a music-meister who has written for MTV News, AOL, and VICE. He is a recovering bipolar addict who can be found digging through the crates at a local record store when he’s not attacking his keyboard, writing nonfiction. His first book, The Bipolar Addict, is available now on Amazon.
Gay Marriage Victory Hits Home for The Mentally Ill
The plight of the mentally ill is not unlike that of the gay population. Like any minority group, sometimes we feel like we are second-class citizens. Like any minority group, sometimes the mentally ill feel like they are second-class citizens. Gays and lesbians for the most part used to feel misunderstood. Ostracized. Stigmatized. In some parts of the country and in certain circles, they still do. But for those of us with bipolar and other mental illnesses, we are also stigmatized to the extreme.
SoberHeroes: Eminem
With all the fame and fortune comes great instability and hardship as with many who live in the world of celebrity. Until he got sober in 2008, Eminem had a problem with prescription drugs – particularly Vicodin, Valium, and Ambien. According to an interview with Rolling Stone, the pill-popping was intense. “In a day I could consume anywhere from 40 to 60 Valium. And Vicodin… maybe 20, 30? I don’t know. I was taking a lot of shit.”
Top 10 Rainy Day Albums to Fit Your Mood Perfectly
Rainy day albums have a distinct, mysterious quality to them. Sometimes dark. Other times quiet and delicate. Always moody. But definitely ethereal. See if any of your favorites made the list and weigh in.
The Top 10 Songs About Addiction
There are songs that paint a vivid picture of drug and alcohol abuse and there are songs that glorify it. For this list, I focused on the former. These are songs that describe addiction to a T. Most of these artists know what it’s like to be stuck in the spider hole of addiction. They’ve lived to tell these cautionary tales.
The Rant: Top Things NOT to Say to Someone With Bipolar Disorder
We’ve all encountered people who don’t understand our disease. Whether they’re ignorant and don’t believe bipolar is a real affliction or they just can’t comprehend it, there will always be naysayers or those who can’t sympathize. Here’s a roundup of questions and statements we with bipolar hate being asked or told.
Ask the Author: What Is a Recovering Alcoholic?
There is no cure for alcoholism. Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic. It’s a chronic disease. But it can be confusing to some why us alcoholics always refer to ourselves as recovering even if we’ve been sober a long time. We alcoholics have dark pasts. Some of us have attempted suicide. Stolen. Ostracized people. Acted out sexually. Even exhibited violent behaviors. These acts can never be undone. So an addict or alcoholic is constantly in need of setting things straight.
Movie Review: Bipolar Beach Boy Brian Wilson Biopic “Love & Mercy” Falls Short
Brian Wilson is the mastermind behind the Beach Boys and he is a bipolar genius. Love & Mercy — a new biopic — explores his life and legacy. And while I have to say it’s an enjoyable movie, the film looks at his life through rose-colored glasses. Wilson’s true diagnosis of bipolar disorder isn’t even touched upon in the film.
Bipolar Celebrities: Linda Hamilton
As the machine-gun-wielding Sarah Connor in the Terminator movies, Linda Hamilton is the ultimate badass action hero. She’s battled cyborgs in the dystopian world of the Terminator series — the latest installment of which, Terminator Genisys, recently came out. But off-screen, she’s battled bipolar disorder.
Two New Mental Health Apps Vow to Monitor Your Moods
Everyone knows your smartphone can do almost anything. You can order takeout with the flick of a finger. You can analyze your physical health. And now, you can also analyze your mental health. There are several apps in development that will monitor your moods as well as existing apps that foster relationships among the mental health community.
