Ask the Author: What Is a Recovering Alcoholic?

Ask The Author | The Bipolar Addict

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.

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June 30, 2015

Bipolar Celebrities: Linda Hamilton

Music & Pop Culture | The Bipolar Addict

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.

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July 10, 2015

Two New Mental Health Apps Vow to Monitor Your Moods

The Bipolar Addict

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.

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June 09, 2015

Ask the Author: Is Electroconvulsive Therapy a Viable Option for Treatment of Depression?

Ask The Author | Music & Pop Culture | The Bipolar Addict

We’ve seen it in movies – think Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest or Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange. In the case of both films, electroshock therapy is shown as a punishment. The efficacy of the treatment is shrouded in mystery. But electroshock therapy is not archaic, as some would believe. The treatment has evolved.

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May 22, 2015