Author Archives: Daniel Bader, Ph.D.

Hallucination of Clock

Bipolar 1 vs. Bipolar 2: Recognizing the Differences

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Please do not use the following article for self-diagnosis or the diagnosis of others. We cannot diagnose ourselves. It is intended instead for information and to provide useful subject matter to discuss with a psychiatrist or therapist.

One of the most common questions I face in my bipolar Meetup group is the difference between bipolar 1 disorder and bipolar 2 disorder. I have written up list of all bipolar symptoms, but I thought I’d write a post that deals with the specific symptoms that differentiate bipolar 1 and bipolar 2, so that there can be a handy resource available for understanding the specific differences. Continue reading →

Is Bipolar Disorder Real? Version One: Is Bipolar Disorder a Brain State?

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I’ve increasingly lately met a number of people who doubt the very existence of bipolar disorder. As someone who thinks he has bipolar disorder, figuring out whether or not they are right is of no small importance. After all, if I don’t have bipolar disorder, then I’m really wasting a lot of my time (for one thing, I’d have to retitle my blog “The Tooth Fairy Today”). Continue reading →

Glasses on Book

Evidence-Based Medicine: Three Flaws and Three Solutions

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More and more, decisions about what medicine is recommended to people with bipolar disorder comes from ranked lists that stem from what is called “evidence-based medicine”. Evidence-based medicine, or EBM, relies on aggregating data in what are called “meta-analyses” in order to determine what is the best treatment for a given condition.

In principle, this looks like a good idea. After all, proponents argue, if we aren’t basing medical decisions on evidence, then it’s just based on “hunches”. Some have argued against this distinction as a false dilemma and a simplistic epistemology. I don’t disagree. Continue reading →

Thanksgiving Dinner

After Disclosure: Bipolar Disorder and Family Relationships

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Disclosing one’s bipolar disorder to family members can be very difficult, because we never really know how people will react, and once we have disclosed, there is really no way to take it back. My own experience with disclosure has been a largely positive one, but not everyone has such positive experiences. For this article, I wanted to talk about some of the possible positive and negative reactions that we can get, and how to deal with them. Continue reading →

Clock Face

Time Management Skills for Bipolar People

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Time management is already a challenge for most people. However, for those of us with bipolar disorder, time management can become especially difficult. Our mood episodes can undermine our ability to get a handle on our schedule, and this can make it very difficult for us to use our time effectively.

Until recently, I was a graduate student, so I had a lot of time to, erm, work on my time management skills. Over time, I became gradually better at using my time well, and setting out the tasks that I needed to do. In this article, I will set out some of the things that I learned through this process, and I hope that it will be helpful to others. Continue reading →

Loves Me Loves Me Not

Looking on Tempests: Bipolar People and Love

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Having a romantic relationship with bipolar disorder can be challenging, and I have discussed some of these challenges before. In this post, however, I want to discuss something very specific: the bipolar experience of love. Love, as an emotional state, can be extremely powerful, even for people without bipolar disorder. For people with bipolar disorder, it mixes together with our mood episodes in various ways.

At the end of the day, this creates some special challenges for those of us with bipolar disorder when it comes to love. Continue reading →

Happy Man in Suit

What Are the Best Careers for Bipolar People?

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At the end of the day, people with bipolar disorder are often able to succeed in just about any career (except the ones from which we are barred, which I will mention below).

However, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t consider which careers will be best for us. Because of the special challenges associated with bipolar disorder, there are some careers where we are more likely to thrive as people than in others. Continue reading →

Life Preservers

Accommodating Bipolar Disorder in the Workplace, Part III: Emotional Support

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This is the third part of a series. Part one, which discusses disclosure and stigma can be found here. The second part, on scheduling can be found here.

At first, it might look like emotional needs may not be a part of an employer’s responsibility. After all, employers don’t seem to concern themselves with the emotional needs of their employees; a certain set of emotional predispositions is required of anyone in a work environment. Continue reading →

Hiding under Desk

Accommodating Bipolar Disorder in the Workplace, Part I: Disclosure and Stigma

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This is part one of a series. Part two, which is on scheduling, can be found here. Part three, which is on emotional support, can be found here.

Bipolar disorder, as well as being a mental illness, is also a disability. It is protected in the United States under the Americans With Disabilities Act, while in Canada it is protected under provincial Human Rights Acts. Continue reading →