newsheaven

HAVE you ever met someone who, one day, is full of energy, talking fast, making big plans, and then, a few days or weeks later, withdraws completely, feeling hopeless and drained? You might have thought, “This person is just moody,” but what if it’s something more? Let’s meet Ms. Grace, a 28-year-old woman who works in marketing. She’s the life of the office, full of ideas, always initiating new projects, and often volunteering to help others. But sometimes, without warning, Ms. Grace disappears from work. She won’t answer calls, doesn’t leave her bed, and feels like a failure. Her colleagues joke that she’s just being dramatic, but Grace is actually living with bipolar disorder. There have been misconceptions over the years, misconceptions just like those of Ms. Grace’s colleagues. Many still believe that bipolar disorder is a sign of weakness, laziness, or even a spiritual problem. But in truth, it is a brain-based condition influenced by a mix of genetics, chemical imbalance...

One of my earliest recollections of my father involves him not being present at all. I notice just myself, a young girl around 5 or 6 years old, carefully walking down a dimly lit corridor towards an enclosed doorway, feeling my stomach tightly knotted. Usually, I am the type of child who causes quite a ruckus—boisterous and wild—the sort kids might describe as troublesome. a lot , but at this moment, I feel small. There’s something I require from my father, yet I hesitate to disturb him. A short time before, I shared these sentiments with my mother, who responded, "Oh sweetheart, don't be afraid. Simply approach and ask him." I resided in a modest Phoenix neighborhood with my folks, in a compact tract house designed like a matchbox with three bedrooms. A closed doorway opened into an extra room that served as my dad’s art studio. Though memories fade just before opening this door, I can vividly picture the person standing beyond it: a man ...