TED Community » Gwen Dimbleby Coates

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  A reply on Conversation: What experiences have made you more comfortable with mental health disorders?

  Nov 11 2012: Yes. I like that you like being you. Skip the label and just be. If nothing else it is interesting.

• A reply on Conversation: What experiences have made you more comfortable with mental health disorders?

  Nov 11 2012: You are an inspiration. I have a mental illness and over and above that, I am dealing with a step daughter who is an alcoholic and clinically depressed. I am going to share your thoughts with her. She is so hard to reach and feels like everyone is trying to tell her what to do. Your approach seems to value doing rather than being told. I love it. Thank you.
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  A reply on Conversation: What experiences have made you more comfortable with mental health disorders?

  Nov 8 2012: I love your experience and wonderful conclusions. You are so right about a different way of thinking. I flow in and out and occasionally visit that sort of normal space. Reading your comment made me feel more okay about the difference. Thank you.
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  A comment on Conversation: What experiences have made you more comfortable with mental health disorders?

  Nov 8 2012: I grew up about half a mile from a large mental hospital. Seeing patients was part of everyday community life. It never dawned on me that I would deal with mental health personally. I came by bipolar honestly, apparently and as I found out after I was diagnosed, it runs in the family. I have determined to roll with it. The creative energy of hypomania lets me be outgoing and social, the introspection of depression has given me a philosophical space. When the high or the low get too intense, I turn to my counsellor and my psychiatrist for a combination of talk and drugs to help moderate life. Personally, I have committed to making my condition as "normal" as I can. I would not be hesitant to acknowledge having diabetes or heart problems so I simply state that I am bipolar. Let people think what they will, if enough of us say it out loud maybe it will no longer carry the stigma. I am optimistic and there is nothing to lose. Truth is I am bipolar and inevitably it will out.