My Bipolar Journey

After my surgeries and subsequent manic phase, I slipped into a depression again. This one would last for 3 long years. Prolonged depression, clinically known as Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD) or dysthymia, is a chronic, low-grade mood disorder lasting for at least two years (one year in children). It is characterized by a persistent sad, empty, or irritable mood, along with symptoms like low energy, low self-esteem, and hopelessness.

And then Covid hit and I lost my driver’s license for speeding (when I was manic of course). Being stuck at home for 90 days was debilitating. And business at my radio station plummeted and there was less and less to do. I managed to drag myself out of bed to voice track my radio show but beyond that did very little. At the same time, my daughter and her dog were living with me and that became increasingly difficult. Also, the townhouse was too far out of the city so, I sold it and moved into a condo that I had been renting to an elderly lady who sadly passed away.

It felt as if this depression would never end and my psychiatrist even suggested electro shock therapy. There was no light at the end of the tunnel and I questioned why I was alive. But as someone who suffers from bipolar disorder and decides not to take their medication, the roller coaster will continue.