The anniversary of my father’s passing is nearly here. It’s given me pause to reflect on what my life’s been like this last year. I went into a deep depression that lasted from September to February. I had a short lived hypomanic episode, too. I would say that I wish my year had been better, but it could’ve been worse.

We've all heard of patients and parents of patients "Googling" an illness or treatment and arriving to appointments with print-outs and pointed questions. The problem is new, but not unexpected. New technologies and access often make people nervous. There was a time when women weren't allowed to read novels and locomotive trains were believed to cause internal damage because they traveled so fast. To be fair, the public is known to over-reach on new ideas as well: the Atkins Diet and pet rocks come to mind.

I have a cat. Got her as a cute kitten but now she is a cat. This is the first one that I have ever owned. I am a big animal lover, but this cat has been testing my patience. She has issues with a quiet house. Anytime someone is sleeping, she can't stand it and starts meowing. She meows right outside my daughter's door when she is napping. The worse thing is she meows every night, when the family tries to sleep and again, in the wee hours of the morning. Constantly meowing. Loudly! She has food and water, access to the outside, access to any room she wants, lots of cat toys, two dogs to play with, but nothing keeps her quiet. On top of all that, she's mean and bites or scratches you if you try to touch her. I am at my wits end, willing to try anything so I don't have to give her away.

Many of us lose colossal amounts of time while trolling the net for new information. Do we have to unplug the internet and go back to reading by candlelight, or can we have our digital cake and eat it too?

My faith has waned. I don’t have faith that I’ll be able to complete a successful school semester due to my recent bipolar episode. If it happens again, I need to be prepared and I just don’t know how to do that. I’m worried that I won’t be able to do the work that I need to do. In my head I hear myself scream, “Failure!”

Have you noticed that it is just assumed in our society that everyone wants to be thin? Thin is never defined, and seems to mean "smaller than anyone else in the room." Everyone seems to agree that being thinner is a constant quest, and that the only difference between people with an eating disorder and everyone else is how strong that "drive for thinness" is. I don't buy it, and I'll tell you why.

Well, after two days of crazy stress levels figuring out details of our potential move, the deal fell through. The company decided to try a local instead of moving someone overseas. I was a little sad at the lost opportunity,  but mainly I felt extremely relieved. I was relieved that the difficult decision was made for me. I don't have to worry about regrets of taking it or turning it down. It feels like we somehow cheated.

Could my expanding waist have anything to do with ADHD overeating? You don't think mindlessly eating causes me to gain weight like a delivery truck at Christmas, do you? Or, more probably, ADHD and overeating kind of go together with lack of impulse control and hyperfocus.

I’m feeling better. The anger and paranoia are gone. I guess I must have been at the end of my hypomanic phase. I’m so glad! It was a minor diversion compared to what it could have been. I guess the medicine made it lighter. It would’ve been better if the medicine had made it stay away. I wonder if they make bipolar medicines like that for me?

I'm feeling better. The anger and paranoia are gone. I guess I must have been at the end of my hypomanic phase. I'm so glad! It was a minor diversion compared to what it could have been. I guess the medicine made it lighter. It would've been better if the medicine had made it stay away. I wonder if they make bipolar medicines like that for me?