Mom & Me

Bipolar She

Today I sit down with Deirdre, my first guest whose parent had mental illness. Her mom, Minnie, managed bipolar disorder and Deirdre grew up fast. By age 6 she had been exposed to her mother’s suicide attempt. Later, when Deirdre asked her mom why she would want to leave her daughter, Minnie told her she was in a deep, dark hole with no visible way out.

Life became chaotic for Deirdre as she was stuck in the middle of a custody battle, suffered the loss of a brother, and now went on visits to her see her mom at a psychiatric facility. Living with her dad gave Deirdre some stability, but no one consistently showed in her daily life and asked young Deirdre, How can I help you?

Fast-forward years of school hopping, active duty in the military, a career in crisis communications and experience in community mediation--Deirdre had to make a critical decision. If your mom and grandmother have bipolar disorder, is having a child the right thing to do?

Deirdre is now in grad school fulfilling her lifelong dream to be a psychotherapist. With the gift of listening and letting her patients know they are always prioritized, Deirdre is driven to provide support that was not always available to her.

Send your mental health story to Janine at: bipolarshe.com
Special Thanks...
Music composed and performed by guitarist, JD Cullum
Recorded at Modern Tone Studios the highest ranked recording studio in the San Francisco East Bay.
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Kapitel

1. Mom & Me (00:00:00)

2. Parental Bipolar Disorder Impact on Children (00:00:01)

3. Navigating Through Family Crisis (00:07:19)

4. Resilience in the Face of Adversity (00:14:34)

5. Understanding the Impact of Childhood Trauma (00:26:25)