Client Story: Beneath the Surface of a Mental Health Warrior
This is a continuation of a story from page 2 of the September BHRS Director’s Newsletter.
My name is Amanda, I am 36 years old and live in South San Francisco. I am a graduate of the BHRS program, Lived Experience Academy (LEA). I am grateful to be celebrating another National Suicide Prevention Month as a survivor of my own suicide attempt in 2007. I am passionate about sharing my story with others in hopes that it may help someone who is struggling or someone who may think that suicide is their only option. I hope to spark the notion that with the right support, they too can find purpose and reason for living.
Living with Bipolar Disorder has sunk me to the lowest depths of depression, darkness, addiction and isolation. As well as mania that gives me superhuman energy, creativity and many times impulsive behaviors. After waking up in the ICU and realizing I survived my attempt, it became my mission to learn new tools to better navigate the world with the cards I had been dealt. I got sober, lived in a halfway house, committed myself to behavioral health and cut ties with relationships that were not supportive of my new healthy lifestyle. I wish my story was linear and I could say that I lived happily ever after, but my journey continues to have many turns and dips.
The most important thing for me now is that I am supported no matter the hurdles I may encounter. I have a support team through various resources: friends and family, North County Mental Health, the Access Call Center, weekly meetings with my private therapist and healthcare doctors (to keep not only my mind healthy but my body healthy as well, because it’s all connected) and community involvement.
My mind is sneaky, I can convince myself at times that I am “fine” and I don’t need all of this support. This is when I am especially grateful to have outside team members who gently remind me of my goals and treatment plans I created with them while in a more grounded headspace.
I put work in every single day to combat the challenges that come along with bipolar, building my mental fitness so I never attempt to take my life again. My hope is that we can have open conversations about mental wellness all year long, after the hype of a day or month has past. And to peel away some of the layers of stigma around mental health patients so more people will feel comfortable connecting to resources and building their own support teams.
By Amanda Brant, Suicide Survivor, LEA Graduate and Lived Experience Education Workgroup (LEEW) Member.
You must be logged in to post a comment.