Carolyn Ziegler on World Bipolar Day: “The first time I heard people saying ‘I’m living well with bipolar disorder’ that changed everything for me”

World Bipolar Day

The vision of WBD is to bring world awareness to bipolar disorders and eliminate social stigma

Each year on the date of artist Vincent van Gogh’s birthday, March 30th, a group of organizations including the International Bi-Polar Foundation, declare a World Bipolar Awareness Day. Van Gogh suffered from mental illness throughout his life and was posthumously diagnosed as probably having a bipolar condition.

Both depression and bipolar disorder are mental illnesses that affect mood. But unlike depression, with bipolar disorder folks experience episodes of depression and episodes of mania — or a less-severe form of mania called hypomania. An episode of depression in bipolar disorder is the same as other types of depression, while mania is an unusually high mood or irritability for the person, often accompanied by excessive energy. Episodes of depression or mania generally last for a period of time, though a small number of people with bipolar disorder may experience episodes that change quickly.

You can find out more about bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses at the Canadian Mental Health Association online at cmha.ca.

New directions in bipolar disorder research, treatment and care

CREST.BD empowers communities to engage in bipolar disorder research

A University of British Columbia-based group called CREST.BD is researching the psycho-social issues associated with bipolar disorder. The Collaborative Research Team to Study Psychosocial Issues in Bipolar Disorder…or CREST.BD for short…uses a pioneering participatory approach.

Researchers, healthcare providers, and perhaps most importantly, people who live with bipolar disorder and their allies, work together to improve health and quality of life in people with bipolar disorder. CREST.BD empowers communities to engage in bipolar disorder research.

Carolyn Ziegler

Carolyn Ziegler is a peer researcher with CREST.BD. She has MA and MIS degrees from The University of Toronto, Canada. Carolyn is an Information Specialist at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.

Carolyn Ziegler lives well with bipolar disorder and believes that research into bipolar disorder should be informed by the needs and goals of people who experience this condition. She is an information specialist in the Health Sciences Library at St. Michael’s Hospital, a teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto. She supports the research, educational, and clinical information needs of the departments of Emergency Medicine, Mental Health, Pediatrics, Family Medicine, and the Centre for Research on Inner City Health. Before training as a librarian she worked as a translator and English instructor at the University of Freiburg, Germany.

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