Author Sara Schley recounts her story of living with bipolar II disorder – from her first episode of depression in college, to publishing her memoir after keeping it a secret for over 40 years. Sara also breaks down why people with bipolar II disorder are commonly misdiagnosed, her upcoming film on bipolar disorder – BrainStorm, and the life lessons she practices to live well with bipolar disorder.
Hosted by Dr. Erin Michalak.
Chapters & Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:23 Depression and the Early Years
04:19 The “Family Disease”
06:05 Misdiagnosing Bipolar II – “Why Am I Still Depressed?”
12:05 Ways to Prevent Relapse
14:21 Practice “PECS” to Stay Well (Physical/Emotional/Creative/Spiritual)
21:26 4 Ways to Support Someone with Bipolar Disorder
27:00 Telling My Story After 40 Years – “Melting Off the Shame”
30:11 Sara’s Memoir: BrainStorm
32:35 BrainStorm the Film
Sara Schley is the author of the acclaimed memoir, BrainStorm: From Broken to Blessed on the Bipolar Spectrum. She is a business consultant, speaker, and author who has led organizational transformations at renowned companies around the world. Sara is a mother, grandmother, community leader, and has been married to a great guy for twenty-six years. She also has a Bipolar II brain, on the Bipolar Spectrum. Sara has kept this mostly a secret for four decades. Until now. She is choosing to tell her riveting story – from broken to blessed – to save lives, end stigma, and optimize healing for millions. Sara is also a writer and producer of BrainStorm – an upcoming film inspired by her memoir.
Resources
- Sara’s Memoir BrainStorm: From Broken to Blessed on the Bipolar Spectrum
- BrainStorm the Film brainstormthefilm.com
- Sara’s website saraschley.com
- Dr. Jim Phelp’s book Why am I Still Depressed : Recognizing and Managing the Ups and Downs of Bipolar II and Soft Bipolar Disorder
- Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale (BSDS) 20 question online calculator