My teen was diagnosed last year. The most terrifying words I’ve ever heard were “I keep having thoughts of throwing myself off the balcony but I don’t know where the thought comes from.” Most people said it wasn’t that serious because she was aware they weren’t intentional thoughts and wasn’t I lucky that she didn’t have “a plan?” To me, these intrusive thoughts were worse because, what happens if they occur during a depressive episode? Thank you for sharing your experiences. It means a lot from a mother’s perspective.

When I was diagnosed with Bipolar II at age 44, my life crumbled. It was a year following the death of my father by suicide. I thought it must be CPTSD and tried everything to talk myself out of the diagnosis. But as I looked back over my life I realized these patterns showed themselves in adolescence and continued on. It explained so much of why no SSRI helped. It explained why therapy would help some but the cycles persisted. Throughout the last 9 months I’ve continued to reconcile the stigma I have attached to the disorder with the boldness to accept it. Several months ago when the medicine and therapy began to help me see more clearly I found this podcast. I wanted to hear other stories. At first I wanted to see how I did not resemble the things I heard to escape the shame I felt for a disorder I never wanted. Instead I found a community of people that I resonated with on so many levels. When I listen I feel like I’m not alone. I feel like there is hope for the future of me learning how to best navigate this path. And mostly, I feel seen. That is an invaluable gift.

Thank you for your show. It’s a gift and every word has resonated with me as someone living with bipolar disorder. I wish people understood.

Thank you for using a platform to reach out and normalize and de-stigmatize our diagnosis. I was diagnosed this last month and finding this podcast has helped me feel so much better knowing that I am not alone and hearing the experience of others which is exactly what I needed in this time. ❤️

I stopped listening after the host started stating her pronouns like we didn’t already know she was a her. She also has her guests do the same. It’s just so cringe that I can’t listen to anything else she says and take her seriously.

I found this podcast via the This.Is.Polar IG page. I am a mother of a daughter who killed herself 6 yrs ago at 24 years old. She had Major Depressive Disorder with suicide ideation. She tried to kill herself a few times. Her younger brother, my son, has been struggling with his mental health for years now. He has never been officially diagnosed but had a manic episode 7 years ago which his psychiatrist at the time thought may have been triggered by weed. Since that time it’s been rough - quite a few major losses (his sister, his father, grandmother and a few others) - he has not been able to work but has traveled extensively around the world looking for something to help him. He meditates, he studies Buddhism, he practices yoga, he engages in various movement modalities, he has been sober for 5 years - still, he has erratic emotions throughout a single day, it’s painful for him to focus, make decisions, and he often reacts impulsively looking for the “next right thing.” He has been refusing to get help or go back on medication. I’m saying all this because I want to learn about various MI’s and it seems very possible that he has BP. I realize that all these years I’ve been walking on eggshells in fear of saying the “wrong thing” and that I need to research, to listen and to learn. This is very different than what my daughter experienced. I don’t have the knowledge and the tools and “google just ain’t gonna cut it.” I want to communicate in a way that is supportive and loving. This podcast, Shaley’s IG, and a few others I’ve discovered, have been eye-opening, heart opening and are extremely important and helpful as I walk this path as a loved one of someone struggling. I learned more from this podcast than I do from reading any clinical book on the subject. It provides me with the human side, the lived experience of incredible people who are doing it, a day at a time. It is both hopeful and very very real. Thank you Shaley.

Hi all, I am here because I have a good friend that was recently diagnosed with Bipolar II and I found this show while researching for anything on Bipolar disorder. I want to learn as much as I can to understand my friends situation and what she’s going through… This podcast has been very helpful in understanding what this is and how someone not diagnosed with it may be of assistance to a loved one. Thank you for this show- keep ‘em coming. Jeff

Helped me laugh through a tough episode it’s helps to have someone to relate too on these manic days and depression I appreciate you shaley!

Thank you for putting yourself out there like this! I just listened to the reunion with Julie Kraft and it almost had mor or had me in tears throughout. The grief part hit me in ways I wasn’t expecting and doesn’t even relate to death in my scenario, but it was so relatable. You are a great interviewer, with wonderfully probing questions and time for the guest to run with it. You’re great and thank you! My new goal is to someday be interviewed by you!

My partner and I have been besties since we met our freshman year of HS, and we’ve supported one another through all types of changes and stages. Today I was looking for a podcast that would help me help her, and I am glad to have found This is Bipolar. The format of the show allows for a depth of honesty and insight that I didn’t know I needed. I’m very grateful for this show and look forward to future episodes!

Thank you for this podcast & the work you’re doing. I was recently diagnosed & it was a confusing & scary time for me. I binge listened to nearly all of your episodes and connected so deeply with a lot of the stories & experiences shared. Your episodes saw me through many dark nights & I'm grateful to be accepting my diagnosis & on the way to recovery. What you’re doing is important work & has a great impact - I’m so grateful.

I’ve always enjoyed listening to podcast and audiobooks for some reason I have trouble with things being quiet, having something playing in the background sometimes helps quiet the noise in my head. The noise that tells you you’re not good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, ect. I’m 52 years old and still struggling. I was abused in my younger years, have delt with major depression and have had manic episodes as well. I’m finally ready to be completely honest with a professional. In the past I would always want the therapist to like me, how sad… most people in my life, except for close family, think I’m happy, I’ve worn that smile mask my whole life.. During a very low time(now) I came across your podcast.. I’ve spent my life in fear, anxiety, and shame, all the while saying I’m fine with a smile. Thank you for sharing ❤️

This podcast is so helpful for me as a woman diagnosed with bipolar 1. I highly recommend these episodes to anyone living with bipolar or trying to support a loved one or family member living with it. I love how vulnerable both Shaley and Julie are with their own experiences to paint a beautiful picture to prioritize mental health.

All I can say is “thank you!” for this podcast. I discovered it when I was newly diagnosed and it has helped me come to terms with my diagnosis and feel so much less alone. I appreciate it so much and love these brave ladies for making it!

I have been so blessed to come acceso this is bipolar!!!! It encourages me and reminds me I am not my diagnosis! It helps me related and it is definitely fighting stigma in mental health! Thank you to our hosts! They are both amazing! Thank you for sharing with such vulnerability! May God bless you both and keep you!

When I first got diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I came across this podcast and my life was changed for the better. This is Bipolar sets a precedent for mental health podcasts. The hosts are incredible and listening to each episode gives me hope that I can manage my bipolar disorder. I highly recommend this podcast to anyone who is dealing with bipolar disorder and those who have a loved one who is dealing with it as well. This is an amazing podcast and it’s a blessing to listen to.

I finally accepted by diagnosis and found this as a good place to land.

There are really fabulous podcasts about mental health and specifically bipolar— but this has put into words what has been so hard to articulate. I made friends with my bipolar 3 years after I was diagnosed, but there’s always more work to do and grace to give; this podcast has brought me to tears with gratitude and made me laugh out loud. There is so much ground gained in the battle of mental health in just hearing you are not alone, and this podcast reminds me of that.

The “Conversations With” episodes are all so raw yet lovely with real experiences that are very different yet all so familiar. So healing!

This podcast has been very healing for me, especially during the start of my diagnosis. They have helped me work through the shame, guilt and symptoms. I've learned new things. This podcast makes me cry, makes me laugh...this podcast makes me thankful. Makes me feel less alone.

Recently as a young 20 year old female going through the many phases of life. This podcast is really helping me further my realization that I need a diagnosis. Sometimes you ladies say things that just make me burst into tears because I didn’t realize so many others could feel exactly as I felt. I feel like I’ve had this secret in my brain and you guys just have a key to it! So thank you! Thank you and thank you! Only on episode two but I can not wait to finish!

Just wanted to say thank you so much for sharing your stories. I was just diagnosed with Bipolar 2 and am grateful I found this podcast. As someone who appears to have it all together on the outside but was falling apart on the inside for the last seven years, I have had a really hard time finding stories of the disorder that resonate with my lived experience (it is much easier to find stories of the most extreme manic episodes, which just don’t match my less acute, but still awful, roller coasters of misery). Your experiences resonated with me and made me feel less lonely. Thanks so much!!!

Shaley & Julie, Thank you so much for sharing your personal journeys about what it has looked like to live with bipolar. I have a parent with bipolar (didn’t learn about the diagnosis until I was an adult) and I have social anxiety and bouts of depression, sometimes I wonder if I’m undiagnosed bipolar especially as I find many overlaps with what I hear on your podcast. Hearing your voices with such transparency and courage has brought such comfort and a sense of understanding. God bless you ladies and the important work you’re doing!

I am five minutes deep into this podcast, and I am finally breathing a little easier. Your stories feel familiar. I am grateful to have this life raft. Keep doing it.