BEAVERCREEK — Janet Coburn, a Beavercreek resident, recently published and released her first book “Bipolar Me.”
Her book provides short essays about her own experiences with being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and how she copes with it throughout her daily life. Her book is available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. She is a award-winning blogger that strives to inform people of the truth of bipolarism.
“Bipolar disorder is an illness, not a character flaw,” Coburn said. “Bipolar disorder, either type 1 or type 2, is a condition like diabetes or asthma that may not be curable but can be effectively controlled. People with the disorder need treatment such as therapy, medication, or new approaches still being discovered. But having support from friends and family can make the treatments that much more effective.”
Coburn’s short essays describe her take on the disease. She is not a psychiatrist or does not have medical training. She isn’t claiming to have. She is simply sharing her experiences as having been diagnosed with bipolar type 2. She is hoping that by sharing her experiences, they will resonate with other sufferers or someone with family members that might be suffering with bipolar disease.
Coburn started a blog four years ago, “Bipolar Me” where she discusses issues surrounding her diagnosis. She has been featured and shared on other blog outlets such as The Mighty and Invisible Illnesses. Her blog has been named and awarded the Top 20 Bipolar blogs and Top 100 Mental Health blogs.
Coburn indicates that the National Institute of Mental Health, Bipolar disorder affects 2.8 percent of adults in the United States.
“Given that one in four Americans will experience mental or emotional problems at some point in their lives, you probably already know someone in your family or circle of friends,” Coburn writes. “Understanding bipolar is the first step in helping that person. And if you’re the person with bipolar, understanding yourself and your disorder is the first step in making a better life for yourself.”
“My book is easy to dip into and take what you need,” she said. She covers topics such as symptoms, stigma, and life issues.
Her book was published by Eliezer Tristan publishing, an independent publishing company in Oregon. Coburn found the publishing company after seeing that they needed books about mental health issues. After submitting her manuscript that she had for a couple of years, within weeks she had a contract with the publishing company.
Coburn’s symptoms began during childhood and carried on throughout her teens, before being diagnosed with depression as she became an adult. But, there were sure signs that she was bipolar before being diagnosed with depression. There were melt downs, being very depressed for months at a time, even years, or laughing at things that other people would not find funny. She was prescribed medication for depression and it seemed to work for, until it didn’t. She was faced with a choice of having electroshock treatments, until her doctor wanted to test one more thing. And he found she was bipolar.
Throughout the years, the doctor put her on trials of medication — trying one after another, with different combinations, until they got it right.
“I’m fairly stable now and very grateful for that,” she said. “Diagnosis is not a death sentence. It’s possible to have everything you want in life. I have a nice house in Beavercreek, a wonderful husband, and have been able to work.”
She will be releasing another book later this year called, “Bipolar Us” which will focus less on her experience with being bipolar but on other people, society’s reactions, the stigma on bipolar and new scientific discoveries.
Her work can also be found on on blogs called Bipolar Me and Et Cetera, Etc on wordpress. To obtain a copy of her book of essays, “Bipolar Me,” visit Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
