Pilot episode “Introduction” (1x01) #1
Synopsis:
Premiere episode launching (M.O.M.B.) as a podcast series. Host Connie gives you the text book definition of Bipolar Disorder and tells the audience what they can expect from the series.
Muisic
1. D12 ft eminem Blow my buzz (instrumental)
2. Jefferson Airplane White Rabbit (instrumental)
3. The Animals House Of The Rising Sun (instrumental)
1. Introduction
a. Introduction of host:
My name is Connie. I’m a 30 year old woman from Michigan that wants to make someone else’s bipolar experience a little less rocky than what mine has been. When I was diagnosed as bipolar, there wasn’t as much information, as there is now so it was sort of a trial and error period for me. I’m hoping that people learn from my triumphs as well as my missteps.
b. What the show is about:
There’s a lot of information about bipolar disorder that’s been blown out of proportion. By media, by the unfortunate stigma and stereotypes that we’ve been tarred and feathered with. I’m here to help, but I’m also here to inform. Some information is skewed, some is right on. My mission is to tell it like it is, but have fun at the same time. It’s a serious topic, but laughter tends to make it more bearable.
c. Host background (brief history about me and the disorder):
There was suspicion of me being bipolar at 10, but I was finally diagnosed at 12. This was at a time when most psychiatrists didn’t believe that children could be bipolar. So finding proper treatment was difficult. Due to the severe outbursts caused by environmental issues I was heavily medicated until about 18. It was at 18 when I really started seeing how people view bipolar. I’d grown up being this way so I didn’t see the big deal. So my moods are extreme. Okay, that sucks for me. But how does that make me a knife wielding psycho? I turn my rages and such inward. I realize that there are extreme cases, but I didn’t understand why I was lumped in with the major stereotype. I still don’t understand it, but the only thing I can do is be me. I can’t change the views of other people. What I can do is share my experience with other people and help them cope with th e morons that think we go from normal to a knife wielding psycho in 2.5 seconds.
At 18, out on my own, I made the oh so brilliant decision that I could do it without medication. My interpersonal relationships were hellish at best. I self medicated with weed to keep the racing thoughts to a minimum and then drank to make myself the life of the party. Most people start partying at 21. By 21 I realized that the partying was getting me nowhere except kicked out of college. I settled down and by the grace of the powers that be, I pulled things together and got my associates in Social Work. After being put on academic probation with a .8, I proudly strutted across the stage with silver cords, boasting a 3.47 grade point average. I’m still not sure how I rallied back that hard, with no medication. Miracles really do happen.
Coming off the extreme high slung me into an ego crushing low when I couldn’t handle the 5 advanced classes my first year of my Bachelors degree. A low that I’m just now starting to bounce back from.
Life hasn’t been easy, but it never is. Even for the “normal” people. I’ve been thrown my share of curve balls. Some I’ve struck out on; some I’ve knocked out of the park. My manias have been the cause of “the next Pulitzer prize winning” 50,000 word novel written in 3 days (which, in reality, was 102 pages of suck in the written form) and the depressions have gotten so dark that I’ve begged God not to let me wake up.
I’ve decided that I’m not going to allow my bipolar to define me. It’s part of me, yes. But it’s not all of me. I own it, it doesn’t own me. I know the desperation it causes, so I’m here to help people realize that they’re not alone.
2. What is Bipolar Disorder?
a. The definition:
Wikipedia.org says, “Bipolar disorder is not a single disorder, but a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated mood, clinically referred to as mania. Individuals who experience manic episodes also commonly experience depressive episodes or symptoms, or mixed episodes in which features of both mania and depression are present. These episodes are normally separated by periods of normal mood, but in some patients, depression and mania may rapidly alternate, known as rapid cycling.”
The less confusing Connie definition is “It’s a series of extreme highs and drastic lows with very little even moods. You’re either ecstatic or depressed. Either or. It’s hard to just be chill,”
In order to understand the moods a little better, let’s define them.
b. What is Mania? (how mania and bipolar work together)
Wikipedia.org (which I’ll use a LOT when trying to act technical) says that “Mania is a severe medical condition characterized by extremely elevated mood, energy, and unusual thought patterns. There are several possible causes for mania, but it is most often associated with bipolar disorder, where episodes of mania may cyclically alternate with episodes of clinical depression . These cycles may relate to diurnal rhythms and environmental stressors. Mania varies in intensity, from mild mania (known as hypomania) to full-blown mania with psychotic features (hallucinations and delusions).”
That’s a really long winded definition that I can sumerize into “feelings of euphoria and racing thoughts,”. The misconception of mania though is that it’s just a major burst of energy. I mean it is, in the first 3 days of my mania, the house is eat of the floor clean, the CDs and DVDs are alphabetized by title, artist and genre and the best book in the world is coming to fruition and all of this is done on 4 hours of sleep a night. If I crash after that, I sleep for a day and we’re good.
Mania can get crazy scary. It can be a bad acid trip times 10. There’s periods of serious aggitation where any little thing that disrupts your good time causes an over exaggerated explosion of emotion.
Mania can also cause shopping sprees. Shopping sprees are hella fun. Until you’re spending the rent money and maxing out credit cards. Manias have been known to cause bankruptcy. I have been fortunate that I haven’t gotten that severe. But I have come out of a mania with CDs and DVDs that I don’t remember buying. Or not being able to remember where I spent money.
Depending on how high and how long mania lasts is the determining factor of how low you get.
c. Depression:
Again wikipedia.org says that “Clinical depression (also called major-depressive disorder or unipolar depression) is a psychiatric disorder, characterized by a pervasive low mood, loss of interest in usual activities and diminished ability to experience pleasure. Although the term "depression" is commonly used to describe a temporary depressed mood when one "feels blue", clinical depression is a serious and often disabling condition that can significantly affect a person's work, family and school life, sleeping and eating habits, general health and ability to enjoy life.[1] The course of clinical depression varies widely: depression can be a once in a lifetime event or have multiple recurrences, it can appear either gradually or suddenly, and either last for a few months or be a life-long disorder.”
I wonder if the heady terms and all the big words make the person writing these definitions feel smart? Anyway, it’s very important to point out that everybody gets depressed. Everybody has down days. But those who suffer from the clinical definition find it harder to bounce back. The period of time and the severity tend to be more drastic than the occassional “pity party”.
So those are the major components of Bipolar Disorder. There’s more technical aspects to it, but what I just talked about are the basics. Hopefully you’ve started to comprehend things a little better.
Outro
3. What listeners can expect from this show.
During the course of this show there will be guests that can give you insight into living with bipolar disorder. Whether it be from a fellow bipolar or a loved one that helps in the care taking. We will have segments such as; Bipolar or Just Plain Crazy. In this segment I’ll give you two celebrities and their actions. One is actually bipolar and the other one is flat out crazy. Your job as listeners is to either call in or email me with your guess and I’ll reveal the answer in the next episode. As well as featuring books on Bipolar. Now that there’s a lot more known about bipolar, there are books to reference. Not only are there clinical self help books written by professionals but also first person autobiographies now that we’re coming of age if you will.
On the website Talk shoe we will have a forum dedicated to the topic of each episode. You can participate in this conversation by going to our website momb411.blogspot.com/ where there will be a link to Talkshoe.com. On the website we will include additional information about the disorder, recent things in the news and books to reference. Also on the website, you’ll be able to interact with myself and other people dealing with Bipolar Disorder. You’ll find a link to my personal blog on Livejournal.com where I talk candidly about my day to day issues. Also for public consumption is the message board where healthy discussions about this topic can be had. Post on our message board and I promise to get as many posts in future episodes as I can. To join in our talk shoe forum the number is (724) 444-7444. After you dial that number, it’ll ask you for my show’ s call ID and that is 18137 and you will be able to join in the discussion and be part of the pod cast. Our email address is MOMB411@comcast.net. If you want to leave voice mail feedback that will be presented on our show the number is (206) 666-1974.
Feedback and comments are very important to those of us who have podcasts, because it’s the only way that we as podcasters know what kind of job we’re doing. So whether it’s my podcast or someone else’s, please leave feedback, whether it’s voice mail or email because it’s the only way we know what to continue doing or change up.
And that ends the pilot episode of Musings of a Manic Blonde: The 411 on Bipolar Disorder. As we fade out, I hope you enjoy listening to Blaze of Glory by Bon Jovi. Again, you can contact me at, momb411.blogspot.com/, MOMB411@comcast.net or at my voice mail (206) 666-1974. This is Connie signing off with one piece of advice “Never let anybody decide what kind of day you’re going to have,”
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