Please welcome first-time contributor Dyane Leshin-Harwood, a freelance writer who was diagnosed with postpartum bipolar disorder six weeks after her baby was born. She also suffers from generalized anxiety, and depersonalization-derealization disorder. Dyane founded the Santa Cruz, CA Chapter of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) & facilitated free support groups in her community. She has been selected as the latest “Life Unlimited” profile by the DBSA, so her journey with bipolar disorder is currently being featured on their website. Dyane blogs for the International Bipolar Foundation (IBPF) and was featured as the first 2014 IBPF “Story of Hope and Recovery.” Through her personal blog and her IBPF blog Dyane provides encouragement and resources to those living with bipolar disorder. She is dedicated to creating social awareness of postpartum bipolar disorder as it is a lesser-known postpartum mood disorder.
About this photo: “This photo is significant as it shows me in recovery mode, pursuing the life I want to live. Over seven years I tried over twenty medications, endured seven hospitalizations, and I requested unilateral and bilateral rounds of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). None of these modalities lifted my bipolar depression over the long-term. I decided to see a new psychiatrist who suggested a medication combination that finally alleviated my treatment-resistant bipolar depression.
In this shot I’m taking a break from working on my book “Birth of a New Brain – Healing from Postpartum Bipolar Disorder” with a foreword by Dr. Walker Karraa that was optioned for publication last year. I’m accompanied by my “writing muse” Lucy, my seven-month-old American Collie mix, and I’m savoring the feeling of being able to write again, as well as soaking in the love of a beautiful, exuberant puppy.”
Find more from Dyane at her blog.
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