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It has been about two years since I wrote "The Bipolar Disorder Manual". It was written completely on a whim, with no future plans to sell or distribute it. I was unemployed for a few months after graduating from college, and my parents suggested that I take advantage of that time and do some writing. I wrangled with the idea for a while, already pretty busy with the website I'd been running for a few years, but I finally decided that "The Bipolar Disorder Manual" should be written. Even if no one else ever read it, I would still get satisfaction from the creative process. Since I was unemployed, the writing portion only took about a month or so. I would write a new chapter every few days, and soon enough I had a nifty little book. I filed it away with all my other projects, and within a few months I had all but forgotten about it. Shoot to a year and a half later. I'd gotten what I considered to be a dream job, working in the IT field under the management of one of my best friends. The company that employed us turned out to be possibly the best bank in America. I had married the woman of my dreams the previous year, and our house was already filled with three wonderful pets. Things were going so well that I could barely imagine what else there was to do in life. Then it struck me. In the first few months that Kelly and I were married, I had sold a bunch of our excess belongings on eBay. The process had been quick and easy, and I marveled at the power of the website. It only took a few days to realize the opportunities that lay before me; I could sell my writing! Within a few months I had four books selling on eBay, "The Bipolar Disorder Manual" being the most successful. The eBay success led me to look into other distribution options, and at the present moment I can say that my books are flying around the Internet faster than I can track them. They are sold in some places, given away for free in others, and all I can do is marvel at the glorious ways in which God has blessed me. For awhile I thought "The Bipolar Disorder Manual" had covered everything. I felt that I had touched on every single topic that a new Bi-polar patient would be interested in. Then one day I'm driving home from work, my mind wandering as usual, and it came to me. The most important topic in the manual needed more attention. It needed its own book. It was in that moment that "The Bipolar Disorder Manual - Hospital Edition", was born. You'll find that the information you're about to take in is invaluable. You'll discover ways to deal with the people and events that make up a visit to a mental health facility. My five visits have given me insights to help guide you in the right direction. As you learned in the last book, my methods are proven - I've got everything a person could ask for: an amazing wife, plenty of friends, a dream job, and the most important thing of all, inner happiness. Pay attention to what is in this book. Study it as carefully and dutifully as you can. Not only can it help you through your next hospital visit, but in certain circumstances it can save your life! This is not just another advice book, this is knowledge that comes from a first hand source, straight from a guy who has been through it. Don't be surprised if you've never heard about some of these methods, because unless you know someone like me, odds are that a group therapy session or psychiatrist's couch haven't supplied you with them. I know, because I've been there. Enjoy your time with "The Bipolar Disorder Manual - Hospital Edition" Keep it handy. Send it to friends who might benefit from it. Most of all, don't hesitate to whip it out when you are wondering about something. I do know the path through it all, and aside from Jesus himself, I may be the best person to hear this from. Good luck, and God bless! Your EpisodeYour episode was probably similar to my episode(s). For weeks, the people around you were able to tell that something was wrong with you, but you were completely unable to pick up on it yourself. Your ego probably inflated, you might have been delusional about who you were or what you could do, and you might have experienced some paranoia. This is all completely normal for a serious bipolar condition. People such as myself, who are Bipolar I, experience these symptoms to an extremely serious degree when we have an episode. Sometimes a hospital visit is the only thing that will snap us out of our trip down the rabbit hole. That's okay though, because the fact that there is help in the first place is a beautiful thing. For less fortunate people throughout history, there have not been any options. In this time, in this country, we are truly blessed. Hopefully you were not violent during your episode. Violence changes the whole spectrum of your experience. If you were violent, it is possible that you were arrested. If you were arrested, then after you are released from the hospital you may be going to jail. How do I know this? I was violent during one of my episodes and I was subsequently arrested and tried for these acts after I was released from the hospital. I was lucky, though, because I never had to spend any time in jail thanks to a kindly worded letter from my psychiatrist, and with my parents support, the judge decided that I had learned my lesson and the charges were dropped. But it can happen, and so do your best not to be violent. While TV and movies might have you believe that people get off scot-free when they have a mental illness, this is not completely true, so watch it. During your episode you were probably impaired due to lack of sleep. When a Bipolar patient is revving up to their eventual break, they usually have been influenced by several nights of little to no sleep. The wonderful thing about going to the hospital is that this long string of sleepless nights will fall by the wayside. You'll finally be able to sleep as much as you would like. The staff will provide medication that will calm you down and enable you to relax the way you need to. This is yet another wonderful perk of going to the hospital. You get the rest you need, so take advantage of the opportunity. Some people go through their whole lives without really being able to get proper rest. The most important thing to remember about your episode is that it is indeed forgettable. You can walk away from episodes. You can get to a point in life where there is no need for them to happen. You can get the proper medication and therapy, and life can definitely return to normal. My last hospital visit was six years ago, and during that time I have flourished. I've gotten a four year college degree, I have a wonderful wife, and my career is progressing in an extremely positive fashion. All of this was possible because I was able to take advantage of my time in the hospital. I used it to get what I needed - the right medications, the right therapy, and the right downtime. I relaxed, I made friends, I contributed to other patients' progress, and I succeeded in getting out in a timely fashion. The amount of time you have to spend in the hospital depends completely on how you approach your stay. If you are positive about things, and cooperate, then you will probably be out in less than two weeks. If you take a different approach, then you could be looking at months. I strongly suggest that you pay attention to the rest of the chapters in this book. The advice is valuable, the language is simple, and the knowledge you gain from it could help you for the rest of your life.
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