My name is Rachael. I’m a 20 something mother, wife and PhD candidate. I live with my husband “The Hubster”, son “Master D”, and hound “Monsiour Bark-a-lot”. I like to laugh, cook, cuddle my beautiful son and incredibly good looking husband, take bad photos, and Google pictures of baboons . I dislike sushi, high heels, days in which the weather is over 35 degrees C, and I have a serious and enduring pathological aversion to bonsai. I also have Bipolar 1 disorder.

I have probably lived with Bipolar for most of my life, but like many women, I wasn’t  diagnosed until after the birth of my child and after a consequent two month hospital stay in a psychiatric unit.

Three years later, due to complications from a very rare autoimmune disease, I was admitted to hospital once more. This time I was hospitalized for close to five months, much of it in a locked ward. Medication wasn’t working so I underwent 10 rounds of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

By writing about my experiences I hope to show others who may be in a similar position that they are not alone. I am passionate about fighting the stigma that surrounds mental illness. I hope to address this issue both through my PhD, and also through blogging about my personal experiences.

My blog is primarily in support of mental health awareness. I take mental health very seriously. But I am also not opposed to injecting the odd dash humour into my situation and experiences. I also have a tendency to occasionally tangent off topic and start writing about completely random stuff like toilet decals, my technological prowess, or the time I asked my husband what he would do if his “willy” caught fire. Consider yourself warned.

Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings, and thereby contributing to the reduction of mental illness stigma.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor (yet. Ha. Ok…not THAT type of doctor) and I don’t claim to have any expertise in medication, diagnosis, the treatment of mental illness, or pretty much anything really. My blog is based on my personal experience alone, reactions to medication and treatments will vary for everyone. Names of people, places, and institutions have been changed for privacy reasons. You get the picture.

Got questions, comments or suggestions? Hit me up!