• Français
  • English

    • Spectrum & Cycles

    Chronicles from an atypical mind — Unfiltered and unapologetic

    bipolar disorder

    Bipolar disorder Journal

    crash.execute(): account of a depressive episode

    Florent No Comments

    It is well known to almost all people with bipolar disorder, some experiencing it far more often than their (hypo)manic episodes and very often for much longer. While a hypomanic episode may last only a few days, depression can last for months. I discuss it in detail in a dedicated article. I have experienced it an incalculable number of times, notably due to the rapid-cycling nature of my bipolar disorder, and I present here the account of one of them.

    Lire la suite

    Bipolar disorder Journal

    fatal.error(): account of a mixed episode

    Florent No Comments

    Less discussed in the literature yet experienced by 40% of bipolar individuals at least once in their lives, the mixed episode can sometimes appear without warning but often between a manic episode and a depressive episode. I discussed in a dedicated article how this episode presents both (hypo)manic and depressive characteristics. Here, I recount my experience of a mixed episode that was devastating.

    Lire la suite

    Bipolar disorder Journal

    illusion.load(): an account of a hypomanic episode

    Florent No Comments

    Following my articles on episodes of bipolar disorder, it is time to illustrate them with a vivid and raw narrative. This article will be the first in a chronological series recounting my lived experience of the bipolar cycles that haunt my life. Hypomania may seem appealing, but it represents my first danger. It makes me productive, yet it is also the earliest warning sign. Because hypomania often gives rise to a succession of phases leading to an almost inevitable final crash.

    Lire la suite

    Bipolar disorder

    Depression: Symptoms, Lived Experience, and Interactions with Autism

    Florent No Comments

    After the (hypo)manic episode or the mixed episode, depression arrives. Almost systematically. And the higher one flies, the more violent the final crash. The depressive episode is the bipolar episode that speaks most clearly even to those unfamiliar with the disorder. Literature and science have addressed it in thousands of articles. It is better known simply as depression. Between 13 and 20% of the population (according to Wikipedia) will experience it at least once in their lifetime. It is an integral part of bipolar disorder and haunts the lives of those who suffer from it.

    Lire la suite

    Bipolar disorder

    Mania: Symptoms, Lived Experience, and Interactions with Autism

    Florent No Comments

    The manic episode, for all people with bipolar type I, is the logical continuation of the hypomanic episode. Sleep is drastically reduced and energy multiplies. The person seems to behave more and more abnormally. While hypomania can go more unnoticed, the manic episode completely alters the functioning of the bipolar person. The individual appears extremely euphoric, laughs very easily, makes puns, jumps from one idea to another, multiplies projects, has grandiose ideas, and in the most severe cases, may decompensate (psychosis).

    Lire la suite

    Neurodiversity

    Neurodiversity: definition, origins, and issues

    Florent No Comments

    Judy Singer, an autistic sociologist, gave birth to the concept of neurodiversity in the 1990s. The idea: acknowledging that cognitive diversity is part of human diversity, just like social, cultural, or even biological diversity. Initially focused on autism, it later expanded to include other conditions and, eventually, other mental disorders. Today, this movement has had a strong impact on the autistic community and on public perception of autism, but it is also subject to controversy.

    Lire la suite

    Bipolar disorder Journal

    Autism and bipolar disorder: a dual experience that is common yet largely understudied

    Florent No Comments

    5 to 8% of autistic people are believed to be affected by bipolar disorder, and yet, this association between the two conditions is rarely mentioned in the literature. When you type “autism and bipolar disorder” into Google, finding a personal account can feel like a challenge. A few years ago, I took part in a podcast on this topic, sharing an experience that was almost unique—especially in France. The idea of a blog exploring both subjects in detail slowly began to form a few weeks ago. A few days later, the project was underway.

    Lire la suite

    Bipolar disorder Journal

    Why I’ll Soon Be Writing About Bipolar Disorder on This Autism-Focused Blog

    Florent No Comments

    This blog is not intended to talk only about autism. From the beginning, when the idea for this project emerged, I hoped to provide a rare and in-depth testimony about two of my conditions: autism and bipolar disorder. Why rare? Simply because I noticed how drastically the literature lacks first-person accounts from people living with both conditions, even though this comorbidity is actually quite common — with bipolar disorder being even more frequent among autistic people than allistic individuals. And in-depth, because I intended to share my experience honestly and without filter through a long series of articles detailing what it means to live with both conditions.

    Lire la suite

    Vous avez raté

    Autism Bipolar disorder

    When love becomes sensory overload

    Autism Journal

    Coffee, my essential ritual even when everything goes off the rails

    Autism Crossed Spectra

    Jeanne tells the story of autism in women

    À la une Autism

    Autism: Understanding and living as an autistic person