When I started this blog in 2008, I did it for my sanity…I did it for me. I was a complete mess, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and I was not properly medicated. I needed some creative outlet to express what was going on in my head – my feelings, lack of self esteem, and good old fashioned fear.

I named the blog “How Is Bradley?” because that is what it was…all about me. But then something started happening. Other people were reading my blog. Some even took the time to leave comments. There were others out there going through what I was going through and appreciated knowing they were not alone.

It wasn’t long before something magical happened. People who weren’t depressed or living with bipolar started reading. Friends and family members seeking an understanding of what was going on the in head of their loved ones. I received many emails thanking me. Some were people who didn’t know anyone with bipolar, but found the information interesting. One even said he found it fascinating.

There weren’t many of us back in those days (6 years is ancient in technology years.) There was a small band of mental health bloggers who shared their experiences and supported one another. I miss them. Most have stopped blogging and moved onto other things in their lives. Does this mean that there aren’t many mental health blogs left? Absolutely Not!! It’s the opposite, actually. The blogosphere has exploded from the number of new mental health writers. There are blogs written by those with depression, bipolar, anorexia, major anxiety, and so on.

In the past few weeks I renamed my blog. “How is Bradley?” was the perfect name at that time, but I feel my blog is much more than that. Oh, I still tell stories about myself. Don’t worry, I’m way to self centered to stop that, but I also like to share news stories and studies that are occurring. It’s not just about mental illness. It’s about mental illness and what’s being done about it. This is the reason I changed my blog name to “Depression and Bipolar Disorder: Insights from a bipolar Bear.”

So, you know where you can go to read about my exploits, but what if you want to read someone else’s experience with living with bipolar or any other form of mental illness? There are many other options for you and the way to find them is the “Blog For Mental Health” blog list. Each of us shares a badge with a link to the list and we pledge our commitment to the program and to each other. The badge on the right that looks like the one above is a link to the blog list.

“I pledge my commitment to the Blog for Mental Health 2014 Project. I will blog about mental health topics not only for myself, but for others. By displaying this badge, I show my pride, dedication, and acceptance for mental health. I use this to promote mental health education in the struggle to erase stigma.”