I’m really a very compassionate, funny, and loving man; a few people have seen that side of me, others have been blinded by my bipolar disorder. I have led church groups, given seminars to hundreds of people at a time and led soldiers on missions in other countries. Each task was successful and made with the respect, determination and focus of a hawk; but when the dark side takes over, I was called caustic and abrasive.

    My sudden and ever-changing moods have thrown me into situations that I never intended to be in.  This often made me feel like a marionette, being pulled into other circumstances by forces I did not understand and could not control.

    Only after I had lost everything, my wife, family, friends and my job, did I finally discover what was ruining everything I struggled to manage. I was in my fifties when I learned that I had Bipolar II Disorder with rapid cycling. Every month, I would cycle from normal into hypomania, then back to normal and followed by an episode of dysthymic depression and finally back to normal, only to begin the cycle again.

    I hope that my story is beneficial and helps those of you who are bipolar; or have a loved one or other bipolar person in your life. Hopefully, you will gain a better insight of us; and with that you will be able to understand or help, not judge or criticize us. With understanding and empathy, you can help guide, manage, and love us during those difficult times.