Hello and happy Indie Monday! Today we get to visit with Alyssa Reyans, the author of a memoir titled Letters from a Bipolar Mother. In it, Alyssa talks about what it's like to live with bipolar depression and how she deals with it. Check out her insight: Hello, Alyssa! I love non-fiction, so I'm glad you're here to talk about your memoir. Introduce yourself.
Hi Summer, Thank you for having me. I'm Alyssa. I was born and raised in the South, as redneck as they come. And yes we did have a toilet, a deer head and christmas lights on our front porch year round, but now I live overseas with my husband, inlaws, and 2 crazy cats.
What is your book about? It is about my struggle with bipolar. I was diagnosed with manic depression at 13. Today it's called bipolar. I have the more severe type, rapid cycling bipolar 1. In the book I try to allow those who don't have bipolar a glimpse inside the mind of someone who does. It's always difficult for those around me to understand the irrational decisions I make sometimes so the book is my way of trying to let people, especially my children, understand that what they see on the surface is not always what is going on in the mind of a person with mental illness.
What prompted you to tackle such a personal subject?
I'd like to say I was trying to make others aware, but it was really a much more selfish reason. I needed to find a way of living with the decisions I'd made and their repercussions. Writing has always been a form of therapy for me and a friend suggested I write it. When I originally wrote it I didn't plan on self publishing but after a few of my friends read it they convinced me to give it a go. I've been amazed at how much support and encouragement I've received from people. It's been a truly humbling experience. I had no idea how many others out there were going through similar situations so it's been wonderful to connect with people and work our way through this together.
What would you say to encourage other women suffering from bipolar disorder?
You can still be an amazing mother, woman, and human being even with bipolar. Diagnosis is not a death sentence. It just means we see the world differently and our path has detours in it that others don't. Surround yourself with caring supportive people. And those who are in the way of you becoming better, don't worry when they walk out of your life. You're most likely better off without them.
Alyssa Reyans is a first-time author.
Lastly, if there is one thing you want people to take away from your book, what would it be?There is no cure for bipolar. There is no magic pill or treatment or anything that can make you or your loved one just "snap out of it". But even though there's no cure, there still is hope and you can have a truly fulfilled wonderful life. It just takes a lot of hard work not only from the person with the disease but from those around the person who is mentally ill. And to know that each person has to find what works for them. Therapy and treatment is truly unique to every person and it takes a lot of trial and error to find what works for you. But once you figure it out, then you can have an amazingly rich life. So don't give up.
Thank you so much for your time, Alyssa! Good luck to you! :)Thank you again for having me. Anybody who signs up for Alyssa's mailing list between now and December 31st will receive a free ecopy of any book she publishes in 2013. Visit Alyssa on her website, Facebook, or on Twitter @AlyssaReyans.
