Inside Bipolar

Did you know that age changes not only potential symptoms of bipolar disorder, but also what care is available, how doctors see the illness, and even our own perspective? It’s even possible for bipolar disorder to show up for the first time in your 50s, 60s, or even later. Listen in as Gabe Howard and Dr. Nicole Washington discuss bipolar and aging — from myths about diagnosis, to whether the symptoms of bipolar disorder subside with age.

To learn more -- or read the transcript -- please visit the official episode page.

Meet Your Inside Bipolar Podcast Hosts

Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author.

He is also the host of Healthline Media's Inside Mental Health podcast available on your favorite podcast player. To learn more about Gabe, or book him for your next event, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.

Dr. Nicole Washington is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she attended Southern University and A&M College. After receiving her BS degree, she moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to enroll in the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed a residency in psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa. Since completing her residency training, Washington has spent most of her career caring for and being an advocate for those who are not typically consumers of mental health services, namely underserved communities, those with severe mental health conditions, and high performing professionals. Through her private practice, podcast, speaking, and writing, she seeks to provide education to decrease the stigma associated with psychiatric conditions.

Find out more at DrNicolePsych.com.

From swiping fatigue to getting ghosted, dating is a beast on its own. Throw in a bipolar disorder diagnosis and it gets really complicated, really fast. The first step might be telling someone you live with bipolar, but do you tell them before you meet, on the first date, or wait until you know them a bit better? 

How do you navigate the stigma surrounding mental health conditions and manage rejection — regardless of whether it’s because of your bipolar or something else? Listen as Gabe and Dr. Nicole discuss all this and more.

To learn more -- or read the transcript -- please visit the show's official episode page.

Meet Your Inside Bipolar Podcast Hosts

Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author.

He is also the host of Healthline Media's Inside Mental Health podcast available on your favorite podcast player. To learn more about Gabe, or book him for your next event, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.

Dr. Nicole Washington is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she attended Southern University and A&M College. After receiving her BS degree, she moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to enroll in the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed a residency in psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa. Since completing her residency training, Washington has spent most of her career caring for and being an advocate for those who are not typically consumers of mental health services, namely underserved communities, those with severe mental health conditions, and high performing professionals. Through her private practice, podcast, speaking, and writing, she seeks to provide education to decrease the stigma associated with psychiatric conditions.

Find out more at DrNicolePsych.com.

Pessimism can feel like it’s part and parcel of having bipolar disorder. But differentiating how much of your pessimism comes from bipolar disorder and how much of it is just your personality can be difficult. Host Gabe Howard talks to co-host Nicole Washington about his experience with pessimism and bipolar, how (and when) to get help if you’re a Negative Nelly, and where to draw the line between the two. Give yourself a little grace — because let’s face it, even if we imagine a world where bipolar disorder doesn’t exist, there would still be plenty of pessimists.

To learn more -- or read the transcript -- please visit the show's official episode page.

Meet Your Inside Bipolar Podcast Hosts

Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author.

He is also the host of Healthline Media's Inside Mental Health podcast available on your favorite podcast player. To learn more about Gabe, or book him for your next event, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.

Dr. Nicole Washington is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she attended Southern University and A&M College. After receiving her BS degree, she moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to enroll in the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed a residency in psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa. Since completing her residency training, Washington has spent most of her career caring for and being an advocate for those who are not typically consumers of mental health services, namely underserved communities, those with severe mental health conditions, and high performing professionals. Through her private practice, podcast, speaking, and writing, she seeks to provide education to decrease the stigma associated with psychiatric conditions.

Find out more at DrNicolePsych.com.

What’s it like to have PTSD and bipolar disorder? Many people know that mental health conditions, like anxiety and depression, frequently co-occur. Having bipolar disorder doesn’t preclude you from other mental health conditions like PTSD. Seeking treatment for bipolar disorder alone can feel daunting enough. Compound it with PTSD and it may feel ever more complicated and maybe even scary. In this episode, we explore different treatment options, how bipolar and PTSD can overlap in terms of symptoms, and more. 

To learn more -- or to read the transcript -- visit the official episode page.

Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author.

He is also the host of Healthline Media's Inside Mental Health podcast available on your favorite podcast player. To learn more about Gabe, or book him for your next event, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.

Dr. Nicole Washington is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she attended Southern University and A&M College. After receiving her BS degree, she moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to enroll in the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed a residency in psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa. Since completing her residency training, Washington has spent most of her career caring for and being an advocate for those who are not typically consumers of mental health services, namely underserved communities, those with severe mental health conditions, and high performing professionals. Through her private practice, podcast, speaking, and writing, she seeks to provide education to decrease the stigma associated with psychiatric conditions.

Find out more at DrNicolePsych.com.

Do you ever get stuck on a particular thought, worry, or fear? It just goes around and around and around in your brain: You can’t stop thinking about it, and you can’t focus on anything else until whatever it is is resolved? That is a rumination and anecdotal evidence suggests they are common in bipolar disorder.

But why is that? Are ruminations a symptom of bipolar disorder? Are ruminations listed in the DSM-5? And if you are ruminating on something, how do you get off of it? How do you move on or at least make it through the rest of the work day? Stay tuned to find out!

To learn more -- or read the transcript -- please visit the official episode page.

Meet Your Inside Bipolar Podcast Hosts

Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author.

He is also the host of Healthline Media's Inside Mental Health podcast available on your favorite podcast player. To learn more about Gabe, or book him for your next event, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.

Dr. Nicole Washington is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she attended Southern University and A&M College. After receiving her BS degree, she moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to enroll in the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed a residency in psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa. Since completing her residency training, Washington has spent most of her career caring for and being an advocate for those who are not typically consumers of mental health services, namely underserved communities, those with severe mental health conditions, and high performing professionals. Through her private practice, podcast, speaking, and writing, she seeks to provide education to decrease the stigma associated with psychiatric conditions.

Find out more at DrNicolePsych.com.

People expect you to take time off work for things like surgery and recovery, as well as pregnancy. But if you have bipolar disorder and a period of acute sickness led you to take time off work, the process of returning to the workplace may feel daunting. What do you even say to your colleagues? 

The added pressure of making yourself attractive to employers doesn’t help — regardless of whether you’re going back to a job or if you’re on the market for a new one. We’ll share hints and tips to help disguise the bipolar disorder in your background — and a few pitfalls to avoid.  

To learn more -- or read the transcript -- please visit the official episode page.

Meet Your Inside Bipolar Podcast Hosts

Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author.

He is also the host of Healthline Media's Inside Mental Health podcast available on your favorite podcast player. To learn more about Gabe, or book him for your next event, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.

Dr. Nicole Washington is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she attended Southern University and A&M College. After receiving her BS degree, she moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to enroll in the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed a residency in psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa. Since completing her residency training, Washington has spent most of her career caring for and being an advocate for those who are not typically consumers of mental health services, namely underserved communities, those with severe mental health conditions, and high performing professionals. Through her private practice, podcast, speaking, and writing, she seeks to provide education to decrease the stigma associated with psychiatric conditions.

Find out more at DrNicolePsych.com.

How do you disclose bipolar disorder at work? Should you disclose it at all? If you are going to disclose, how do you tell your boss, colleagues, and human resources that you have bipolar disorder? What are the pros and cons? Would you be surprised to hear that it is mostly cons or would you be surprised there are any pros? Listen now to find out more!

To learn more -- or read the transcript -- please visit the official episode page.

Meet Your Inside Bipolar Podcast Hosts

Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author.

He is also the host of Healthline Media's Inside Mental Health podcast available on your favorite podcast player. To learn more about Gabe, or book him for your next event, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.

Dr. Nicole Washington is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she attended Southern University and A&M College. After receiving her BS degree, she moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to enroll in the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed a residency in psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa. Since completing her residency training, Washington has spent most of her career caring for and being an advocate for those who are not typically consumers of mental health services, namely underserved communities, those with severe mental health conditions, and high performing professionals. Through her private practice, podcast, speaking, and writing, she seeks to provide education to decrease the stigma associated with psychiatric conditions.

Find out more at DrNicolePsych.com.

We all like to think that our psychiatrists are perfect paragons of virtue and that we are their only patients. But, deep down, we all know that isn’t really true. Psychiatrists see multiple patients, have many responsibilities, and are human — just like the rest of us. 

Join us as Dr. Nicole, a board certified psychiatrist, shares what behaviors get under her skin. We discuss how doctors don’t know what “the pink triangle pill” is, how they don’t all enjoy hugs, and why screaming at their staff doesn’t improve your care.

To learn more -- or read the transcript -- visit the official episode page.

Meet Your Inside Bipolar Podcast Hosts

Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author.

He is also the host of Healthline Media's Inside Mental Health podcast available on your favorite podcast player. To learn more about Gabe, or book him for your next event, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.

Dr. Nicole Washington is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she attended Southern University and A&M College. After receiving her BS degree, she moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to enroll in the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed a residency in psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa. Since completing her residency training, Washington has spent most of her career caring for and being an advocate for those who are not typically consumers of mental health services, namely underserved communities, those with severe mental health conditions, and high performing professionals. Through her private practice, podcast, speaking, and writing, she seeks to provide education to decrease the stigma associated with psychiatric conditions.

Find out more at DrNicolePsych.com.

Everyone wants to have relationships with people – even if it is to just say hi and bye to our neighbors or get along with our colleagues at work. But when you have bipolar disorder, making new friends can be complicated. For example, when do you tell them about your diagnosis? Do you even need to tell them at all? How can you manage your feelings if they react poorly to the information? 

Sometimes you want to be around people who understand bipolar, and sometimes you just want to go bowling. How do you know when is when? Listen Now!

To learn more -- or read the transcript -- please visit the official episode page.

Meet Your Inside Bipolar Podcast Hosts

Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author.

He is also the host of Healthline Media's Inside Mental Health podcast available on your favorite podcast player. To learn more about Gabe, or book him for your next event, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.

Dr. Nicole Washington is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she attended Southern University and A&M College. After receiving her BS degree, she moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to enroll in the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed a residency in psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa. Since completing her residency training, Washington has spent most of her career caring for and being an advocate for those who are not typically consumers of mental health services, namely underserved communities, those with severe mental health conditions, and high performing professionals. Through her private practice, podcast, speaking, and writing, she seeks to provide education to decrease the stigma associated with psychiatric conditions.

Find out more at DrNicolePsych.com.

Whenever medication is discussed as it relates to bipolar disorder, someone will bring up medication compliance. Generally, it’s posed as a question, “Why aren’t people with bipolar disorder med compliant?”

In this episode we discuss the phrase “med compliant,” what it means, and why it’s not as straightforward as “just take your meds.” 

To learn more -- or read the transcript -- please visit the show's official episode page.

Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author. He also hosts Healthline Media's Inside Mental Health podcast available on your favorite podcast player.

To learn more about Gabe, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.

Dr. Nicole Washington is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she attended Southern University and A&M College. After receiving her BS degree, she moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to enroll in the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed a residency in psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa. Since completing her residency training, Washington has spent most of her career caring for and being an advocate for those who are not typically consumers of mental health services, namely underserved communities, those with severe mental health conditions, and high performing professionals. Through her private practice, podcast, speaking, and writing, she seeks to provide education to decrease the stigma associated with psychiatric conditions.

Find out more at DrNicolePsych.com.