My Bipolar Mind: Surviving the Chaos is by Samantha Steiner, who you may know from her blog My Bipolar Mind. This is her second book, and both are memoirs in the form of compiled blog posts. This book is based on 2018, and is laid out in chronological order.
The book covers Samantha’s struggles with bipolar disorder, ADHD, self-harm, and alcoholism. There’s a mix of diary-style chapters, poetry, “facts” chapters covering topics like body dysmorphia and panic attack, and “tips” chapters focused on improving self-esteem, reasons to love yourself, and gratitude ABCs.
Throughout, Samantha is very open about what she’s going through. She expresses frustration with her illness (“right now I hate being bipolar”), but is clearly committed to managing it as best she can. She describes how both medications and therapy have been important for her. She also talks freely about self-harm, not in a triggering way, but to bring it out of the silence where it tends to hide.
The book draws to a close on a hopeful note on her 1 year sobriety anniversary, which coincided with some positive news.
The 8-month time span of the book gives the reader a good idea of the ups and downs that can happen with bipolar in a relatively short period of time. The mix of different styles of chapters adds variety, and the chapters are all pretty short, which is a good thing for any readers (like me) whose concentration isn’t so great.
I think it’s always a positive thing when people with mental illness are contributing to the fight against stigma by publishing books and their personal experiences. This book makes a great addition.
My Bipolar Mind: Surviving the Chaos is available on Amazon (affiliate link).
Samantha’s blog is My Bipolar Mind.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
You can find my other book reviews here, including Samantha’s first book, My Bipolar Mind.
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I wondered about the time frame with capturing something like bi-polar, doing it like this over an 8 month span is a good idea. I’m a fan of shorter chapters too as my concentration isn’t the best anymore. Well done to Samantha for being part of the fight against stigma and the effort to raise awareness while supporting those going through similar themselves. I’ve just been taking a look at her blog and the info on her memoir too, so thank you for sharing this. Excellent review, Ashley! xx
Thanks! 😊
Good review! I like short chapters too because it is easier to read. I’ll definitely will check her blog out.