About the Author

Jess Melancholia is a blogger for Huffington Post, bpHope Magazine, The Mighty, and The International Bipolar Foundation. She resides in San Diego, California with her husband and cat. Before being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder 2 in May 2014, she suffered a 6 month bipolar depression triggered by extreme family medical stresses. Through medication and a strong support system, she works tirelessly to live a “normal” life and keep her hypomanic and depressive episodes under control. Her hobbies include playing horror video games and wine tasting. Her daytime profession is a molecular biologist at a biotechnology company.

38 thoughts on “About the Author”

  1. It is very nice to meet you Jess. I suffer from terrible anxiety, and I can relate on many levels of the feelings you feel. I hope we can share more with each other in the future!

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      1. It is a very tough battle, and so far writing about it has helped significantly and the support, just here on WP is amazing! 🙂 I wish you well on your journey! 🙂 ❤

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      1. I list resources on my resources page. DBSA and NAMI have great resources. Personally, I prefer therapist led groups because of my permeable personal boundaries – I tend to take on too much and need a mediator. NAMI’s peer-to-peer course was surprisingly helpful. I took it after 30 years of individual psychotherapy, hospitalization, partial hospitalization, and an MA in psychology – and still learned a lot.

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  5. Hi Jess,
    My wife’s first serious depression episode also gradually started May 2014 (like you), and I started at blogging for ‘journalling therapy’ reasons a month ago, like you. But we are on a very different path from you, at least for now.

    My wife has only just begun to explore how bipolar disorder fits all the difficulties that she has faced over the years. Our first experience with severe depression last year, was thought by my wife to be emotional pain and paranoid anxiety due to personality or spiritual reasons. As her partner, it has been a huge struggle to understand the best way to support her.

    Despite understanding mental illness from the perspective of being a family physician, this didn’t seem to help me with last years crisis – I made alot of mistakes. A few months ago, my wife stopped her meds and I felt concerned and helpless. So I started to explore the issues of denial/insight to find the right approach. I discovered a few excellent blogs & bought a few books particularly for partners of sufferers. With advice to start journalling, I decided to combine that with a previous blogging idea I started last year. Studies have shown that maintaining a blog significantly improves all measures of emotional distress, with the best gains from blogs that encouraged open responses.

    Your writing is so real and honest. Keep it up, and know that when tough times arise, do what you need to do, but remember that it will pass.

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    1. Thank you so much for sharing your story. The way you described what your wife has been through resonates so much with me. I can see the whole refusal to take the meds she was prescribed. I know she and I are just starting and just learning but I want you to know that you are doing a fantastic job and she really needs you, especially when she doesn’t say it. We like to close off and pretend we can handle it. You’re right a out blogging being therapeutic. It really has helped me tackle the “demons” in my head. I’m sure you are doing such extensive research. The three books I absolutely love are what she should be reading right now if not soon:
      1) The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide, Second Edition: What You and Your Family Need to Know
      2) An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness
      3) {this one for you mostly} Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder: Understanding and Helping Your Partner (The New Harbinger Loving Someone Series)
      My husband says #3 has helped him significantly! He is journaling now because of that.
      …and to your wife…we all say this and it’s not easy…but from on Bipolar to another…TAKE YOUR MEDS!!! Seriously. Tell her I said that. Those books all say that. It’s crucial to her health and well-being.
      Like I said you are doing an amazing job trying to understand. That’s all we ask for. Thanks again for your sweet comment.

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  6. Pingback: Wandering Through Purgatory: A Time of Self-Reflection | The Bipolar Compass

  8. Hi Jess! 🙂 Nice meeting you here 🙂 That’s so cool you area molecular biologist…I can’t even spell that without spellcheck lol. What better way to get to know yourself than through biology. 😀 I look forward to getting to know you more 🙂 Thanks again for stopping by! xo

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  14. Pingback: Guest Post #7: How hypersexuality plays a role in Bipolar disorder | Lucky Otter's Haven

  16. This was amazing Jess…and I feel so sad about your friend and the roommate situation…:( But am I surprised? Not really. I’m so proud of this writing you are doing!!!

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  18. Hi Jess! I’m so happy I came across your website. Your “about me” section sounds like me!! I was diagnosed with depression first at 15 and then sometime in my later teens with Bipolar 2 disorder, however I didn’t actually know until 8 months ago and I’m 23. It literally is a roller coaster ride from hell, and the hypersexuality part and mixed states!! I can’t wait to continue reading your posts! Keep preaching jess!!

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  19. Can I just say how much I love you. Like I feel like I know you at this point. You have such an amazing way of putting this bipolar shit we live with into words. I only wish I could do it. Maybe then people would understand me better. Rock on sister!!

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