Podcast Review: The Bipolar Family
I have spent a lot of time thinking about Bipolar Bob. He’s bipolar, obviously. He’s also a podcaster dealing with a lot of stuff, even by crazy people standards.
“Bob has been married seventeen years,” his website bio reads. “A father of three: Ashley an Autistic; sensory-perception-disorder and Bipolar 15-year-old. Rosa a Bipolar, 13-year-old. Xavier an Autistic; pervasive-developmental-disorder (PDD), Bipolar 11-year-old.”
Bob started the Bipolar Family Podcast in 2014. There are dozens upon dozens of episodes (well, 479). They are deeply personal, touching on every detail of a bipolar life you can imagine. It’s often tough listening (though he spends a fair bit of time laughing at himself).
But mostly, this isn’t sanitized, feel-good stuff. Bob talks about suicide, medications and their side effects, family dynamics in a house full of people facing heavy challenges.
That’s the beauty of the podcast. There are so many inspirational memoirs available, so many “my-life-used-to-be-so-crazy-but-then-I got-some-help-and-now-I’m-doing-awesome” books and podcasts.
They can make for good reading and an easy listen. But they also sanitize the sloppy awfulness of life with mental illness, the shitty background hum that rattles in the back of your brain even when things seem to be going well.
The production quality isn’t great, which adds to the authenticity. It sounds like it’s recorded in a suburban basement, which it probably is (he keeps his identity quiet). His voice isn’t exactly radio quality.
His website is pretty solid too. There’s a page with advice for anyone coping with a bipolar diagnosis, with plenty of solid advice on topics ranging from medication use and ways to (try to) reduce the mood swings associated with the disorder. It’s intended for a bipolar audience but has plenty of cross-appeal.
“In our fast-paced world this may seem impossible but it is critical to managing Bipolar disorder,” one tip reads. “You need to find a way to get eight hours of continuous sleep every night. Some people like myself need nine. Regardless, sleep is critical and you need to find a way to get it every night (no excuses).”
I’ve been thinking about him because his last podcast was in May. His voice wasn’t as strong as usual as he talked about layoffs at his aerospace company.
Drugs cost a lot of money (though he found a place that sells cheap erectile dysfunction pills because they aren’t included in most U.S. health plans.
He’s also worried about Covid-19, like everyone else. The last few minutes of his most recent podcast worry about an impending second wave.
“I hate to be such a downer but this is stuff I lay awake at night worrying about,” he said. “Craziness. If you’re bipolar and lose your job I really wish you well. Even if you have to take less money to get medical insurance, I’d advise you to do that. Living without it is not possible — not possible.”
He ends each episode by handing out his email address. I sent a message but haven’t heard back. I hope he’s OK. If you have some time, there’s probably a podcast episode that’s worth a listen. Send some good vibes his way, too.
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