When my life started to spiral out of my control, I didn't know the cause. All I knew was that everything I did and every bit of self-control and discipline I exerted made no difference.

My close relationship with my family was disintegrating, I was seeing my friends less and less, and work was something I frequently dreaded to go to. I often felt tired or restless for days on end.

And then there were the odd periods when I would disappear for a few days. Definitely not normal.

I knew things weren't normal, but strongly resisted going to see a psychiatrist. After all, I wasn't crazy or mentally ill. It was just that I was having a difficult time with the amount of work I was doing, or I had just finished a project and I was tired, or I needed some time alone away from people, or...well, there was always a reasonable excuse.

But one day, after a period in which everything had gone horribly wrong,  more...

This website is written by someone who was diagnosed as bipolar in 1996, who has had mood swings since the age of 17, and who has put up with all the frustrations it can bring on. The purpose of the website is to identify the things that can go wrong daily, and to offer specific, practical ways to deal with the problem or ways to work around it.

There are no magic solutions, and there are apparently no magical pills that will properly stabilise our moods in the long term. The best solution is a mix of medication, some changes to our habits and to the habits of those around us, and therapy to sort out the problems the mood swings have caused.

I'm not one of those well meaning people who will tell you that with a bit of willpower and positive thinking, you'll be able to pull out of the depression or solve your mood swings. That never works.

Rather, here you will find insights on why you, or your loved one, is behaving the way they do. Here, it's about solving problems and keeping your productivity high.

The website is being redesigned page by page! That means if you click on a link, the page you see might be the new design (like this page you're on), or it might be the old blue design (like this page).

All links have been preserved, so the website should work just as you expect.

If you find things are taking a bit long, remember that I'm bipolar. Projects always take longer with us.

Check out my blog. The blog contains daily stuff dealing with being bipolar. And my dogs. The website is more like a library where you can find information sorted in some meaningful order.