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Chronic could be depression, or it could be a psychotic break like a manic episode or the recovery from that. That is what my wife and I lived through. I had a manic episode and the recovery process for that, for me at least, took years. It was a powerful thing that had a grip on me, and it took some powerful living to get over it. I did, and today I can tell you that even though my wife and I have aged over ten years since those days, our intimacy has returned. I don’t need Viagra, and I bet if I took it today I’d be like a fence post, maybe I’ll talk to my doctor

Mental health problems can leave intimacy in the dust, and that's exactly what happened to my wife and I for nearly a decade. My recovery from a bi-polar manic episode left me with a chronic depression where I lost all interest in anything that once brought me joy. In part one of this two part series, I look at how my wife helped me work through some of the most difficult times in my life and how my focus in life had at times, left me with more problems than solutions. From early career decisions to personal goals, bi-polar disordered thinking caused a series of life choices leading to my ultimate depression in my mid forties. Beginning with a focus, we worked ourselves back from the brink and now have a very happy married life and intimacy has returned. For myself, that means that I've rediscovered some of the drive that made my life worthy of pursuit in my earlier years, something I had lost through this long and sometimes dark journey. As with all things in my life there is no single thing that I can look to and say "that was what helped", but clearly, my support structures were key. These systems along with focus, which is discussed in part one, have brought me to where I am today. A happy, well, and thriving man in a healthy marriage and family.

Metabolic syndrome and mental health disorders go hand in hand. I eat because I'm depressed, and I get depressed because I eat, that is what I have said to myself in the past. But learning about nutrition and how metabolism contributes to mental health and wellness proved powerful weapons in combating my lousy eating habits. It can help you too. Learn the basics of Basal Metabolic Rate in this podcast.

Advocating for healthy living by advocating for healthy thinking in every aspect of life. Physical, emotional, societal, and mental health cross paths in our every day living. How can we all become advocates for mental health in understanding ourselves and others?

The stigma that you must help your self rise above adversity is true, but the first step in making that rise is realizing the negative stigma we all bring to mental health issues. This podcast looks at problems facing all Americans when we do not separate facts from stigmas. The normality many take for granted makes it hard to see past the stigmas. We shun people outside our own comfort zones. The fist step in making your life more healthy and happy is to remove your own stigmas associated with the concepts of mental health treatments.

Arrested during a bi-polar manic episode my family deals with the reality that their son, father, husband, and brother suffers with a mental illness. Together, they all move through the maze of legal and medical red tape looking for help and answers about the disease.