Interview with Merryl Hammond, PhD,
Editor of Navigating Bipolar Country and author of Mad Like Me
Q: To start, could you tell us a bit about your background and work, Merryl?
A: About a hundred years ago back in South Africa where I was born, I trained as a nurse, got several post-grad nursing qualifications, did a master’s in sociology and a doctorate in adult education and public health. I’ve worked as a lecturer in medical school, a trainer of nurses in rural South Africa, and — since immigrating to Canada — a public health consultant with Indigenous communities. I had zero mental health issues for the first fifty-plus years of my life…
Q: When did you first experience bipolar disorder?
A: It was 2008; I was 51 and menopausal. Our family went through a huge drama with of one of our teenaged kids. (My husband, Rob, and I have 5 kids.) A few days into the crisis, BANG! Something deep inside my brain just snapped. Bipolar emerged like some beast from the deep. We initially thought that the first episode I had was depression but looking back we realize that I had in fact been hypomanic for some time before that. We just didn’t have the language and we didn’t know the signs…
Q: Did it take a long time for you to get a diagnosis of bipolar?
A: Thankfully, no. I realize how unusual this was, but I was very fortunate to have a good friend who’s a doctor. When she saw me in hypomania, she immediately referred me to a clinic for assessment. It only took a couple of weeks for them to refer me to a psychiatrist who diagnosed bipolar II and prescribed medicines used often in bipolar disorder. About six months later, after the disorder had progressed, he revised his diagnosis to rapid cycling bipolar I. Over several months, they added various meds and played with dosages in a valiant attempt to get my bipolar under control. Nothing worked until — after two psychiatric hospitalizations — they finally found a combination of five meds that stabilized me (and virtually knocked me senseless!). Gradually, they weaned me off three of those, so now I’m gloriously stable only taking two.
Q: In 2018, you published a memoir called Mad Like Me: Travels in Bipolar Country. What motivated you to share your story?
A: I thought: if I as a trained nurse had virtually no idea about bipolar and how it derails not only the affected person but the whole family and social network around that person, then how unaware and uninformed must others be, too? As well, I was determined to help fight the taboo and stigma that shrouds bipolar in shame. I read up about the history of bipolar (formerly “manic depression”) and how affected people were treated historically and still are today in underdeveloped countries with very poor services and resources. For example, did you know that Hitler used “gas buses” to travel through the countryside, rounding up and murdering people with mental illnesses and disabilities? And that even today in some countries, people who are undiagnosed and/or untreated are routinely chained up when their families can’t cope with their manic episodes? My heart breaks to think of these atrocities.) We all need to speak out for change. “We are here; we are dignified human beings; we deserve respect!”
Reducing stigma has become my mission. I felt that sharing my own story might help in a small way. And when I do public speaking gigs, I emphasize that “if this could happen to me, it could happen to you!” We are each responsible for taking care of our own mental health; our own brain. I say: “If you currently have your mental health intact, please be grateful and protect it like a precious newborn baby. Do everything to keep it safe: eat well, sleep well, get regular exercise, meditate, build a supportive social network, reduce stress… all the good stuff! Because if you cross over an imaginary red line on the floor and end up with a mental illness like I did, it takes unspeakable effort to claw your way back to the healthy side of that line.”
Q: Do you have a quote from Mad Like Me that you can share with us?
Sure. In the Prologue I say:
“Bipolar caused me to disappear from the stage of my own life for two full years. I was exiled, lost, shocked, confused and ashamed. If some of the things I share here can help you to shorten your quarantine period in Bipolar Country, I’ll be thankful. I’ve been there. I know how extremely scary and lonely it gets. But I’m here to tell you that things can get better, and that you can, piece by piece, build a life where bipolar no longer controls you. You can tame this tiger!”
Q: And just last year, in 2022, you edited and published an anthology called Navigating Bipolar Country: Personal and Professional Perspectives on Living with Bipolar Disorder. How did that come about?
A: The idea for the anthology emerged organically from responses to my memoir. People would read Mad Like Me and contact me via my website to thank me for my honesty, and to share something of their own experiences, whether as an affected person or a caregiver. I soon realized that there were so many stories to share, but not everyone had the desire or capability to write a full memoir. I invited contributors to share a small snippet or one aspect of their story, or to do an interview with me if they felt overwhelmed by a blank screen. Somewhere during the process of collecting stories, I decided to include health and other professionals as well, since they are a key part of the picture. I ended up with 42 contributions divided into three sections: contributions by people living with bipolar disorder; our family members; and the professionals who work with us. I’m proud of the result and hope it will help many people dealing with bipolar in one way or another.
Q: Can you share a brief quote from the anthology with us?
A: It’s impossible to choose one of the 42 contributions to highlight: they are all so amazing and eye-opening in their own ways! This is from the Preface I wrote. After explaining the three sections, I wrote:
“There is something here for everyone! It’s been an honor for me to edit this anthology, and it’s now an honor for me to share it with you. May it give a small taste of what it’s like to navigate bipolar country.”
Q: I see that you like the term “bipolar country”…
A: Oh, so you noticed, ha-ha! Yes, I coined that phrase years ago because it really felt to me that when I was either manic or depressed, I was living in a whole other country; another world, really! So it made sense to subtitle my memoir Travels in Bipolar Country, and to title the anthology Navigating Bipolar Country. And in fact, between these two books, I published an ebook in 2020 called COVID-19 in Bipolar Country: Survival Tips for Mental Stability during the Coronavirus Pandemic. So that’s a family of three related books…
Q: Thanks for your time! How can people contact you, Merryl?
A: Thank you for your interest in my work!
The best way to reach me is through my website’s contact form at
https://www.merrylhammond.com/contact
Or you could email me at info@merrylhammond.com
