September 5, 2013

Inside a Cross-Cultural, Bipolar Life

Imagine if no one knows what your illness is, or if it is mistreated by the medical community. How much worse is it, when treatment is possible, but it is prevented or delayed by ignorance.

bigthinkeditor

Melody Moezzi’s memoir Haldol and Hyacinths: A Bipolar Life

is the harrowing tale of a manic-depressive Iranian-American Muslim woman who was encouraged to keep her illness a secret by her family as well as the medical establishment.

“Imagine if no one knows what your illness is, or if it is mistreated by the medical community. How much worse is it, when treatment is possible, but it is prevented or delayed by ignorance.”

So writes Jeff Schechtman on his Specific Gravity blog, which features this interview with Moezzi. As you will find out, what is inspirational about Moezzi’s story is that she not only refused to keep her illness a secret, she became a vocal public health advocate.

Listen to the podcast here:

Click here to listen on your iphone or ipad /a>

Image courtesy of Shutterstock

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The great free will debate featuring Michio Kaku and Steven Pinker

Who — or what — really controls your mind?

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The Past

The largest accidental explosion of all time

More than a century ago, Halifax suffered an accidental blast one-fifth the size of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

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Dive into the twisted truths and concealed realities told by literature’s most unreliable narrators.

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Signs you’re burned out — and how to bounce back

If you don’t feel better after the weekend, the “burnout paradox” could explain why.

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7 min

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with

Laurie Santos

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