Christiane Wells's Blog
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Oct.11.2010
Throughout my pregnancy I planned on breastfeeding my son when he was born. I read all of the books for pregnant women, and they all said that breast is best. I absolutely didn’t want to give my child formula for at least the first year of his life. I hoped it would go smoothly.
I thought very...
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Oct.10.2010
I was in the middle of a serious suicide attempt. I was trying my best to evade all help by driving around and running from places. I was driven out of my house and took the car out, only to find I could barely see and breathe, which severely impaired my ability to drive.
I’d downed six beers as...
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Oct.06.2010
In honor of Bipolar Disorder Awareness Day, I was going to talk a little about my experience with Bipolar I Disorder. Instead, I want to write about my experiences before I was diagnosed. These are some of the precursors of my mental illness. Always remember that not everyone is the same.
My brain...
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Oct.05.2010
The mental hospital can be pretty boring. Sure, there are groups and you meet with your doctor, and periodically a therapist, but overall, it’s a total snore fest. You have to figure out how to keep yourself busy. Especially if you’re in the hospital for a manic episode. There’s no way you’re going...
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Oct.04.2010
It’s Mental Health Awareness Week. The photo on the left is of Clifford Beers. He’s the person who comes to mind when I think of Mental Health Awareness. His book, “A Mind That Found Itself,” gave the world a glimpse of the way people with mental illness were treated at the time (1908). He changed...
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Oct.04.2010
Whether you love them or hate them, I’ll always be a fan of the New York Yankees. It wasn’t a conscious choice; it was decades of watching Yankees games with my grandparents. If it was baseball season, and there was a Yankees game on, my grandparents were watching it. Yankees fandom seemed the...
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Oct.01.2010
I’ve said before, I have both bipolar I disorder as well as panic disorder. I no longer have panic disorder with agoraphobia, but I did 5 years ago. Jason and I moved to Denver for me to go to grad school at the University of Denver and for him to work at his corporate headquarters.
I hated going...
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Sep.30.2010
I’m not in the mood to write about mental health, or addiction, or really anything. I found out yesterday that someone I love has cancer, and I’m really not in the greatest state of mind to blog about anything.
I don’t want to go into any details about how I feel about this, because it’s too...
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Sep.29.2010
I love John Steinbeck. He’s my favorite author and a huge inspiration, not just for his work, which is excellent, but his ideals. Steinbeck wrote about the oppressed people of his time. Telling their stories in a way that draws you in and makes you care about them and their plight. I find his...
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Sep.27.2010
Anxiety is nearly as big a deal for me as bipolar disorder. My diagnoses for Social Security are bipolar disorder and panic disorder, because they both severely impair my social and occupational functioning. I haven’t written much about anxiety lately because it’s managed by Klonopin, my miracle...
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Sep.26.2010
Taking a break from the book and not writing about bipolar disorder or addiction for a week was nice. We had a great, relaxing trip. The only problem was when Jack climbed behind me on the couch and somehow injured my neck. It’s okay, though. A little pain is no big deal, I’m sure it’ll get better...
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Sep.16.2010
February 19, 1999
I’m in California with Kira and it’s nice to be out of Las Vegas. I feel good mentally compared to the way I felt last night before I went to bed. I thought that the world was crashing in around me. I think I’m going to kill myself by either jumping in front of a train or a truck...
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Sep.14.2010
In 1999, when I was living in Las Vegas, I got a temp job at a wire and cable company. I’d been on Social Security Disability since 1996, and that summer was the first time I’d worked since 1995. I needed to work in order to help support my crack habit.
The guy I lived with, Joe, also had a job,...
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Sep.13.2010
I don’t know what it’s like to come out as a lesbian, but my life over the past few months feels like I’ve “come out” as a crazy drug addict. I’ve outed myself as a mentally ill, former crack smoking, loose cannon, mother and wife. At least I’m educated. So I have that going for me.
Obviously I...
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Sep.13.2010
After posting about the torture of emotions, I spent much of the day thinking about the post. Thinking about the toughest things to remember. Invariably, March 1999 comes up in these thoughts. While I’m not really keen on posting too many excerpts of the book, there’s no better way to rewrite what...
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Wells' writing has both a lyrical intensity...and a deadpan humor that dispels bathos. She manages to convey a whirlwind of narcotized craziness with remarkable clarity and insight. An entrancing journey through the lower depths.”
—Kirkus Reviews
About Christiane
Originally from Milford, Connecticut, I’m currently living in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, a quiet Denver suburb. I’m here with my husband, Jason, and son, Jack. I spend my days writing, reading, cooking, and learning. I’m in school full-time pursuing my Ph.D...
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Christiane’s Favorite Books
In Dubious Battle, Grapes of Wrath, The Omnivore's Dilemma, What To Eat, The Jungle, Magical Thinking, Naked, To Kill a Mockingbird, With These Hands,...