Advice for bipolar sufferers at Mount Airy bookstore

Posted 5/30/18

Ellen Forney, who will be at Big Blue Marble Bookstore in West Mt. Airy on Thursday, May 31, 7 p.m., proudly holds a copy of her just-released illustrated book, “Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice from …

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Advice for bipolar sufferers at Mount Airy bookstore

Posted

Ellen Forney, who will be at Big Blue Marble Bookstore in West Mt. Airy on Thursday, May 31, 7 p.m., proudly holds a copy of her just-released illustrated book, “Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice from My Bipolar Life.”[/caption]

by Len Lear

According to the National Institute of Mental Health website, “bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks … In a given year, bipolar disorder affects about 5.9 million American adults, or about 2.6% of the U.S. population 18 and older.”

As with any mental illness, many people who have bipolar disorder suffer in silence and shame, reluctant to let anyone know what they are going through. Not Ellen Forney, however! The East Falls native will be present Thursday, May 31, 7 p.m., at Big Blue Marble Bookstore, 551 Carpenter Lane in West Mt. Airy, to discuss her just-released illustrated book, “Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice from My Bipolar Life” (Fantagraphics Books, Inc., $19.99).

The “self-help guide to maintaining stability with a mood disorder” is not only loaded with good advice for bipolar sufferers based on Ellen’s own experiences, but it is chockablock with charming illustrations on almost every page, which adds to the book’s appeal.

This is not Forney’s first attempt to destigmatize mood disorders. Her 2012 best-selling book, “Marbles, Mania, Depression, Michelangelo & Me,” was a courageous memoir about someone who has battled bipolar disorder and won the fight.

According to the New York Times, “Ellen Forney’s greatest strength as a cartoonist is her gift for explanation — getting information across with vigor, wit and visual inventiveness.” And Publishers Weekly has written that those “searching for insight into the minds of troubled artists will find Forney an engaging storyteller.”

A 1985 graduate of the elite Masterman High School and Wesleyan University in 1989 as a psychology major, Ellen, 50, has lived in Seattle since 1989. In addition to the books already mentioned, she has collaborated on the National Book Award-winning novel, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.”

Forney, who during our interview mentioned that “being queer is definitely a part of my identity,” said that growing up in Philly, “I wanted to be an author, illustrator and actress. Now as a cartoonist, I get to do all three. Acting comes into play a lot with comics! A cartoonist is the director, all the actors, location scout, costumer and everything else.”

What kind of feedback did Ellen get after the publication of “Marbles” in 2012? “Before Marbles was released, I was excited and terrified because it was really a big ‘coming out.’ Before then, I’d been pretty private about my bipolar disorder. After the book’s release and to this day, I get so much positive feedback — from readers with (and without) mood disorders, therapists, teachers and other cartoonists.

“People with bipolar tell me they give ‘Marbles’ to their friends and family because it communicates what it’s like to have bipolar in a way that they have a hard time expressing themselves. Therapists have told me they understand their patients better; people who know someone with bipolar tell me that it’s helped them understand that person better. People with bipolar tell me I’ve given them hope, which is an incredible honor and really gives me a sense of purpose.

“And especially, people tell me about their own struggle, their own mental health or that of family or friend. Almost everyone has or knows someone who has some sort of mental health issue; it’s so common, but for various reasons we don’t talk about it. The stigma of mental illness is the biggest block, but also we just don’t have the opportunity to talk about it most of the time.”

In addition to her brilliant books, Forney curated “Graphic Medicine: Ill-Conceived & Well-Drawn,” a traveling exhibition launched in January of this year about comics and health for the National Library of Medicine. The exhibit was immediately very popular and was reserved within about a week by libraries and universities across the country for the next four years. The exhibit will be at Jefferson Medical School Library in Philly, but Ellen is not sure of the dates yet.

As a self-help book for maintaining stability with a mood disorder, “I’m hoping that people with mood disorders will find ‘Rock Steady’ helpful. I hope they’ll learn specific tools for things like insomnia and recognizing red flags but also for things like knowing it’s even possible to get stable, for being kind to themselves and for knowing they’re not alone.

“Many of the topics are relevant for anyone, though: emotions and moods are universal experiences, and many ‘normal’ people have anxiety, insomnia and other issues that I cover in the book. Many people could benefit from learning ways to calm down and get some perspective when things are overwhelming.”

What is the hardest thing Forney has ever done? “Stabilizing with bipolar disorder. Getting through my deepest depression. And honestly, I’d say creating ‘Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo & Me’ is right up there with those efforts.”

For more information, visit www.ellenforney.com.

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