My name is Megan! I’m 33 years old and I live near Seattle, Washington. I’ve been married to my husband, Kyle for six years and we have a beautiful Cane Corso mastiff named, Roman. We are THRILLED to also be expecting our first child in December 2020! I started “The Mind Bar” because I want to make a difference in the mental health community. I want to give hope and inspiration to those that are living in darkness. I want to set an example that no matter how bad things are, recovery is possible. 

MIND stands for “Mental Illness does Not Define.” I have been diagnosed with Bipolar type 1 (psychotic features), panic disorder and PTSD. I have been hospitalized 4 separate times for episodes of mania and depression. It has been a painful road to receive the help I have needed for many years. I had a horrific manic episode in the spring of 2017 after being misdiagnosed with depression.  I had another manic episode in the spring of 2018. At the time, I was abusing alcohol which lead me to believe that I no longer needed to take my medications. Finally, with my families unconditional support, I made the decision to seek intensive treatment at a dual diagnosis facility on the East Coast! I stayed for 70 days and worked with a specialized therapist as well as did a variety of group classes. It was there that I learned how important it is to stay sober if I want to live a healthy life. As a result, I have never felt better! June 7, 2018 is my alcohol free birthday!! I’m proud to say that I’m a survivor💪🏻

I have been a licensed cosmetologist for over a decade. I successfully ran my hair salon for 6 years. Unfortunately I made the choice to stop working behind the chair. I’ve prioritized all my energy into my mental health. Reaching the conclusion to end my career was devastating BUT I had to do what was in the best interest of my well-being.

Fitness is a passion of mine!! I do CrossFit anywhere between 3 and 5 times a week. Lifting weights relieves stress and builds my confidence! I have realized that it is crucial for me to exercise in order to successfully manage my mental illness. Working out keeps my highs from getting too high and my lows from getting too low. For the most part, everyone at my gym is aware of my mental health issues. In September 2019, my husband (who is a CrossFit coach) organized and ran a mental health event where I gave my first public speech. I told my story to a group of around 60 people! I’m very thankful to be a part of a community that supports and uplifts me!! I hope to do more public speaking in the future!

There is always a bright light at the end of the tunnel. With determination, YOU CAN turn your “mess” into your message! I believe we all have a purpose to fulfill. Throughout my ups and downs, I chose to practice blind faith. At some very low points, I couldn’t envision how I would ever reach stability. Deep down inside of me, I heard a voice telling me to NOT give up! Perseverance and GRIT are the ingredients to my success story. If I can get to where I’m at today, then the possibilities in life are endless. I have a YouTube channel talking more in depth about the heartache I have endured as well as where I am currently on my mental health journey. Scroll to the right to subscribe. Thank you to all my loved ones for never giving up on me. You can make it through the storm! Believe in yourself because I BELIEVE IN YOU✨

Here is my story...

As far back as I can remember.....I’ve always been extremely sensitive. I find that most people that have mental illness are sensitive. I feel all my emotions intensely. Good and bad. I am also very empathic and tend to take on other people’s emotions and problems as if they are my own. This has made it challenging for me to navigate through life in a healthy way. 

In early July of 2016, I suddenly stopped sleeping. I’m not over exaggerating when I say I slept 10-15 minutes a night. It was out of the blue that this happened. I remember at the time having lots of stress from running my business, stress from unsuccessfully trying to get pregnant for 2 years as well as constantly over committing myself in social engagements. At this time, I tried anything and everything to help me sleep. Over the counter remedies, Benadryl, anxiety medication...really everything a person could imagine or suggest to help. Nothing worked. By August of 2016, a month later- I was unraveling at a rapid rate from exhaustion. It was suggested by a family physician that I try Zoloft for depression. I refused out of stubbornness and fear. I had heard horror stories about antidepressants...which later I found out were true for some people (me). During the month of August 2016 I made 4 visits to the doctor hoping for relief and answers.

Still no answers. I had lost 30 Pounds and my hair started to fall out. I could barely get out of bed but I kept forcing and fighting my way to make it through the day. Friends and family became extremely concerned and kept commenting on my weight loss. I withdrew from everything that previously gave me joy.
By August of 2016- after a month of zero sleep, I felt hopeless. I couldn’t function and I barely made it to work everyday. I was afraid to talk to openly what I was going through. I started missing appointments and cancelling on people at the last minute. It was so scary for me not being able to sleep and I started to fear nighttime. A terrible anxiety would wash over me once it got dark outside. I would watch my husband sleep and think to myself, “why can’t I just shut my brain off?” I’ve since learned that racing thoughts and lack of sleep are major symptoms of Bipolar Disorder.

I heard from an acquaintance that a medication called Trazodone helps with sleep. I quickly booked an appointment with my physician and she willingly prescribed it to me. That didn’t even work. Even a very high dosage. I started taking Trazodone on Sept 2, 2016 and by Sept 6, 2016 I wasn’t getting any relief so I went back to the doctor. The terror that nothing was working continued to sink in. I could feel my life slipping away from me.

My husband and I had gone out of town for Labor Day weekend and I remember I had my first suicidal thought ever in my entire life. We were hiking and I started to imagine shooting myself and dying and thinking that everyone would be better off without me. I knew something was terribly wrong with me. I knew it was crazy to think those thoughts but I couldn’t stop them. They just kept playing over and over. I felt like I was being tortured.

I went back to the doctor the day I got home. I was prescribed 10MG of Lexapro by my physician and she told me to stop taking the Trazodone. She said “it’s time” to give antidepressants a shot. Lexapro is an SSRI antidepressant in the same class as Zoloft and many others. I’ve learned through my experience that these medications are very dangerous to take without a mood stabilizer if you have Bipolar Disorder.
I finally caved and was willing to try an antidepressant because I was desperate to sleep and get my life back. I was terrified the first time I swallowed that pill. Little did I know what was to come...

Early morning of Sept 7, 2016 I slipped into a psychosis induced by the shock of the Lexapro to my system and held a loaded gun for hours and hours and almost ended my life. In just 2 months time my depression was so severe, I didn’t want to live. The thought of devastating my loved ones was the only thing that kept me from pulling the trigger.
When my husband woke up for work I told him what I had been doing all night. I had never seen that much fear in his eyes. He rushed me to the ER at Providence Hospital in Everett, Wa. They then sent me to Fairfax Behavioral Health Hospital in Bothell, Wa. I was promised by the social worker at Providence that I would be going somewhere safe where I would get the help I needed and finally get some sleep. I was actually excited to go because I didn’t really want to die. I desperately wanted to live and feel healthy.

While I was at Fairfax I was on pins and needles during my entire stay and didn’t feel I was in a safe and healing atmosphere. I also didn’t get a wink of sleep the entire time. For example I was walked in on while I was half naked and changing in my room by a male nurse. I was also locked in a room alone with a male nurse for a “check in” where he proceeded to tell me how “hot and beautiful I am.” I remember he bit his lip and stared me up and down (stopping his eyes on my private areas). He told me I was too “sexy” to be depressed. I was absolutely terrified and feared what would happen to me if I stood up for myself. I knew that because I’m “mentally ill” It was highly likely they would think I was lying. It would be his word against mine. I knew because I was in a psych ward that I had no credibility.

At Fairfax they misdiagnosed me with anxiety and depression and kept me on the Lexapro which surprised me. I was confused as to why they would they keep me on a medication that made me suicidal? But everyday you’re forced to take your pills. At the hospital I would meet with a psychiatrist daily and not once did he consider Bipolar as a possibility. That wasn’t even on the table. It wasn’t mentioned. I wish they would have asked me what the “norm” of my personality is. I would have said...high functioning, works ridiculous hours, runs my own business, works out intensely 5 -7 days a week and attends non stop social events. Your basic over achiever and always “go go go, and more more more.” I can’t believe they never investigated beyond the suicidal ideation or considered Bipolar as a possibility. This makes me angry to this day because that hospital stay where I was sexually harassed and misdiagnosed cost my husband and I 10K. That’s a lot of wasted to money to not get any positive outcome.

When I was released days later, I stopped taking the Lexapro. I believed it was responsible for causing the suicidal ideation. I foolishly thought to myself that if I was a more “grateful” person or counted my blessings more often that I would be able to snap out of it and sleep on my own. The mental hospital was so incredibly scary that I NEVER wanted to return there again. I was still very suicidal but didn’t know where to go or where to turn to. I vowed never to tell a soul what I had just happened to me.
By October of 2016 I was ashamed, scared and still had no relief. An already desperate situation kept getting worse. I tried so hard to keep what was going on a secret.

I had to wait a month to see a psychiatrist. An appointment for mental health isn’t easy to schedule. I finally saw her and told her about my insomnia. I still wasn’t convinced I was depressed because I had no reason to be. I didn’t want to be depressed. I didn’t want to admit it. Nothing happened in my life to cause depression- so why would I be? I’ve always been a positive person and couldn’t understand why i couldn’t shake this and stop feeling sorry for myself? (Again thinking depression isn’t a serious illness. That it’s all in my head and I need to snap out of it). I was so hard on myself and hated myself.
She placed me on sleeping medications (temazapam) as well as told me I needed to go back on Lexapro and stick wth it. During this time, two of my good friends got married. I still to this day don’t know how I attended their weddings. I felt I could have collapsed at any minute. I was extremely frail and ill. I had to force myself to smile and show everyone I was “okay.” I didn’t want to seem weak. I didn’t want to let anyone down and I just wanted to feel normal again. I thought maybe things would resolve themselves if I kept gritting it out.

I started Lexapro again on a much smaller dose so it didn’t shock my system on 10/31/16. By 12/31/16 which is my birthday, 8 weeks later I started feeling good. Too good. I was feeling GREAT and like I could take on and conquer the world. I had taken a 6 week leave of absence from work and suddenly around the beginning of the year of 2017 I felt AMAZING!!
This medication (lexapro) flipped me into a severe SEVERE manic episode that also almost killed me...literally. I’ve come to find out that many people thought I was going to die because of my wreckless behavior. I easily could have with the choices I was making and the people I started associating with. I started drinking alcohol daily, doing drugs, left my husband, was incarcerated 3 times, became homeless, spent my life savings, had my car stolen, got into several alterations, wrote psychotic things on my social media accounts ect. It was really BAD.
I’ve lost many friends while all of this played out and it’s been excruciating to watch people’s opinions on my character drastically change.

My old gym that I used to attend regularly for many years asked that I never return to the premises. They “shunned” me because of my temporary behavior as a result of my mental illness. This is a place I’ve made many positive contributions to in years prior to getting sick. I’ve even been acknowledged in that community for being one of the top leaders in the past.

Hearing that some worried for their safety around me even now makes me feel like vomiting. Whether or not it actually is...it FEELS like discrimination to be banned from public places. In my defense I was never physically violent with anyone when I was sick. I never damaged anyones property. When I was arrested it was for NON violent crimes. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around how it isn’t the SAME as telling someone who is black or gay they can’t be a part of a community atmosphere. I know my mental illness isn’t my fault ....and at the end of the day...ignorance is something we have to deal with in society. Luckily, today I am a member of a very loving and supportive CrossFit gym. They hosted a mental health awareness event recently where I gave a speech about having bipolar disorder and struggling with substance abuse. It was truly a dream come true.

I wasn’t correctly diagnosed with Bipolar til almost a year after I stopped sleeping. I was correctly diagnosed on April 27, 2017. I was sent to 2 mental hospitals for my mania in April 0f 2017. Once when I was withdrawing from drugs and the other time I was transported directly there upon being released from jail. It’s a shame all my acquaintances as well as strangers had witness my psychotic break via posts on social media that I don’t remember making.
I ran a very successful hair salon business for 6 years and have decided not to anymore. It was a mutual decision between myself, my health care specialists, my husband and my parents. It’s been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. I worked so hard to start that business from the ground up and it’s been difficult to let it go. In the beginning of starting Salon Radiance I got a second job to get it going and I never had to take out any loans. On the bright side, the salon did teach me something valuable. It taught me I can do ANYTHING I set my mind to.

Prior to my episodes I didn’t abuse drugs, I had never been arrested or in trouble with the law. I never really had any health issues besides a cold or the flu. Dealing with all my legal issues has tested my strength because I know the person who was arrested isn’t my true character. Having to take responsibility for “manic megan” really sucked.

I took a “gene test,” called Genomind, to test my DNA with all prescription medications. I did it as an informational experiment. The medications I take now are working great but it will be good to have the results for the future.
Its been scientifically proven that all of this could have been prevented. It clearly stated on the results of my test that Lexapro and Latuda (Lautuda is the med I was placed on after my correct diagnosis in May of 2017) were in the worst category on the test. The test revealed that my brain would have a horrific response to these medications. And it absolutely did. These are medications I was prescribed, pressured and forced to take at times. I trusted the people that prescribed me these drugs. They were under the category that said “will cause adverse events and poor response.” Had I taken the gene test a year earlier I wouldn’t have caused a public embarrassment for myself. It’s been very hard for me to forgive the system.

I’m finally on the right medication and I feel better then ever. My health care team has told me that my recovery has been remarkable and is the fastest they have seen in their careers. I still have good days and bad days with regard to Bipolar Disorder BUT all in all- life is good!!

After suffering for so long and nearly losing my life- I FINALLY got the help I deserved. I sleep great now (thanks to seroquel some nights) and am thriving in my life. It’s such a relief to have answers. The only thing I really struggle with is the stigma and the way people view me now that they know I have a mental illness. Some people are incredibly supportive and others avoid me. I’ll admit that my illness has made me feel disposable at times. Thankfully I have many true friends and family that have stood by my side through everything.

It seems one of the only ways to get attention, empathy, understanding, forgiveness and compassion from ignorant people is when someone actually ends their life. That’s when people tend to “show up.” Once someone commits suicide, there are shock waves. Mentally ill people really need the support while they are alive while they are struggling or recovering and doing their best to cope. Not after it’s too late...
That’s a huge reason I am doing what I’m doing by sharing my story. I truly want to make a difference and help people avoid what I’ve had to endure.

It deeply pains me to see that other diseases get a different sort of compassion and understanding then mental illness. For example, I’ve noticed that people who get diagnosed with cancer get flowers, cards, go fund me accounts and meal trains. Most get visitors in the hospital. (This comment is no disrespect to ANYONE who has cancer). People who battle cancer are some of the strongest hero’s in the world. What I mean is that it is
wonderful to see that other illnesses receive help, love and compassion. I just wish that mental illness was the same. I wish that people who battle mental illness were looked at as hero’s as well!! I was lucky to get visitors during my hospital stays however I witnessed many people who didn’t. Often when you have a mental illness on top of cleaning up an episode we have to deal with being treated like freaks and rejects.

After 2017, I didn’t think that I would ever go through something so horrific again. Little did I know that I would have another terrible episode in the Spring of 2018. I began to abuse alcohol to numb and mask everything I had gone through. Everything that I had endured was too much for me and I didn’t know how to process it. Drinking made the feelings go away. The drinking would lead to hangovers which would lead to me not wanting to take my medication. I’ve accepted that I need medication. It’s been hard for me to realize I am reliant on medication but it’s the truth. I ended up going to a treatment center in the summer of 2018 on the East Coast and got the help that I needed. I did one on one intensive therapy and group therapy. On June 7, 2018 I gave up alcohol for good. It’s been a long journey with my sobriety but I don’t regret my decision. I had to face all my demons and past trauma head on in order to get through it and come to the other side of it. In my opinion- a sober lifestyle takes bravery.

I do have a YouTube channel that I started in January 2019 where I have a bunch of videos going into more details of my story if you want to check it out. It’s called slaying the stigma. You can find the link to my YouTube channel if you swipe right.

I know God gave me this challenging life because he knew I would rise to the occasion. He knew I was strong enough to overcome this. I’ll never give up and stop trying to make a difference as long as I live.
I’m in a very good space and I’m managing my illness the best I can and want to help others do the same. If we stick together and keep talking, I know things will slowly change. Never let discouragement keep you from being the warrior that you are deep down.

We aren’t alone and the more we voice these things that are hard to discuss, the better place the world will be. Together we can end the stigma surrounding mental health.

Special thanks to all those who have stood by me. I greatly appreciate you not giving up on me and knowing I would get better. I have to say my husband is one of the strongest people I’ve ever known and I’m so thankful I was able to keep my marriage intact. Never take your loved ones for granted. When you’re at your lowest point in life...they most likely will be the only ones to see you through to the other side. Blessings to all and keep the faith. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!!