My name is Shawn Maxam and I am the bipolar griot. Griot is a West African term for storyteller. The term is still used within the Black community to describe individuals who share important stories and oral histories.
Here on The Bipolar Griot, I hope to share my story of living with bipolar disorder. I will write about my experience with mental illness and how I developed a resilent attitude and how it has helped me on my road to living in bipolar recovery.
My Bipolar Story
After my younger brother’s murder in the summer of 2006, I began to really struggle with bouts of depression and mania. Finally, in the Spring of 2007, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Ever since then, I have learned to share and discuss the effects mental illness had on me, my family and other people of color.
I grew up in mainly Black-Caribbean communities in New York City. It was only after I started to talk about my own struggles of living with bipolar disorder that I discovered the history of mental illness in my own Jamaican family and the larger Black community.
After fully accepting my diagnosis, I have engaged in multiple treatment methods including talk therapy and psychotropic drugs. It is because of my treatment plan that I am now remarried and in graduate school pursuing a Master of Social Work degree. After completing my education, I plan to work in minority communities and promote mental health awareness issues.
I hope that by telling my story, it will decrease the stigma surrounding mental illness and inspire other people of color suffering from psychiatric disorders to seek treatment and support.
Shawn Maxam’s Bipolar Griot Blog Welcome Video
Want to know a bit more about me and my hopes for The Bipolar Griot blog? Watch this.
You can also connect with Shawn Maxam on Twitter, Google+ and Facebook.
Tweet
Hi Shawn! Welcome aboard. I look forward to your posts and stories! Tell me…how do you pronounce “Griot”?
Hi Shawn! Looking forward to more of your blog posts. Welcome to Healthy Place
Hello Kellie. I am glad to be here. Thanks for the welcome. Griot is usually pronounced GREE-oh
Hey Cindyaka, thanks for the welcome and I look forward to sharing, reading and being a part of the community here at Healthy Place.
Hi Shawn. Welcome to HealthyPlace! It’s great to hear another male voice in mental health blogging. I’m also looking forward to learning about any racial barriers that may (and I’ve no doubt do) exist in the United States for those struggling with mental illnesses. It’s fascinating to me how gender, race, culture, sexuality, even economics can impact mental health and recovery from illness.
Thank you for joining us!
Thank you Holly. I am glad to be able to add my perspective and I look forward to learning from all of the other great bloggers here as well.
Shawn, you are an inspiration to us all. I am a firm believer that sharing your personal story is inspiration and that take courage so you are to be commended. You will no doubt help tons of ppl! I am so glad I found Kellie and her forums and look forward to learning and growing w/them too.
Thank you Carolyn. I echo your sentiments on the the power of sharing our stories and the ability to inspire. I look forward to a continued dialogue with you here and beyond.
Welcome to HealthyPlace, Shawn! I look forward to your perspective on bipolar illness and mental health.
Hey Shawn! Just want to say I’m happy to see an African-American man like myself struggling with this “disorder”! Keep up the good work and never give up!
Thank you for the kind words Martez. I’m glad to be a part of the community here.