What’s #InternationalPodcastDay? International Podcast Day is September 30th and is an international celebration of the power of podcasts. The official International Podcast Day event streaming schedule is below. On September 30, join our live broadcast on this IPD LIVE page or via our YouTube Channel, Twitter account, Facebook page, or Twitch stream.  https://internationalpodcastday.com/ What’s Kitt been up to? I’ve been doing the podcast circuit, keeping myself busy getting interviews on podcasts. Check out my MEDIA page, which is a work in progress. My ME ..read more

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. NAMI HelpLine: 800-950-NAMI (6264) Facebook.com/NAMI Twitter.com/NAMICommunicate Instagram.com/NAMICommunicate www.nami.org The post September is Suicide Prevention Month appeared first on Kitt O'Malley ..read more

Edited image from https://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/video/video-bipolar-acceptance Thank you, Alan Smith, of Creative Cabin Studios, for filming me about self-care and acceptance of living with bipolar for WebMD. Alan’s videography is stunning. Check out the video on WebMD at https://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/video/video-bipolar-acceptance The post Self-Care and Acceptance of Bipolar on WebMD appeared first on Kitt O'Malley ..read more

Back in 2016, after my local NAMI Orange County office hosted an In Our Own Voice (IOOV) training, I recorded these videos on my YouTube channel. In Our Own Voice (IOOV)   Hi, I’m Kitt O’Malley Mother of a teen son (he’s 22 now!), wife, mental health advocate You can find me daily on social media. I enjoy reading, writing, art, photography, flowers & nature The National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, is the nation’s largest grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of persons living with serious mental illness and their families. Founded in 1979, NAMI has ..read more

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis, 988 provides 24/7 connection to confidential support. There is Hope. Just call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org What Have I Been Up To? Writing? No, not writing. Volunteering? Yes! I’m volunteering for my local National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) chapter, NAMI Central Oregon. Last April, I had the honor to share my In Your Own Voice presentation at the Redmond, Oregon police department’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT). Next week, I’m sharing my story at the Deschutes Coun ..read more

Many of us living with mental illness have other chronic illnesses. Often, we are not treated for our “physical” illnesses, as many doctors dismiss them as psychosomatic. “Mental” illnesses ARE “physical” illnesses, and “physical” illnesses affect our “mental” illnesses. We are not just our brains, just our bodies, just our minds, just our feelings, or just our souls. The more we learn, the more we understand interconnectedness and comorbidities. The ALPIM Spectrum In the Spring 2015 issue of the Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, researchers proposed The ALPIM Spectru ..read more

You may wonder: “How’s Kitt?” Well, a bit high on hypomania, but sleeping well with the help of meds, and titrating off my SSRI (at least during these longer-day seasons which trigger my hypomanic symptoms). What have I been doing with my hypomanic energy and dog-with-a-bone focus? I’ve been active on social media, updating NAMI Central Oregon‘s website, and creating marketing collateral. Luckily, my husband and I will relax next week while celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. That’s a wedding pic of us at Lake Tahoe. Once I return from our romantic getaway, I’ll be joining NAMIWalks Nor ..read more

  As you may already know, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has played an essential part in my mental health recovery. Thanks to their programs, I live a full meaningful life with bipolar disorder. Now that I’ve moved to Central Oregon, I find community and purpose in volunteering for NAMI Central Oregon. It’s a new day for mental health, and I’m going to seize it — by participating in NAMIWalks Your Way 2022. This event raises funds for NAMI’s free, top-rated programs at a time when we need it most. It gives awareness of our cause a real boost, because so many people ..read more

Paige Krystal Wilcox honored me by having me as a guest on her podcast, Listen More. I had a fabulous time talking with her about how to represent characters who, like me, live with bipolar disorder. Paige is a gifted storyteller. Check out her work on Amazon. While you’re there, take a look at my book, “Balancing Act – Writing Through a Bipolar Life.” People around the world tell Paige about what they would like to see less and more of in stories with characters like them. In this episode, Kitt O’Malley speaks about the vital aspect missing from the representation of most characters experienc ..read more

Thank you, author Bash Sarmiento, for contributing this guest post of self-love and self-care tips. Posting Bash’s article in no way promotes the products he linked. Self-Love and Self-Care Tips Photo by Pavel Danilyuk from Pexels How come we always tend to find time for other things but quite rarely do we make time for ourselves? We keep deferring me-time because of work, school, and other commitments but when we get so tangled up in these various activities that mainly exhaust our productivity and motivation, who do we run to? Only ourselves. Self-love and self-car ..read more