The most recent manic episode I had, the symptoms were giving away my possessions, just hanging around basically going to bars and cafes. Wearing kind of strange clothing and talking a lot, being short with people, delusional, feeling paranoid, feeling like people were trying to hurt me and everybody was out to get me. I thought my ex-husband wanted to kill me, wanted me eliminated, and goodness gracious, what a terrible thing to think. And I thought my mom was trying to pose as me.

I gave away everything I owned and just threw things away and ended up with absolutely nothing. I had a whole houseful of furniture, beds for my children, microwave, couch, dressers and just basically decided that I didn't need all that stuff.

A manic episode is so hard to explain, but it's all about, everything is for yourself.

What I would say to other people, for people that care about a loved one that has a mental illness, just keep hanging in there because medication really does the trick.

I have faith that things are going to work out and there's a Creator and he's got a way for me in life. That's probably one thing that keeps me from being too depressed is that I know that things are going to get better.