About us

Our BipolarLives.com community began with Sarah Freeman, our first site author, and guide for so many individuals and families coping with Bipolar Disorder.

Sarah has suffered with Bipolar Disorder her whole life, but was not diagnosed until after she had a severe manic episode at the age of 43.

She searched for answers and solutions to manage her disorder in order to attempt to regain the losses she endured as a result of mania and depression.

Sarah encountered numerous roadblocks; therefore, she set out to research Bipolar Disorder and test proposed solutions to shortlist the ones that worked.

She wanted to enjoy a wholesome life, which meant she examined every aspect of her life that she struggled with due to the effects of Bipolar Disorder.

Sarah decided that she wanted to share her story, her discoveries, and her recommendations based on her own trial and error and she did when she documented her insights on BipolarLives.com. You can read more about Sarah’s story here…

Since Sarah’s engagement with the Bipolar community began on BipolarLives.com, we have come quite far.

We currently have a team of dedicated researchers who cope with Bipolar Disorder themselves (like Sarah), have worked closely with this community, or are family members and loved ones of someone with the disorder.

Hence, we are closely aware of the debilitating effects of this mental health disorder and are dedicated to arm our readers with research-based insights and reference-based evidence on interventions and treatment.

We also work closely with medical experts who review our articles prior to going live on the site and we include the comments and perspectives of these experts so that you, the reader, can obtain diverse information on the challenges the disorder poses and how to face them effectively and successfully.

Dr. Estevez is a clinical psychologist licensed in the State of Florida. She has worked with individuals with Bipolar Disorder and their families in a variety of settings including psychiatric hospitals, partial hospitalization programs (PHP), intensive outpatient programs (IOP), community mental health centers, and private practice(s).

She has led both individual and group psychotherapy in these settings for Bipolar Disorder populations, including patients who receive treatment for both Bipolar Disorder and substance use disorders. She has extensive experience in intervention and conducting psychoeducation and family sessions for individuals and families.

Dr. Estevez specializes in providing diagnostic evaluations and assessments for the purposes of diagnosing Bipolar Disorder. She is an expert in utilizing a combination of objective testing, projective assessments, behavioral observations, and in-depth interviewing of the client in order to complete such assessments. She has administered numerous evaluations of applicants for social security disability and vocational rehabilitation.

She has a strong reputation in treating her patients using a tailored approach that balances Cognitive Behavioral interventions, mindfulness, and positive psychology approaches. During this process, Dr. Estevez maintains an empathic, supportive, and encouraging disposition towards the clients she serves. She strongly believes in establishing a therapeutic environment of collaboration with the utmost belief in every client’s inherent ability to achieve recovery and wellness.

Marni Amsellem, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist whose private practice centers around helping clients improve their skills navigating challenges, changing behaviors, and building resilience. She specializes in health psychology, stress and coping. She completed her undergraduate degree at Cornell University and doctorate work in clinical psychology at Washington University in St. Louis.

Dr. Amsellem is also a researcher and a consultant, who writes about a variety of mental health, relationship, and prevention-focused topics in national magazines. She has created multiple series of guided reflections tools available on several meditation apps and websites.

Additionally, she is currently publishing a series of guided reflection journals with Write.Reflect.Grow. journaling community (www.writereflectgrow.com) and leads live workshops on therapeutic journaling. Visit www.smarthealthpsych.com to learn more, or follow her on twitter @smartpsychreads.

Sarah struggled with the many effects and consequences of Bipolar Disorder throughout much of her young adult life. She first began receiving treatment for her symptoms in her early 30s except the medications were prescribed to treat the serious and debilitating symptoms she experienced: depression, panic attacks, and concentration deficits, among many others, while the underlying reason for these symptoms were unaddressed. This left Sarah feeling chronically hopeless as she struggled and suffered in most aspects of her personal and professional life. She didn’t receive the right treatment because the many physicians and professionals she saw, in her desperate and repeated attempts to find answers were unable to accurately diagnose her for years. It wasn’t until Sarah was 43-years old that her circumstances took an unexpected and life-altering turn. During a psychiatric visit, sought by Sarah after her romantic relationship at the time ended leaving her depressed and suicidal, she learned she had Bipolar Disorder.

Once Sarah came to terms with the diagnosis her life transformed from chaos to hope, healing, and recovery. She received counseling and the right medication for her condition. To develop a better understanding of her illness, she also educated herself extensively about Bipolar Disorder. As she developed a deeper level of knowledge on the disorder, including the best available treatments and the critical methods necessary to prevent relapse, Sarah began sharing her personal experiences, challenges, successes and discoveries through www.bipolarlives.com. Sarah believes that people with Bipolar Disorder can lead a wholesome life.

We know there is presently no known cure for Bipolar Disorder, but we want to serve as a resourceful guide to inform you or your loved one on how people with Bipolar Disorder can live a life full of hope, dignity, and accomplishment. At the same time, we do not claim to be medical experts in diagnosing your specific condition or recommending your specific treatment. We in fact strongly encourage you to reach out to a qualified mental health professional to seek specific guidance to manage your Bipolar Disorder.

Every day we dedicate ourselves to this mission. We welcome you to share your stories and your perspectives on our articles and posts, subscribe to our newsletter, and use all the information available to you via our website and publications to enhance your wellbeing and quality of life.

We have developed a couple of eBooks that you can purchase from our site. This helps us generate revenue to support our mission. We especially find the Bipolar Diet written by Sarah herself very useful.

Our other e-book is a brand-new release on Navigating Relationships in Bipolar Disorder, which we recently completed after several months of extensive research by our team. In this e-book you will find comments, experiences, and insights from those directly affected by Bipolar Disorder.

The information in the book has undergone careful scrutiny and review by licensed and practicing psychologist Dr. Marni Amsellem, who holds a doctoral degree (Ph.D.) in clinical psychology. You can obtain these e-books at an affordable cost with a 100% money back guarantee for up to 60 days, no questions asked.

We know there is presently no known cure for Bipolar Disorder, but we want to serve as a resourceful guide to inform you or your loved one on how people with Bipolar Disorder can live a life full of hope, dignity, and accomplishment. At the same time, we do not claim to be medical experts in diagnosing your condition or recommending your treatment. We in fact strongly encourage you to reach out to a qualified mental health professional to seek specific guidance to manage your Bipolar Disorder.

Every day we dedicate ourselves to this mission. We welcome you to share your stories and your perspectives on our articles and posts, subscribe to our newsletter, and use all the information available to you via our website and publications to enhance your wellbeing and quality of life.

Last but not the least, we want to thank you all – our community – that has openly shared thoughts, experiences, and various methods and interventions on how to manage Bipolar Disorder and how to derive purpose from the journey.

We appreciate your whole-hearted participation in helping us and your fellow community members fight this mental health disorder so that all those touched by Bipolar Disorder can live life as it is meant to be lived: Full of growth, development, learning, and renewed meaning.

We are committed to traveling this journey alongside you.