An Ivy League graduate, a published writer and a bi-polar patient?
Lizzie Simon, a recent Columbia University graduate who was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder at the age of 17, came to Penn last night to discuss her new book, Detour: My Bi-Polar Road Trip in 4D as part of Mental Health Awareness Week.
"The focus in my book is very personal and very different from" other books about bi-polar disorder, the youthful Simon said. "The media never [learn about bi-polar] enough and the horrors and scandals get brought up over and over."
"Being bi-polar doesn't mean having episodes all the time," Simon said. "There's a whole generation of us that are diagnosed early enough and committed enough to our own health that we can have lives that we wanted to have."
In an effort to provide positive role models for those recently diagnosed, Simon drove across the country in 1999 to seek out and interview other young people affected by bi-polar disorder who were successful despite their condition.
Bi-polar disorder is a genetically-inherited mental illness. Those with the condition experience wild swings between the "manic stage," characterized by hyperactivity, and the "depressive stage," characterized by overwhelming feelings of despair and hopelessness.
"Onset often happens during the college years," Simon said before a crowd in Logan Hall. "Twenty percent of those who are bi-polar and go untreated kill themselves. If there were that many young people dying from the common cold, there'd be more of a concern."
Simon's book describes her own struggles after being diagnosed in high school and also includes stories of other successful bi-polars she interviewed during her cross-country trip.
"The book will mean different things to different people," Simon said, "but [my main purpose is] for my book to be a safehouse for [bi-polars] where they can climb inside to find trust and tenderness."
"Bi-polars like to hear others' stories," Nursing sophomore Alicia Montalvo said. "I know my struggles, and I'd like to hear other people's."
Simon pointed out that students at schools like Penn are especially likely to have "a certain level of overachievement," and that the stress of college can make them feel like "damaged goods" and cause them to fall into depression.
"You already got into one of the greatest schools in the world," Simon advised students. "It's time to relax, to chill out!"
After talking about her book, Simon asked volunteers from the audience to read excerpts from her work aloud and answered questions from students.
The event "was amazing," said College senior Alison Malmon, president of Open Minds, an on-campus organization that promotes mental health awareness.
The discussion, which concluded with Simon signing her new book, was presented by Open Minds, the Reach-A-Peer Line and the Office of Health Education.
