Gregg F. Martin

"Prior to one becoming a general officer, the Army's short assignments often result in people being able to mask shortcomings and get a fresh start. For someone who has bipolar disorder or is displaying hypomanic behaviors, the supervisors may only see the high-performance phase and miss the subsequent depression, or perhaps the depression is masked. Maybe a newly arrived supervisor is briefed that he has a superstar and gives that person the benefit of the doubt until departing for the next assignment, when the person goes through the depression before arriving at the next post. This pattern might continue until the person is promoted and placed in a general-officer position."

"It takes courage and strength to admit you are broken, to get help, and to walk the road to recovery. Be strong and get help for yourself, your family member, your friend, or your comrade. It's okay to admit that you're not okay. There is no real shame except to not get the help you need and become a statistic. Rather than stigma, our people who battle bipolar disorder and other mental or brain conditions should be viewed as fighting a heroic battle, much like our heroic women battling breast cancer. They are heroes, not stigmatized victims. Take it from me, the Bipolar General, who is fighting- and winning- my own forever war with mental illness."