A message from a northern Nevada resident Julie Rose who recently launched her own YouTube channel to promote mental health awareness and document her own difficult journey.
“The last couple of years have been extremely challenging as I was in a very unhealthy relationship which I was able to get out of in January. I became pre-diabetic within 6 months since my ex wanted to thicken me up and I had to adjust to his eating habits.
Shortly after, my medication for Bipolar Disorder failed me with an extreme side effect called Tardive Dyskinesia, a permanent movement disorder.
I had also just started a new job which was quite stressful. I was granted an accommodation for my mental health issues which allowed me to have extra unpaid time off as I didn’t qualify for FMLA.
My psych highly recommended I go inpatient for at least a month since trying to find a new medication cocktail is grueling and challenging as I could no longer take most medications used to treat my disorder.
I also broke my back years ago, was almost paralyzed by a bone splinter 2mm away from my spinal cord and never had surgery, so that's been an issue for me as well for years.
My ex reached out to my parents behind my back (he had barely uttered 5 words to them on a FaceTime call with me).
I hate admitting defeat, but I gave in to my parents suggestion to move closer to them in Tahoe from Phoenix. They flew down, packed me up as I was in terrible shape, and drove me and my three cats up to Reno.
I’ve been extremely grateful for their assistance and allowing me to stabilize and get healthy for the last two months.
I’ve been exercising, getting outdoors, meeting new people (I was isolated and cut off from everyone in my life for a year and a half.)
My YouTube channel is intended to advocate [for] mental health awareness, as a human element to what it’s like living with Bipolar Disorder, and share tips through my experiences that have helped me cope with my symptoms.
I’m at the point where I need to start supporting myself financially again and am looking for a job that has reasonable accommodations for my disability while giving me time to grow my channel. Any help is appreciated with getting the word out there and raise awareness for people who live with disabilities."
Find her channel here: https://youtube.com/@julie4jewels?si=k1arN6GRsYuInWSq
Citizen’s Forum Contribution, October 2024