Welcome to the Julie A. Fast Website
International Bestselling Brain Health Author, Researcher and Educator
If you would like to contact Julie for an interview or speaking event, please click here.
Meet Julie A. Fast
Julie receives the Mental Health American Journalism award for the best mental health column in the US.
Julie A. Fast is a world leading mental health expert on the topics of bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety and psychosis. She is the bestselling author of Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder:Understanding and Helping Your Partner, Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder, Getting it Done When You’re Depressed and OMG, That’s Me! Vol 2. Julie is a critically acclaimed international speaker, health care professional trainer and sought after media source on the topic of mental health treatment and management. Julie lives with bipolar disorder and a psychotic disorder, also called schizoaffective disorder. Julie’s work offers a balanced, well researched perspective on serious mental health disorders and their impact on the person with the diagnosis as well as family members and partners. Julie’s goal is to prevent bipolar disorder in the next generation. You can find all of Julie’s books here.
What’s New with Julie A. Fast
Getting it Done When You’re Depressed: 50 Strategies for Keeping Your Life on Track is a #1 Depression book on Amazon!
Julie’s ground breaking book on how to move forward with life while seeking treatment for depression is newly published in a second edition. Click here to read more.
Don’t let depression get in the way of the life you want to live!
Many people suffer from depression on a daily basis. The hard part is learning to live with it. Getting up and getting moving can seem like an insurmountable chore. You know you need to be productive but your brain just won’t cooperate.
Getting It Done When You’re Depressed, 2E offers 50 strategies to break the cycle of inactivity that so often accompanies depression. These strategies are practical and easily applicable for anyone trying to lead a lifetime of productivity, regardless of your mood.
In this revised edition, you’ll find these strategies and more:
• Feel the depression–and do it anyway.
• Generate creativity.
• Allow time for positive results.
• Know when your brain is lying to you.
• Tips on differenciating depression from bipolar disorder.
It’s time to come out from under your depression brain fog, create a daily structure, and feel great about yourself and your abilities again!
Julie A. Fast Resources
Parent, caregiver or health care professional? Please visit Amazon to learn more about Julie’s book Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder. This is the first book Julie recommends for caregivers. You can also join her private group on Facebook, The Stable Table.
Partner or health care professional who works with partners? Please visit Amazon to read more about Julie’s book Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder. You can also join her private group on Facebook, The Stable Bed.
Julie also recommends her book Get it Done When You’re Depressed. Parents, partners and health care professionals can learn the strategies Julie shares in this book to help someone who is depressed.
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You can also join Julie on her Instagram page. It is a great resource for people with bipolar disorder as well.
Julie’s Recent Media Work
Join Julie on Instagram
Julie talks with Mom Brain about Bipolar Disorder
I just recorded a very, very interesting and eye opening Mom Brain podcast on the topic of childhood mental health. They created such a warm and inviting space in their New York studio. We addressed many of the concerns parents have about children and the brain:
How do I talk to my child about bipolar disorder in the family tree?
What is the difference between a rowdy little boy and a little boy who needs medical help?
How does a parent know the difference between hormonal teens and a teen who is struggling with mental health symptoms?
How do you talk with kids about cannabis marijuana without them shutting you down?
What can a parent do to prevent serious mental health symptoms?
How do we talk with kids about suicide?
And SO much more. These topics are tough and they are serious, but we can talk about them openly and from an early age. Thanks again to the hosts for providing such an opening and welcoming platform to talk about this much needed subject. Click here to listen to the Mom Brain Podcast with Julie Fast.
Julie’s BipolarHappens.com blog voted best bipolar blog by Healthline.com.
Julie’s blog is the original bipolar disorder blog. First published in 2002, it’s the longest running bipolar disorder blog on the web. Click here to visit the blog and read Julie’s latest work.
Bipolar Disorder and Cannabis:
A Balanced Perspective with Julie A. Fast
Julie is not teaching the workshop at this time. Please visit her Facebook page Julie A. Fast for her latest classes. Parents can join The Stable Table on Facebook for more information. Partners are invited to join The Stable Bed on Facebook. Health care professionals are welcome on both pages.
This dynamic and timely classes teaches: 1) How THC and CBD affect bipolar disorder. 2) How to calmly talk to a child or partner about cannabis use. 3) A harm reduction plan you can start today for life long results. Relationships can be saved.
Julie has ten+ years of personal and professional experience around the topic of bipolar disorder and cannabis. She is regularly interviewed on the topic and is known for her balanced view on marijuana and bipolar. She recently provided information for an article on the topic on PsychCom:
Medical Mariju
ana for Schizophrenia: Weighing the Risks and Benefits
If you are a partner or family member who is not in the Portland are, please visit Julie’s coaching page to set up a time to talk about cannabis and bipolar disorder. Please visit Julie on Facebook. For bipolar and schizoaffective information visit Facebook at Julie A. Fast. If you are a partner, please visit Julie’s closed Facebook group for partners called The Stable Bed. Parents, family members, friends and health care professionals can join Julie on The Stable Table.
Julie A. Fast and the Health Central Web Page
Julie A. Fast Writes for Psychology Today
Rock Star Suicides: Let’s Stop Talking about Demons and Start Talking about Illness
As a society, we can recognize the symptoms of artists who are depressed and get them into treatment instead of raising up their tortured art and then wondering why they die.
Rock star suicides are nothing new. I’m reminded of Ian Curtis, Michael Hutchence, and Kurt Cobain. I recently wrote an article about the death of Chris Cornell, and sadly, I now write about the death of Chester Bennington of Linking Park….
Julie writes about Chris Cornell for the Huffington Post Blog:
I loved Chris Cornell. His suicide doesn’t fit with our typical idea of why people kill themselves. I share my story of medication induced suicidal episodes and pose the idea that we need to look at suicide as a chemical brain reaction that is no different than a stroke or a heart attack. Then, we can get people help in the moment and save the people we love. RIP Chris Cornell.
Click here to read Julie’s Huffington Post Article on Chris Cornel: When Suicide Doesn’t Make Sense
Julie works as a Health Care Trainer for those who want o learn more about bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders and how substances such as cannabis marijuana affect the bipolar brain.
Julie A. Fast Bipolar Happens Blog wins Best Individual Blog
Julie’s Blog Bipolar Happens! wins the ‘best individual bipolar disorder blog on the internet’ award from Healthline.com.
Julie A. Fast Speaks at Oxford Union in Oxford England
Topic: The Student Mental Health Crisis – What Next?
“Twenty five percent of adults suffer from mental health conditions; this figure doubles among Oxford students. Many believe that drastic action is needed to respond to this crisis in care, engaging with both the general stigma and failing institutions.”
As a person who flunked out of my first college due to my untreated mental health disorder, I’m passionately committed to helping students succeed in school. I eventually received a degree eight years after I started. It doesn’t have to be this hard. Universities, parents, students, health care professionals and teachers can band together and create a system that works for those of us who need extra assistance to get our degrees. I also want to encourage those of us who have gained weight or experienced physical changes in life to still get out there and shine. Our message matters!
Julie was interviewed by People Magazine about Carrie Fisher and how she changed the world of mental health. Click here to read Inside Carrie Fisher’s Revolutionary Openness About Her Mental Illness: ‘She Changed the World.’
Julie was interviewed for an article in Good Magazine, Kanye West Let Out a Cry for Help, We Just Weren’t Listening by Kristin Marguerite Doidge. Julie was asked, Does Kanye West have bipolar disorder? Her answer is explained in this balanced and compassionate piece on celebrity, creativity and mental health symptoms. She recently wrote a blog for partners who are in a similar position to Kim Kardashian.
Mental Health and Bipolar Disorder Media Consultant
HOMELAND: An Emmy winning show staring Claire Danes on Showtime.
Julie Fast was the original consultant for Claire Danes and her character on Homeland. Click here to read what Claire says about playing a character with bipolar disorder.
MAGAZINE/ONLINE: Julie regularly appears in publications such as People Magazine and US Weekly on the topics of depression, bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder and other issues relating to mental health. She is also a regular guest on many television and radio programs. For more information on Julie’s media experience and availability, please visit the press/media center page.
Click on the title link to read the interview on Why is it so Hard to Help Amanda Bynes? from People Magazine Online.
Recent Interviews:
Medical Marijuana for Schizophrenia: Weighing the Risks and Benefits PsychCom
Let’s Tall Mental Health: The Real Reasons Mental Health is Still a Taboo Entity Magazine.
Inside Carrie Fisher’s Revolutionary Openness About Her Mental Illness: ‘She Changed the World’ People Magazine
Kanye West Let out a Cry for Help: We Just Weren’t Listening Good Health
TELEVISION: Julie talks Kids and Mental Health Issues on TV in Portland, Oregon
“Most kids throw tantrums or jump on the couch. But if your child can’t calm down, even escalates the tantrum or keeps jumping after repeatedly being told no, that could be the sign of a brain issue, especially if it’s a pattern that repeats time after time. Author and mental health advocate Julie Fast joined us to talk about kids with mental health issues differ from stable children and why we need to destigmatize seeking help for brain health.” Click here to watch the video of Julie A. Fast on Portland TV.
Mental Health Website Expert
OPRAH: Julie 
A. Fast is now a bipolar disorder management specialist on the Oprah and Dr. Oz created website ShareCare.com. It’s a very unique concept. Readers ask questions directly on the site. The questions then go out to the experts in a category, such as Dr. Oz on the topic of a healthy heart or Julie on the topic of bipolar disorder. Each question is answered by an expert in the field from different perspectives including medical doctors, naturopaths and researchers to those with a professional and personal connection to the category – such as Julie. Visit ShareCare.com to learn more about Julie’s work on the site.
Bestselling Author
Julie is the author of Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder: Understanding and Helping Your Partner, Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder: a Four Step Plan to Help You and Your Loved Ones to Manage the Illness and Create Lasting Stability, Get it Done When You’re Depressed: 50 Strategies for Keeping Your Life on Track and Bipolar Happens! 35 Stories to Help You Manage Bipolar Disorder Successfully.
She is also the creator of The Health Cards Treatment System for Bipolar Disorder. Julie uses this management plan daily to stay well enough to work, have successful relationships and move forward in life. The Cards work for those with bipolar disorder whether on or off medications and anyone who cares about someone with the illness.
To read more about Julie’s books please visit www.BipolarHappens.com.
Update: Julie’s book Get it Done When You’re Depressed was the #1 book in the depression category on Amazon for the first three months of 2015! She often has three top ten books in the bipolar disorder category.
Nationally Recognized Mental Health Speaker
Julie speaks on a variety of mental health topics as a workshop leader, headline speaker, and keynote presenter. Her energetic and compelling talks always include many personal anecdotes and inspiring stories that both entertain as well as challenge her audiences to think deeply about the issue of mental health from both a personal and societal perspective. Julie headlined the DBSA “The Power of Peers” Conference in Norfolk, Virginia and presented at the NAMI National Conference in Orlando, Florida. Julie regularly speaks to mental health organizations, faith based communities, mental health professionals and the general public.
Julie recently gave the keynote presentation for the annual Skyland Trail fundraising lunch in Atlanta, Georgia.
Worried about a loved one? Click here to read more about Skyland Trail.
Julie held a session with family members and partners the night before the event and then delighted the crowd with funny and poignant stories from her life. A note from Julie, “Skyland Trail is the most welcoming, progressive, innovative and caring residential psychiatric facility I’ve ever visited. It gave me hope for the future of mental health treatment and I look forward to working together on future projects.
bp Magazine Columnist and Blogger
Julie is the original columnist for bp Magazine, the only magazine to focus exclusively on bipolar disorder research, treatment, inspirational stories and daily management. She is also a weekly blogger for the Bp Magazine website. Click here to read her blog, Three Bipolar Disorder Symptoms No One Wants to Talk About, that became the most view and shared blog in the magazine’s history with over 850,000 views. Julie won the Mental Health America Excellence in Journalism award for her work in the magazine.
Family and Partner Coach
Julie is a professional coach who works with family members and partners 
of a loved one with bipolar disorder. Her direct and supportive approach helps her clients find immediate relief from stressful situations while assisting them in developing a practical plan to maintain stable and healthy relationships. More details are found on the family and partner coaching page.
Teenager with Bipolar Disorder?
Click here to read a post for teenagers.
To contact Julie for an interview or speaking appearance, please click here.
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