From Patient to Mental Health Advocate: ‘Let’s Be Kind to Ourselves’ — Health & Hiring
Key takeaways:
When Blake LeVine was 15, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Dealing with it changed the course of his life and his career.
He earned a master’s degree in social work and uses personal experience to help others manage mental health issues.
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Blake LeVine describes his childhood as a healthy one.
He remembers playing Little League and being athletic and strong.
Then, at age 15, he developed a pain in his head that frightened him.
“I was worried I was dying,” he says. “I was fearful I wasn’t going to be OK. I was very scared and nervous.”
He went to the emergency room after not being able to fall asleep. He was having manic symptoms, like extreme surges in energy. Doctors diagnosed him with bipolar disorder, a condition that affects about 5.7 million adult Americans. His doctors told him he had Bipolar I, which consists of depression alternating with manic episodes.
In the next 2 years, Blake had five hospital stays because he was struggling to sleep, function, and go to school.
Eventually, he found a therapist he clicked with and medication that helped.
That experience changed the course of his life and inspired his career path.
He wanted to help people dealing with the same issues he had. So, he found a way to turn his health crisis into his reason for becoming a coach and mental health advocate.
“When I was sick, I felt so knocked down,” he says. “I really wanted to help other youth to find their own way forward.”
Becoming a therapist and mental health advocate
Right before the 9/11 attacks in 2001, Blake was in New York, contemplating a career as a reporter. It felt like a role made for him — a collector of famous people’s autographs.
But on the morning of September 11, Blake wanted to leave the city as soon as possible. “It was a very sad and scary time,” he says.
Shaken up by the tragedy, he moved to his mother’s home in Long Island. She had just started grad school for social work. He sat in on a few classes.
“I liked it,” Blake says. So, he enrolled and earned his master’s degree in social work. He spent 2 years working with people experiencing homelessness before moving to private practice and becoming a mental health coach and author.
After writing a book about tackling his illness, he went on a book tour and heard from parents across the country who wanted more mental health services for their kids.
Blake set out to meet that need by offering round-the-clock therapy through text, call, or email.
“I realized a lot of people with bipolar struggle with timing,” he says.
‘Let’s be kind to ourselves'
Today, Blake has continued that work. He is a 43-year-old married father of two in San Diego and runs BipolarOnline, a company dedicated to educating businesses and organizations about bipolar disorder.
He’s still a mental health coach and advocate, and he’s written five books about mental health.
He says he wants to help companies grow stronger by knowing how to connect with employees facing mental health issues. He emphasizes the importance of thinking positively.
“How can I enjoy my life and happiness?” he says. “I try with those that I work with to try to educate and share that. Let’s try today to have an OK day, even if we’re struggling. Let’s be kind to ourselves.”
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