Rock Steady
I have bipolar one. 
Bipolar is often a misunderstood disease. 1-3% of the US population have bipolar of some form with a near equal split between the born male and female sex. This mental illness, unfortunately, has the highest suicide rate with around 50% of those with bipolar will attempt at least once. 19% will succeed.
Representation of mental illnesses in fiction and graphic novels has increased tenfold in the last five years yet bipolar is rarely depicted. (Not to toot my own horn, okay I am, but I’m writing a romance novel about a woman who is bipolar and getting back into the dating life. The first 5,000 words were submitted to Harlequin, a well-known publishing house, for a contest searching for stories from underrepresented groups.) When I came across Ellen Forney’s work, I made grabby hands and quickly bought her books. Here was someone who is bipolar representing the disease in a new and accessible way minus the complex language and medical jargon.
Her first graphic memoir, Marbles, is about her diagnosis, reaction, and living with the disease. Her second book, the subject of this review, is Rock Steady, where nearly a decade after Marbles, Forney writes about what has helped her, the advice she found has worked, as well as digging deep into available options from therapy options to mental and physical exercises. She also includes information on coping skills, triggers and tools. Additionally, she provides reliable resources for her information, a bibliography, and other resources that may be helpful.
The book does not need to be read in chronological order. I, however, read it in chorological order.
The first chapter, Basics, breaks down the key things needed for stability. These things are different from person to person, just as bipolar presents differently in those who have it. Forney sums all of this up with her own acronym: SMEDMERTS! And she even drew a mascot for it.
SMEDMERTS stands for Sleep, Meds, Eat, Doctor, Mindfulness, Exercise, Routine, Tools, and Support System. Forney zeros in that while everyone is different, the two key, key things are getting enough sleep and taking your meds (if meds are part of your treatment). I cannot agree enough! My meds are time based (some in the morning, others before bed) and recently I missed two days within the last seven. While there were days in between my meds were taken, those missed days impacted my daily life. On the second day I missed, I only slept 30 minutes that nights and felt fine the following day due to the oncoming mania. I self-corrected the next night, took my meds on time, and felt a lot better since.
What those with any mental illness want, and not just bipolar, is for stability. When using all the tools at your disposal, is possible. (I’ve been stable for eight years.) How someone defines stability is of course not the same for everyone, but I do like that Forney included it here because it gives a basic guide for the person and their support system. Sometimes it’s hard to discern the difference between what is the disease and what is a normal human emotion or reaction. Having a description on the ways stability presents goes a long way towards better knowledge about the disease.
Forney also recommends giving yourself merit badges, she includes them at the end of every chapter, for committing to taking care of yourself and has a pledge:
“I’m not alone, things get better and worse, I can do it. SMEDMERTS!” She also suggests a kiss on the back of your hand for “self-appreciation and respect.” I can get behind that!
Each chapter covers some version of her acronym such as Therapy, Coping Tools, Meds, and finding others like you. All of these are important skills.
I really appreciate the information under coping skills because I recognized some of my own skillsets and learned new ones. The therapy chapter also introduced other forms of therapy I was not aware of.
I know this is a review site for graphic novels, but Rock Steady isn’t a graphic novel in so much a help book with drawings. There is no color palette to speak of or line art to comment on. It’s a book with lots of quick drawings, illustrations, and doodles. Forney uses her art to illustrate her thoughts and ideas so on some pages, when she is being serious, the work is more serious and complex while on her lighter content, the drawings and illustrations are more whimsical. See the mascot she made for SMEDMERTS. I’d wear that on a shirt!
Rock Steady is perfect for anyone who is curious about mental illness, and specifically about bipolar. It’s also a great tool for those who are diagnosed so they can learn about the disease from someone who has it and is stable, and it is especially a great guide for those who know someone who is bipolar and want more information. Forney includes a list of reputable resources at the end of the book as well as she includes a bibliography for additional reading. The content of Rock Steady comes from Forney’s experience as well as interviews with mental health professionals and those who are bipolar or know someone who is bipolar. I must stress that Forney makes very clear this is not a “how to” guide but rather a book to share experiences from someone who is bipolar.
The language of Rock Steady is accessible and written in digestible bits. Forney does away with complicated language and makes the language short and to the point. It is because of its accessibility that books like Rock Steady are sometimes hard to come by, and representation is important, and necessary. It’s also perfect for displays for Mental Health Month (May) and World Bipolar Day (March 30).
If you or someone you know is bipolar, the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (https://www.dbsalliance.org/), National Alliance on Mental Health (https://www.nami.org/), and bpHope.com have loads of information available from symptoms to where to get care. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call 988. Help is available.
Rock Steady Brilliant Advice From My Bipolar Life
By Ellen Forney
Fantagraphics, 2018
ISBN: 9781683961017
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+)
