Derek Yeung is bipolar and not afraid of telling you so.
In fact, the 35-year-old Richmond resident is so upfront about the condition he was diagnosed with 17 years ago, that he’s written a book about his experiences to help explain his journey through childhood, his diagnosis, and how he now lives with his condition.
“Before I was diagnosed, I had no idea what bipolar was,” said Yeung, who only started to exhibit unusual behaviour back in high school at a Grade 12 grad party. “That’s when I had my first taste of beer. That seemed to trigger my first episode.”
He began to think other people could hear his thoughts. And on one occasion, he was convinced he was invisible and ran through his school believing no one could see him.
“I was also a bit manic, hyper. I didn’t know what was going on,” he said, adding it took about two years for doctors to arrive at the conclusion he was bipolar.
“Before, I never had any issues. Things were perfectly normal,” he said. “I had an uncle who had a history of depression and was diagnosed as bipolar. But I never really knew what that meant.”
Since 2005, Yeung has been treated for his condition and maintains an independent life working at both Thompson and Hamilton community centres, teaching music lessons.
“I do have anxiety attacks every now and then, but they don’t immobilize me. It’s just a bit of discomfort; I get sweaty hands and my eyes kinda shake,” he said.
“What usually precipitates that is fatigue or hunger,” he said. “I know when that’s coming on and head it off by simply eating something, relaxing, and it goes away.”
Four years ago, he embarked on writing his book — Living Life Fully With Bipolar.
“My original intention was to write something pretty short, 10 pages or so, just to get the message across that being bipolar is not the end of the road,” Yeung said. “Then the publisher asked if I could make it...50 pages. So, it’s basically my life from my first memories to Grade 12.”
The experience of being published is like an ice-breaker for Yeung when it comes to discussing his condition.
“I tell people I meet that I wrote a book, and when they ask what I wrote about, I tell them,” he said. “I’m pretty open. When I meet them I’m not afraid to tell them I’m bipolar. Now I understand what my condition is, I don’t mind telling people what happened in my life because they might even have issues in their life I can help them with.”
As an extension of that, Yeung now speaks for Mood Disorders Association of BC, sharing his story with others.
While Living Life Fully With Bipolar is available for sale through amazon.ca, Yueng has been giving them away to friends to spread his message, that includes a top 10 list of attributes that helps him in his daily life.
At number four is staying optimistic.
“If you really, really hit rock bottom and are at the lowest of lows, then you should be the happiest person in the world,” Yeung wrote. “Why? Because there is only up to go.”
