Maya Johnson, a 41-year old mother, dental surgeon, and owner of two successful dental practices, is a living, breathing example of what a life with Bipolar disorder can mean for the afflicted. Passionate about her advocacy work in the realm of bipolar awareness, and also an individual who struggles with the disease every single day, Johnson expresses her fears, emotions, and experiences with the disorder through writing and prose on her digital platform.

Johnson originally started writing in 2014 as apart of her therapy after her second suicide attempt, and quickly learned that expressing the heavy weight of her bipolar emotions through creative writing expression was incredibly moving and therapeutic for her. Two years later, she’s writing any second she gets a break from her dental profession to share her message with friends, family, and other individuals stricken by mental illness.

“Bipolar disorder is a classic example of a mental disease with little understanding and information surrounding it,” said Johnson. “It comes with constant anguish, suffering, and depression, and it can be the hardest thing in the world some days. That’s why I want to pen my story, word-by-word, poem-by-poem, for everyone else like me in need of support and encouragement.”

Johnson’s Word Press blog features stories, poems, and information on Bipolar disorder to help all site visitors get a better understanding of the disease and its destruction.

Her latest poem, You Start Dying Slowly, perfectly encapsulates her talent for expressing the raw emotions and elements interwoven in all mental illness. Though it can be emotionally heavy to read, the reader is left enlightened and in awe by the end of the piece.

For more information, or to check out Johnson’s work, visit: https://bipolarandmeweb.wordpress.com/