"This article advocates for people with mental illness being more accepted as volunteers. My experience in mental health issues is complex, encompassing several points of view. First and foremost, I am mentally ill myself, fighting against bipolar disorder type 1 since 1986. I also faced the illness in loved ones, having parents with 'mood swings' (milder than mine), several bipolar friends and both my former and present boyfriend affected by this very same illness. It was by seeing bipolar patients in Medical School that I realized 'I had the problem.' I also volunteered for three years with another organization before founding my own Web-based one, Bipolar Dream, in March 2003. In both sites all the volunteers I managed were mentally ill people."

With this opening, the author guides us through an informative and practical discussion of the myths surrounding mental illness, the most common forms of mental illness likely to be encountered by volunteer program managers, and tips for working with mentally ill volunteers. You’ll find yourself challenged and inspired.

Other e-Volunteerism Articles

This article was published in e-Volunteerism: The Electronic Journal of the Volunteer Community. Subscribe now to access all the articles.

Concerned about whether you can view an electronic book? Viewing the terms of agreement below is a good test to see if you can easily view electronic books. If you can successfully click on the link and open the table of contents, you should have no problem viewing the book. Terms If you have problems, you probably need to install or upgrade Acrobat Reader. Click on the graphic below to download the latest version from the Adobe website. It is an easy download. They also have a support area if you continue to have problems with viewing.