Philadelphia Inquirer – Fighting the Stigma of Mental Illness, one brave story at a time

by Lini S. Kadaba

Elise Seyfried, who never cared for shopping, suddenly started spending four days a week at the mall and binge-buying dozens $200-a-pop high heels.

It was like a flipped switch. The 40-something “good girl” was putting on too much makeup, wearing skimpy clothes, and reading only fashion magazines. Then she started cursing — a lot, for this church-going mother of five. Seyfried was go-go-go, writing a 50,000-word novel in eight — mostly sleepless — days and nights. That is when she wasn’t crying inconsolably, for no apparent reason.

In hindsight, her bizarre behaviors were classic manic-depressive symptoms. But at the time, when a friend suggested she seek help and offered…

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