Ep 34 | Two Star General with Bipolar Disorder | Major General (Ret) Gregg Martin, PHD

We Fight Monsters

Find Gregg Online:
- Website: https://www.generalgreggmartin.com
- Book Bipolar General: Bipolar General: My Forever War with Mental Illness (Association of the United States Army) https://amzn.to/41UGBVG
I hope you get a lot out of watching this video. Such an accomplished soldier, and so insightful with his book and recommendations for handling his bi-polar disorder!
Maj. Gen. Gregg Martin cut a striking figure in the Army: athletic, quick witted, devout, and studious, he was a natural leader. Thanks to his engineering and leadership knowhow, Martin was chosen to lead the thousands of combat engineers who paved the way for 100,000 Army troops to battle their way to Baghdad in 2003. Martin was astonishing to watch as he led this effort, his mind laser focused and body vibrating with energy. He made quick decisions, often anticipating and solving problems before orders came down. Only years later would he learn how the pressure of organizing dozens of simultaneous life-or-death missions each day altered the biochemistry of his brain. Since adolescence he’d had what psychiatrists call a ‘hyperthymic personality’ – an exceptionally positive, energetic, and can-do disposition. But the Iraq War triggered what military and Veterans Administration psychiatrists ultimately diagnosed as late-onset bipolar disorder, a chemical imbalance that sends sufferers whipsawing between grandiose imaginings and suicidal depressions. His increasing erratic behavior led to his forced resignation as president of the National Defense University and ended his military career.

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