ABOUT

This website is intended to inform and educate the general public about mental illness, especially depression and bipolar disorder. Audience members may include patients who suffer from a mental illness, and friends and family members of those who may suffer from a mental illness.

The information presented here does not diagnose, treat, or replace legal or medical advice from a licensed professional. The information provided on Jane’s Mental Health Source Page is designed to support - not replace - the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her physician or a qualified and licensed professional.

About Website Author

I’m Jane Chin and I am responsible for this website. I created Jane’s Mental Health Source Page in 1998 when I was a patient and receiving treatment for clinical depression.

I first learned about Type II Bipolar Disorder because I was misdiagnosed to have Type II Bipolar Disorder before receiving the correct diagnosis of clinical depression. I had suffered from depression for most of my childhood, adolescent and young adult life. I also experienced emotional abuse from a depressed parent when I was a child.

When I first created this website, I had shared a log of my own experiences getting treatment for depression. The log was transcribed from a handwritten journal I had kept in mid-1998. This log remains available on my website today, although I don’t visit it very often. Reading it still sometimes make me squirm, especially when I remember some of the worst depressive episodes I’ve experienced. I’ve periodically added to the log, especially when I had a depression relapse in 2001.

Some have asked about my “status” with depression since I was off medication in 1999. I had a depression relapse in 2001 as I previously mentioned. I am currently not receiving any treatment for depression. I am doing well, which comes from getting enough sleep, eating well, staying active, and forming strong personal and social relationships. I consider my depression “in remission.” This means I keep a vigilant watch on my mental health.

Here I am, enjoying a public garden in Manhattan Beach, California.

I consider each day that I wake up a blessing. Sometimes I’m glad when I’m having a “boring day” because I remember what a “dark, depressed day” felt like. Because of my experiences with depression, I have learned to be thankful for the extraordinary things and the ordinary things. I am thankful to my extraordinary husband who supported me through the worst of times, and to visitors on this site who share their personal stories with me. I am thankful to the mundane things that remind me I am still alive; the weather, leaves that need to be raked in garden, picking up the mail. These are gifts that depression has given me.

This website’s Purpose is to share depression, bipolar disorder, and mental health-related information from a personal point of view. This means you should take everything I write as my personal opinion. You may expect to experience similar situations and medications a little differently. I encourage you to approach everything you read here with healthy skepticism. Ask questions and search for truth in all information you read - here or anywhere else. Your truth can only come from your own experiences and personal discoveries.

I have a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Microbiology from Cornell University and a Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Cancer Biochemistry at Roswell Park Cancer Institute/University of Buffalo in Buffalo, New York. I am not a licensed physician (M.D.), counselor, psychiatrist, psychologist, or an attorney. I cannot and do not intend to give medical or legal advice.

Financial Disclosures and Conflicts of Interest

Since 1998, I have funded all operations (i.e. paid) for this site.

This website IS NOT sponsored by, supported by, or affiliated with any pharmaceutical / biotech / device / diagnostic company, insurance company, or healthcare organizations.

This website IS supported in part by text-based advertisements from Google Adsense, Text-Link Ads, ReviewMe, and occasionally directly with individuals who wish to pay money to advertise their website links on this website.

I spent over a decade of my professional life in healthcare research and business. Most of my experience has been in the pharmaceutical industry. In 2004, I became an entrepreneur (self-employed), as I continue to be today. I haven’t cut my ties with drug companies, however. I provide medical affairs advisory and consulting services to biopharmaceutical companies.

A significant amount of my work is with field medical affairs, especially medical science liaisons or MSLs. To learn more about my medical affairs consulting business, please visit Medical Science Liaison Institute, where I serve as its Founder and President.

Update: As of March 15, 2008 I have moved on from consulting and training in the pharmaceutical field. I am currently taking this year to conduct an informal “experiment” of doing what I love, and am documenting this on a separate blog.

I had also spent over three years as a columnist for Pharmaceutical Representative magazine. If you want to learn my viewpoint on how I think sales representatives should conduct themselves as healthcare professionals, and how drug reps should interact with medical doctors, you may want to read my publication (magazine and blog) collection on my website, Pharm Rep Clinic.

Update: As of December 2007 I have moved on from writing articles for pharm reps or serving as columnist for the Pharm Rep magazine. I keep my site online so the value my articles provide remains accessible.

What Information is Collected (Privacy Policy)

No personally identifiable information is collected from or by this web site.

If you have any questions or concerns about this website or about what you’ve read, please send me a note via this contact form.