September 30, 2010
Because our author seems to be missing. I’m just praying everything is ok! So it’s up to me to find something interesting while also educational to speak about. As it’s been quite a rough week, this is harder than it sounds. Yet at the same time not. If I’m pulling from my experiences this past week, I suppose there are many topics I can breech ranging from Mania, to Depression, to Impending Meltdowns, to children who are too smart and manipulative for their own good. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to come up with a way to tie them all into one. UNLEESSSSS I point out the inevitable answer most likely the cause of it all. SAD No, not SAD as in depressed that my chocolate got stolen SAD, but instead SAD, as in Seasonal Affective Disorder. As I’ve mentioned before, (I think) Bipolar Disorder is the buy one get 5 [...]
September 28, 2010
I was feeling better so I quit taking my meds. So how come I’m back here in the hospital? That makes no sense. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is going to be hard to read, and harder to comprehend and deal with, but when you have bipolar (or pretty much any mental illness) you will more than likely have to take medications for the rest of your life… Bipolar is a life long illness that you will have to learn to deal with… I know this isn’t what you wanted to hear, and I’m very sorry, but it’s the truth… I’m sure there have been times when people have learned to control their mood swings and resulting symptoms with out medication, and good for them!!! But it’s not easy… I once decided to go without any medication (mostly because I didn’t think it was working, anyway…) When I went off it, I noticed [...]
The Dr told me I was bipolar. What does that mean? I’ll get better right then I won’t have to take meds for long right? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For the first part of this question, please read Marybeth’s post explaining what a bipolar diagnosis means. Regarding the importance of treatment There’s no easy way to put this: you don’t just get better. It’s true that your symptoms will wax and wane, but you can never plan for them to just disappear. When you’re bipolar, you have manic and depressive episodes and the cycle usually lasts a lifetime. Instead of expecting a cure, bipolar patients must seek balance and stability in their lives. Alright, with the bad news out of the way, let’s focus on the good news: help is available, right now, and it always will be. I urge you to speak to the doctor who diagnosed you and develop a plan. [...]
September 27, 2010
What is a 5150? If I have a record my job will fire me, and it’s no easy getting a job w/ a record. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Well now you’d think working in Mental Health, specifically the ER Department of Psychiatric Triage, I could write this answer in my sleep. WRONG! I just assumed (and we all know what that means, but in this case it only includes the me part) everyone lives in California. Sometimes I think my brain has left the building in Elvis’s pocket. FB has how many millions of users? And I know many of you wouldn’t even want to live here and I don’t think you’d all fit anyway. But I digress. Basically a 5150 is an involuntary hold for someone who shows possible signs of a mental illness. This is a California code. All but 4 states have some version of this type of hold. Some [...]
September 26, 2010
I don’t know about you, but religion plays a big part in my life… I go to church as often as I can (which is difficult because I don’t drive…) Church is pretty much the one place that I feel comfortable… It is the only place that I can truly relax and feel at home… Now, just to be clear right off the bat, I’m not trying to convert you or convince you in any way that my beliefs are better than yours, because each person has a right to their own beliefs… That being said… God has played a big part in my journey with bipolar… He has saved my life so many times and in so many ways… When I was 11, and just beginning to feel the effects of having mental health issues, I was lost and confused… I had no idea why I was so different [...]
September 25, 2010
It’s been a trying week to say the least. One of those weeks where you feel like it’s just never going to get better and you might as well surrender to the mess that is your life. However, I refuse to surrender. I know no matter how bad it gets, it will get better. (Then worse, then better again, then worse, then…I’m not really a huge fan of roller coasters, but I am on one perpetual roller coaster ride when it comes to life) There have been a few things that have propelled me forward this week. Things to look forward to. As silly as it sounds, Season Premier week really kept my spirits up. I’m a fool for certain TV shows and after not having watched them for a few months, I was more than happy to have them all back in my life like a group of long [...]
September 24, 2010
(I’m happy to introduce our newest author Jonathan. Read more about him here!) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ How can you explain Bipolar Disorder to someone that knows nothing about the illness in terms they can understand? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Revealing a mental disorder to someone can be one of the most difficult things you’ll ever have to do. Whether it’s to your parent, grandparent, boss, teacher, spouse, child, BFF, ex-BFF; each circumstance is different and carries an emotional tether that is hard to break. For me, telling even my sisters was difficult and coming out as a gay man is ten times easier than coming out as a Bipolar sufferer. When explaining something to someone, I have learned to keep a few things in mind. Know your facts ahead of time and be ready to dispel misconceptions. Be concise and brief and warrant questions. Your listener really wants to understand, even if it seems like [...]
September 23, 2010
My 22 yr old grandson in Toledo is diagnosed bipolar (also, at one time or another, ADHD, ODD, PTSD ad nauseum). He does not have health insurance but will be eligible for Medicaid. Is there a good doc in Toledo who is up-to-date with tx for bipolar and related dx? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Finding the right doctor in your area can be a very difficult process. First there’s the searching for one who specializes in your diagnoses, then there the hoping they accept your medical coverage and if not, are they willing to work with you on the payments? It’s not a fun task. When we were looking for Pdocs for PDog we had a horrible time finding the right one. First we started with a nearby counseling center. They started therapy and had him meet with a psychologist who did diagnoses, but did not prescribe meds. She gave him a dx [...]
September 22, 2010
What is your opinion on the list of medications I am on? Lithium Lamictal Wellbutrin cytomel .025 cmg celexa 40 mg dexidrine 40 mg Lorazepan 4 mg prn Seraqual 200mg I have been on this combination now for the last 2 months and a bit. I was feeling a bit better then all out of sudden my depression got so bad that I found myself curled up on the couch in a ball thinking this was it. I think the medication is playing havoc with me and I phoned my doctor, who I only see for 15 minutes once in 2 months. I need a doctor who will listen and reassure me. There are 2 doctors here but they, for some reason will not see me. I have been trying to get a professional opinion for the last 2 months and I have gotten nowhere. I can’t concentrate. I cant [...]
September 21, 2010
Hi everyone! Went to the doc with my boy child today. Doing better after his last bipolar relapse, but we have another med change. Duh! Anyways, I meant to ask the doc about something I read somewhere about keeping a mood journal. I forgot to ask him so I’m asking all y’all ) Do you keep a mood journal? What is in it? How did you set it up? What works for you? Any suggestions on the subject are greatly appreciated…Peace and hugs to all…Patti ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A mood journal is a way of charting your moods in any which format that suits you best, I keep a mood journal and so does my wife for the days I am unable to make it out of bed because of my depressive state so I would advise that your spouse or a friend keeps one too. I use a journal which you [...]
September 20, 2010
Interested to know how others handle the times when you have used up all of your emergency coping mechanisms and medications and finally conclude that you just can’t cope alone any more. I hit the wall last week and am managing hour by hour, without much sleep. My doctor has a knee-jerk ‘get thee to a hospital’ approach that feels like the ultimate failure. I keep thinking if I can just hang on my mood will change and all will be well. Any thoughts? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Aside from trying new coping mechanisms and reaching out to a friend/loved one who can help you through your difficult time, there isn’t a whole lot more that you can do besides ‘get thee to a hospital’. However … going to the hospital is NOT the ultimate failure. I believe that a person who can look at themselves and say, “I just can’t do this [...]
September 19, 2010
Definition – Ultradian Cycling (aka Ultra-Rapid Cycling) (ŭl-trā‘dē-ən) adj. Relating to or exhibiting periodic physiological activity that occurs more than once every 24 hours. (source found here) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This has been our life as of late. PDog is the epitome of ultradian cycling these days. On one particular day he cycled at least twice in on hour. It’s crazy to watch too. He’ll go from angry/raging to super low depressed right back to hyper-manic in less than a half hour, then start the cycle all over again. I did some research on the subject and found that this phenomena is more often found in pediatric bipolar disorder, though some argue that it actually signals the effects of a different disorder (such as borderline personality disorder) I however, feel this is a very real issue. Something PDog experiences on a fairly regular basis. Though it’s not always the case. His cycling [...]
September 18, 2010
It appears that this week was possessed by the evil spirits of depression and angst. I’m going to have an exorcism this evening to make sure we have a MUCH better week next week. I suppose my week was actually filled with more stress and doubt than anything else. I’m an expert self-doubter. (Seriously, I’m considering putting it on my resume!) And when things go wrong I am convinced it’s my fault. I start scanning the used car ads for a big fat truck to make up for all the inadequacy I’m feeling. And since everyone else was having a rough week and slightly MIA on the web, the inadequate feelings grew. I started thinking, “Oh crap, what did I do to piss them off?” and “Maybe I’m not writing interesting enough things.” I know the thoughts are irrational, but seriously…I was about to go to the garden and eat worms yesterday! [...]
September 17, 2010
My wife is just now coming out of a severe depressive episode and is doing much better. However she doesn’t always recognize how well she is doing. Is this common and how can I help her understand the progress she has made? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If I had to guess, I’d say this is very common. It’s hard for us (with bipolar) to recognize when we are improving because in our heads we are still having the same thoughts and feelings. We are still depressed or insanely happy. BUT suddenly it’s under control. We’re able to function with our depression and we’re able to quell our impulsivity before it gets out of hand. The funny thing is though, we don’t see it. We KNOW we are finally getting out of bed and going about our daily activities. We KNOW we have stopped going off on shopping sprees when the bank account clearly [...]
rTMS treatment, what is it used for and how does it work? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What is rTMS? Well for starters let me tell you what the acronym rTMS stands for so we’ll all be on the same page. Once we’re done with that I’ll get down to business and answer your question. Okay? Okay. rTMS spelled out is Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. I know it’s a mouthful. It’s in the final testing phase to treat a variety of conditions and illnesses. It is already being used to treat others one of them being depression and for obvious reasons, that’s the condition I’ll be discussing today. This is the medical explanation; rTMS is a non-invasive method used to cause depolarization in the neurons of the brain. rTMS uses electromagnets to create weak electric currents using a quick changing magnetic field. This can increase activity in specific areas of the brain. same as [...]
September 16, 2010
I’m not sure why, but for some reason today’s post just isn’t showing up in our cue. I tried arguing with it. I said “Post, publish on the wall already!” So it said, “Why don’t you publish on the wall already!” At which I replied, “If I could publish myself on the wall don’t you think I would have done it a long time ago!” The post then fricken laughed at me and said, “Excuses excuses…” “Just get up already!!!” I screamed. And that little son of a monkey came back with, “That’s what she said.” At which point I gave up and decided to write a tiny little post about pretty much nothing in attempt to apologize for our technical inadequacy today. We will be back tomorrow with a double posting at which point you will all jump up and down singing our praises! Oh hey…fun news. I recently [...]
September 15, 2010
Did you always know you were bipolar or did it just appear “suddenly”? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Now that’s really two questions wrapped up into one isn’t it? I’m just kidding and I will do my best to answer your question so you are satisfied with the answer. The answer to your question is, no. I would say that for probably 95% (it’s probably closer to 100% but I have to leave some room for error) of us who are bipolar it didn’t just “suddenly appear”. Let me take some time now to fully explain my answer. Many people who are bipolar start to experience symptoms any where from 5 to 10 years prior to a correct diagnosis. There are many reasons for this. Some begin to experience symptoms in childhood and/or adolescence. These symptoms can be completely missed, overlooked or just attributed to normal teenage behavior. Young and older adults who experience [...]
September 14, 2010
My son is 6 and diagnosed with mood disorders. We just started medication (risperdal) and things have been SO much better, but last night my son had a rage that turned into depression and remorse. We all felt so bad for him. I see that many of you still experience rages – isn’t the medication supposed to make them go away? I’m very worried that when he gets older these will become so dangerous for everyone in the family and my house will be trashed. I don’t know how to handle him when he’s in a rage, but I just want to keep everyone safe. Do continuing rages mean we haven’t found the right medication yet? Or is this just a fact of life with bipolar? I feel like I can handle anything that comes my way, but not these terrible rages! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So I had a terribly rough day [...]
September 13, 2010
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September 12, 2010
Is My Child Bipolar? Ever since my son started to have rages and thoughts of killing himself at the age of 7, I had to ask the question… “Is my son Bipolar?” I wish that I could tell you that I knew. That after 3 years of medication and working with our psychiatrist and therapist that I had an answer to that question. Instead, I only have more questions. Will my son ever have a diagnosis? Will my son outgrow these symptoms as his brain develops? Are we using the right medications? Do our doctors really understand our son’s case? Will he survive this undiagnosed illness? Have you asked these question yourself? Like me, have you read The Bipolar Child book, along with countless other books on bipolar kids and thought… this is my life, this sounds just like my child. If so, you’re not alone. There are so many [...]
September 11, 2010
Today is just one of those days where you can’t say the date without feeling somber. I just feel like I shouldn’t be doing anything fun or exciting because it would be disrespectful in some way shape or form. And then I always think about where I was when it happened. Oddly enough…I was at the therapists. I had just finished my appointment and was waiting for my husband to get out of his when I heard the nurses chatting about something. My ears perked and I kinda caught on to what they were saying, but had no clue they were talking about what was going on right then and there. So when my husband got out I told him to turn on the radio. What does he turn on? Howard Stern. Nice. BUT Howard Stern was talking about it to. My husband thought it was a joke. I said, [...]
September 10, 2010
Do you have any experience with self-injury? What steps did you take to overcome it if you did? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I do have experience with self-injury… In fact, I have lots of experience with it… I began harming myself when I was 12 years old, and have struggled with it ever since (I am now 23) There have been times that I have been able to stop for a time… The thing that helped me most at one point was Dialectal Behavior Therapy (DBT) It’s a program developed by a psychiatrist, Marsha Linehan… It incorporates understanding what the emotional side and the logical side of the brain is… Then it helps to combine the two so you can think rationally and not make impulsive decisions, or to over-analyze something a go from there… Since I was in the program only a short time, I didn’t get all out of it that [...]
September 9, 2010
What are some of the best books and movies about bipolar disorder that you have read or seen? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So, I’m not sure if you know this or not, but um….I LOVE books! Small books, big books, books that climb on rocks. Wait? Books can’t climb! Oh but if they could…. When it comes to Bipolar Disorder I have checked out almost EVERY book the library had while researching for my novel. Not like having Bipolar wasn’t enough research, I just wanted to make sure I understood the disorder on all levels, if that’s even possible… Here is a list of my favorites! The Bipolar Survival Guide AND The Bipolar Survival Guide, Second Edition by David J. Miklowitz (The number one MUST READ for everyone trying to understand Bipolar Disorder!!!) The Bipolar Teen by David J. Miklowitz PhD and Elizabeth L. George Phd Voices of Bipolar Disorder: The Healing Companion: [...]
September 8, 2010
Have you ever been treated differently by a Dr, PA nurse practitioner etc once the find out you have a mental illness? I’m talking about someone who is not you regular provider and doesn’t know you. I’ve had a few experiences with this and it’s frustrating to say the least. I have to go to my urgent care every so often because I get migraines & have severe chronic back pain. All the providers know me & I have a documented HX of migraines as well as the back pain so they have a pain management plan for me. I get the same injection each time I go.Every once in a while a new provider is hired or one “floats” from another location. First they look at my med list and ask why am I taking so many medications,so I tell them my diagnosis. One even asked if I had [...]
September 6, 2010
Often, my own anxiety is set off by issues my friends are dealing with. For example, I just found out a friend is dealing with a great deal of depression, and while I want to be there for him, his situation is causing me to have a lot of anxiety to the point where I’m not sure I’d be any help at all. Any suggestions of how to deal when the disorders of others set off my own? I don’t want to do what I usually do, which is just avoid the situation (bad tactic, I know) Help? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Misery sure does love company doesn’t it? And an anxious mind loves to party with other people’s problems, especially for those of us who are fixers. Fixers want to help need to help! It’s hard coded into our system. If someone’s in trouble we put on our Bob the Builder belts [...]
September 5, 2010
Here’s my quote for the day “I’m not the captain of the ship, but I’m still on the boat!!!” Ok, so it’s not my quote… I read it somewhere, in some Christian book… But I like it!!! And it’s so true, don’t you think??? I can’t control my bipolar all the time… I can’t always control my emotions or actions… Sometimes I feel as though my bipolar has a mind of it’s own… It’s the ‘captain’ of my thoughts… But I’m still a crew member!!! I don’t just give all the power to the captain… I take care of my bunk… I scrub the poop deck… You can say I’m the ‘cockswaine’ (the captains right hand man) I’m not going to let bipolar take me down to Davy Jones’ Locker!!! (Ok, so I Googled some terms…) Anyways, my point is, that I’m not giving up!!! Just because bipolar controls my [...]
September 4, 2010
We’ve all seen the commercial, “Depression Hurts…” And it is 100% true! I guess I’m wondering if anyone else can relate to this. Or maybe what I’m wondering is, which hurts worse, the physical or the emotional side effects of depression? Tweet79a4666aeaff648c9d19c94749b47be9Link to this post!
September 3, 2010
My boyfriend and I have been together for almost a year now. He was self admitted to the hospital prior to us entering our relationship. he was given meds but never diagnosed. We have talked about the possibility of him being manic. He agreed at the time that that’s what he thought. We have an amazing relationship, he is like no other person I have ever met. I love him more than anything and want this relationship to work. We have had a rocky road, these past couple of weeks. He was in a car accident which really shook him up. H e ended up asking me to take him to see a psychiatrist because he didn’t know how to deal with what he was feeling. When I found him he was in fetal position in bed, shaking and rocking, unable to complete a sentence. After seeing the doctor she [...]
September 2, 2010
Last night my daughter (18 yrs old) was really manic. Had been coming on for about a week. She even called the psychiatrist herself for a change. Anyway, she really “lost it” and hit her head repeatedly on the kitchen table. This morning her right eye was swollen shut. Took her to urgent care and thankfully no serious issues…but I allowed her to lie and say she was in a car accident! Question 1: Is this type of behavior typical of mania? Question 2: was she right to lie? She feels that if she had disclosed the truth, they would have called the psych ward for sure. Thank you, Carol ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It’s good that your daughter recognized that she was getting in over head with the mania… That being said, self-injury is not uncommon, especially when intense feelings come into the picture-such as the mania… I’m not going to say [...]
September 1, 2010
I know everyone is different, but what is it like for you to have a hypomanic/ manic episode? What thoughts go through your mind? How are you feeling? Could you also describe one of your episodes? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Manic, I am Bipolar I, so when my Bipolar gets out of hand, this is generally what happens to me, so I have a lot of experience with this type of mood. Before I discuss what they mean to me, here is a good reference article outlining the clinical definition of the two. http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=11194&cn=4 Hypomania itself can be a great feeling. I get a lot accomplished while hypomanic. I feel like I can conquer the world. I am happy and cheerful. I have a lot of excess energy and speak very quickly. A lot of times people have to ask me to repeat myself because my speech is so fast. This is [...]
