Hi,

How’s it going?

I hope you are doing well.

Sorry again the news is coming out on Saturday. It will be back to the normal schedule next Friday.

Again, very sorry.

Here is today’s news.

To read this week’s news visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews405

Rejected Author Finds Audience in Spouses of Bipolar Husbands and Wives Online
DO> Great story, what do you think?

New drugs approved for Australians
DO> Interesting, what do you think.

Through website, patients creating own drug studies
DO> What do you think of this?

Support grows for parents of children with mental health needs
DO> This is really needed.

For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews405

==>Help with ALL aspects of bipolar disorder<<==

Check out all my resources, programs and information for all aspects of bipolar disorder by visiting:

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David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.

Hi,

Hope your day is going well.

Okay, there is no bipolar news today. Here’s what happen. We had a person have to resign for serious medical problems that were NRTB (not related to bipolar).

I do not actually post the news on the internet. I don’t know HTML and that kind of thing.

I am sitting here looking for the news but it’s not up. I am not sure why.

I have to call the person. I guess she had trouble but it doesn’t make me happy that I wasn’t notified let’s say yesterday or last night.

Anyway sorry. I am REALLY annoyed by this.

I will have it posted hopefully tomorrow.

I want to talk to you about something today.

It’s about tweaking your treatment plan.

You know I work out a lot, right?

Well, sometimes I have to “change up” (or “tweak”) my routine some, or I would get bored with it, and then I probably wouldn’t

work out as much as I do.

This is why I work in about 9 different libraries and do cardio in many different parks.

Well, this is sort of like that, only with your treatment plan.

I mean, obviously, there are some things you just can’t change (unless they aren’t working).

Your medication, as long as it’s working fine, is something you just shouldn’t mess with. If you are having problems with it, or the side effects are bothering you, that’s something you should tell your doctor about.

That’s NOT what I’m talking about here. Therapy is another part of your treatment plan that is very, very important.

If you’re happy with your therapist, fantastic!

But if you’ve been with them for a long time and you don’t feel you’re getting anything out of therapy any more, or you just feel like you’re going out of habit more than anything else, then that’s something you may want to tweak.

First, talk to your therapist. Tell them how you feel. If you’re supposed to be with that therapist, then maybe you just need a tweak in your sessions (or go down to less sessions).

If you’re not supposed to be with that therapist any more, then you may have to think about switching therapists. Again, this is something you should discuss with them. If this is what you decide to do, it would be good to have them on your side, as they may be able to give you a referral.

In my courses/systems below, I go over all the parts that make up a comprehensive treatment plan. Medication and therapy are just two of the parts:

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Exercise should be part of your treatment regimen, but if, like me, you get bored with the type of exercise you’re doing, you may want to tweak your routine. If you’ve been walking, try swimming instead (or the opposite). If you’ve been doing free weights, try the machines instead (or the opposite). There are many options for exercise programs.

If you’ve been exercising at home, consider joining a gym or use free programs you may find in your area. If you’ve been exercising alone, try working out with a friend.

You should be eating a healthy diet as part of your treatment regiment, but maybe it’s gotten too bland, and could use some tweaking. Try some different cooking ideas. Buy a low-fat cookbook and try some new recipes.

Look online for foods you like and make meals using those foods. Meals shouldn’t be boring. If you’ve been eating 3 regular meals a day, try tweaking that to 6 smaller meals a day.

And be flexible! Instead of thinking of it as “dieting,” (which everyone hates and is too restrictive), eat what you want, just in smaller portions, while being health conscious, and if every once in awhile you want that small bite of a candy bar, allow yourself that luxury! (That way, you won’t want to eat that whole cake later on and feel like a big “cheater”!)

Sleep is still so very important, but can still be tweaked if you need to. If you decided on a 9:00 bedtime but still find yourself up and tossing and turning at 10 pm, just change your bedtime to 10:00 and tweak your morning rise time.

As long as you are still getting 8-9 hours of good sleep every night, the hours you go to bed and rise aren’t as important. Go to bed and rise according to what works for you and YOUR body’s internal clock.

Enjoyment is an important part of everyone’s life (bipolar or not). If you aren’t having enough fun in your life, perhaps that’s an area that needs to be tweaked. Now, don’t go so far as to get manic or anything, but make sure you include enjoyment as part of your treatment regimen. Remember not to neglect your supporter, either, as that is very important.

“Date Nights” are a great way to keep your relationship with your supporter close and let them know how much you appreciate what they do for you. (Maybe this is an area you need to tweak? Intimacy is very important.)

Make sure you are taking care of your mental health – things  like stress reduction techniques and relaxation exercises are also important in management of bipolar disorder. If you have been slacking off in these areas, maybe these are a couple of those areas that need to be tweaked.

Get back to basics. Maybe you’ve gotten away from some of those things that worked in the beginning, but that you stopped doing. You may want to go back to doing those things.

Maintaining a good treatment plan is crucial for good management of bipolar disorder.

Sometimes all it takes is some tweaking!

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Hi,

How’s it going?

Thanks to everyone for wishing my dad well. Like I said, he had a stroke.

I went to see him. He is doing okay.

He has to stay in the hospital until they figured out why his blood pressure is so very high. They have no idea why it is.

My mom, did not take it well. She actually got very little sleep, which triggered her being super angry at me (of course). She wound up screaming at me and hanging the phone up on me.

I didn’t even bother saying anything.  But then she followed the system that we setup ahead of time in the doomsday scenario and now she is doing much better.

I spoke to her last night and she is back to her old self.

But if my dad gets worse, that’s going to act as a major trigger for a potential bipolar episode.

In addition, someone who works for me, went into a bipolar episode and now is in the hospital.

In the past few weeks, I have had one person

get into a car accident, one person diagnosed with cancer (had to resign), one person has other serious medical problems not related to bipolar disorder (had to resign), my main computer is not working, my mom’s medication has changed, dad in the hospital and some other issues.

So it’s not been a good past few weeks.

BUT, I have a strategy to deal with these types of situations. You may have read about it in articles I posted online for f.ree.

Okay, I was talking to Michele yesterday and she was having a tough day.

She had a bunch of bad things going on.

So then she spoke to her mom who told her to remember the good things going on instead:

Like that she has a husband who loves her, a beautiful home, a great job, her bills are paid, her car runs good, she has 3 healthy sons, and she is stable with her bipolar disorder.

When Michele did that, her problems didn’t seem that bad!

We were talking about it, and I told her that I have to do the same thing.

There are nightmare days for me. Or weeks like I just told you.

But I train myself to think about the good instead of the bad. And there were lots of good things, too.

With bipolar disorder, too many people just focus on the negative.

That’s why, in my courses/systems, I teach people about positive thinking.

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It is SO important to balance the bad with the good, or else your bipolar disorder can become WORSE!

If you don’t, you begin to think negatively, and negative thoughts lead to depression, and depression for too long leads to a bipolar depressive episode.

See why it’s so important to think about the good things, too?

Michele’s mom was right, and know how she came up with her little philosophy?

She has bipolar disorder just like Michele does!

And she’s been stable for a long time because she does what she told Michele to do, and what I told you that I do.

No matter how things seem, you can always find some good in it.

If you’re struggling, there are good things you may not even have thought of.

Even if it’s just the little things:

Like, you found this website.

You’ve learned about bipolar disorder, more than you knew before, which means you’re getting help for your disorder.

You have people that care about you.

You have a roof over your head.

You have food to eat.

You probably have a car to drive.

If you have children and they are healthy, count that as a good thing.

If you are physically healthy, count that as a good thing, too.

If you’re having a “good bipolar day,”  that’s a REAL good thing!

These are just some examples.

I know you can come up with more.

I’d love to hear about them.

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David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.

Hi,

I hope you’re having a really great day.

I have some bad news for myself. My dad had a stoke yesterday.

I have to take off and head to the hospital.

Actually I have two problems. My mom was NOT sleeping well over the last week BEFORE this happened to my dad.

Last night my mom was sending me emails after 11:00pm. The fact that my dad had a stroke will probably make things worse. In addition, my mom’s worst period of the year for bipolar is November through early December.

I have to think long and hard and plan for the worst. I have to think of all the possible ways that bipolar could get the upper hand.

I have so many systems in place, I don’t think it’s possible. BUT, bipolar is smart and sometimes there are small cracks in the system that it can slip through and create an episode.

After using my own Doomsday system, I don’t think this is possible anymore.

I told my mom to make sure she takes care of herself.

My dad called me late yesterday from the hospital and did NOT want me to tell my mom to avoid worrying her.

I told my dad that would not be possible because he if did not show up at night she would then worry more.

He said, “ohh, that’s right.”

So she was told.

Hmmm.

We will see I guess.

You know I talk to a lot of people about bipolar disorder, right?  It seems like everywhere I go, I run into someone who has bipolar disorder, knows someone who has it, or is a supporter to a loved one with the disorder.

Well, the other day, this supporter was talking to me about her loved one’s bipolar disorder, and she seemed really troubled.

She said:

“I know you’re going to think I’m a really selfish person for saying this, and I know there’s a lot of people out there who have it worse than I do, but I really don’t care about them. All I care about is my husband and his bipolar and helping him get better, and that takes all my time and energy. Does that make me selfish? Do you think I’m a terrible person?”

——————————————————————-

Well, what do you say to something like that?

First of all, I assured her that she wasn’t the first supporter to express those kinds of feelings to me, because she’s not.

Then I assured her that just because she feels that way does not make her a terrible person.

When you have a loved one with bipolar disorder, your world can become very small to the exclusion of everything (and everybody) else.

Your problems can seem so overwhelming to you that it takes all your time and energy to deal with them.

Your life as a supporter is definitely not an easy one.

When I asked this woman, “What about your support group?”

She said:

“It’s almost the worst there, because mostly all they do is complain. I mean, some of them I feel sorry for, because they have as many problems as I do, but the rest of them I resent. Their loved ones are doing better than my husband, and they’re the ones who complain the loudest. They don’t even try to help me. Maybe I’m not the selfish one – maybe they are.”

I didn’t know what to say.

Bipolar disorder or not, everyone has problems.

And to them, their own problems seem worse than everyone else’s just because they’re happening to them.

That’s why, in my courses/systems, I teach problem-solving techniques, because they’re so important, not just for the person with bipolar disorder, but for their supporter as well.

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There’s a difference between being selfish and “taking care of your own.”

If this woman was truly a selfish person, first of all, I don’t think she would’ve been so concerned about it.

And second of all, if she were really selfish, she would be off doing things she wanted to do instead of taking care of her husband and being a good supporter to him.

But these are just my thoughts.

What do YOU think?

Do you think she’s being selfish?

I’d really like to know.

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Hi,

Hope you’re having a good day.

About 12 days ago, my mom started noticing some things that were “off.”

She wasn’t feeling too well, so she asked a friend to describe what she noticed about changes in her (my mom’s) recent behavior.

She thought she might be going into a depressed episode.

Well, I’ve told you before that my mom has systems in place.

So the first thing she did was call her therapist and ask her for an emergency appointment, and she was able to see her later that afternoon.

Then she made a list of the symptoms her friend had observed, and she took that list with her to her therapist.

Her therapist said that my mom was in a “rapid cycle” of bipolar disorder.

In my courses and systems, I talk about the different types of bipolar disorder. Rapid cycling is not a type of bipolar disorder in itself, but it just means that your episodes happen more frequently than usual.

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In my mom’s case, this is her “bad time” of the year anyway, so we watch her more closely than usual.

That’s why she was using her system.

And she did the right thing, that when she noticed that something was “off,” or didn’t feel right, she called her therapist and then went to see her.

By doing that, she avoided a full-blown episode.

These are what we call “mini-episodes,” or “relapses.”

But now my mom feels as if she’s failed.

So is a relapse a failure?

NO.

Especially if you’ve followed your system and done everything right.

Remember that with bipolar disorder, there are things you can control, and things you can’t control.

You can’t control the chemical imbalance in your brain.

But you CAN do something about it when the chemicals fire off unexpectedly.

You can do exactly what my mom did.

She didn’t fail. She did exactly what she should have done. And that’s not failure.

In fact, it’s just the opposite.

I’m proud of her for the way she handled the situation.

There was a time in the past when she didn’t have a system, and she would have gone into a full-blown episode.

But because of what she did this time, it shows me that she is following her system, and did the right thing.

We can call this rapid-cycling, or we can call this a mini-episode, or we can just say that my mom just experienced a phase of bipolar depression.

But the point is, she did NOT go into a bipolar depressive episode.

Because she followed her system.

Your loved one should have a system in place as well. And you should be a part of it.

You can help them by watching for signs and symptoms of an episode. Even if they don’t notice that they’re “off,” you can, and you can point it out to them, and encourage them to seek help (early).

And as long as they follow their system, they shouldn’t be going into episodes, either.

At least not as often as they did before their systems were in place.

But you can’t predict what their bipolar disorder is going to do.

Because there still isn’t a cure for the disorder, episodes are going to happen from time to time.

They can be minimized, though, and mini-episodes, or relapses are NOT failures.

Relapses should actually be expected, but if you catch them early (by watching for signs and symptoms of episodes), you can keep your loved one from going into a full-blown episode.

Odd. Guess what?

Hey, I just checked my email and my mom sent one that said how she wasn’t sleeping so she a) scheduled with her therapist b) called her psychiatrist and scheduled an immediate appointment.

My mom said that she is confident that a major gigantic episode like what happened in 2004 will not happen again because of all the systems we have in place.

What do you think?

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Hi,

I hope you’re doing well.

Guess what?

Yesterday I went hiking like I told you. It started to snow when I was on the mountain and I almost slid off.

Kind of scary.

In addition, I fell in a River with hours required to walk back to my car. I was sooooo cold it was amazing. I had to drive home freezing.

After I got home, and unfroze myself, I was actually talking to my Goddaughter’s mother who was telling me that Anna (my Goddaughter) was afraid of different places in their house.

She was afraid of shadows and also certain toys.

Let me ask you:

Hey remember when you were little, were you afraid of ghosts and goblins?

Things that went bump in the night?

Creepy crawly things?

Scary things under your bed?

Big giants that would come and eat you?

Monsters that hid in your closet?

Huge beasts that could stomp on your house?

Were you afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

Now that you’re older, are you afraid of any of those things? Of course not.

You’re an adult now, and you realize that those things were just childish fears of things that didn’t really exist (except in your mind).

Yes, they were childish, and yes, they only existed in your mind, but I bet the fear was very real to you, wasn’t it?

It’s the same thing with bipolar disorder.

For one thing, people fear what they don’t understand.

That’s why one of the first things I teach in my courses/systems is that you have to learn as much as you can about bipolar disorder:

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?

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The more you learn about bipolar disorder, the

less you’ll be afraid of it, because knowledge is power, and power defeats fear!

This is why I have NO problem hiring people with one or more mental illnesses. Have you ever wondered why I do or how I can?

It’s because I have tremendous knowledge on this topic and I am NOT afraid of the individuals.

People who have psychological problems with phobias (fears) or anxiety disorders, learn to overcome them by facing them.

You have to face your fears.

In this case, you have to face your fear of bipolar disorder, of what it does to your loved one, of what it can do to you, to your life, your family, etc.

You have to overcome your fear of bipolar disorder.

As long as you have a fear of the disorder, it has power over you. You have to take back that power! Face that fear head on so that bipolar disorder loses its power over you!

After you’ve obtained knowledge (knowledge is power, remember), you have to obtain tools (some people call this their bipolar toolbox).

In your toolbox you should have:

· Books on being a supporter

· Internet (to looks things up)

· A strong support system (for you as a supporter)

· A healthy diet and exercise

· Friends and family

· Balance in your own life

· Activities of your own

· (possibly) your own job

· A social life

· Church activities (if you are spiritual)

· Hobbies

· Recreational activities

· A journal (to record your thoughts and

feelings)

· Good communication with your loved

one

You can add other things to your toolbox as well, but you get the idea.

Picture a workman carrying a toolbox on his way to work. He looks serious. He looks strong. He’s ready to tackle the big job.

That’s YOU.

You’re ready to take on the big job of fighting bipolar disorder now.

Now, who’s afraid of the Big Bad Bipolar Wolf? lol

NOT YOU!

If you have been on my list for a while, I am sure that you have learned, the more you learn, the less you fear.

Agree?

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Hi,

How’s it going today?

What’s new?

I am actually going hiking today so I have to take off pretty quick—because it gets dark earlier these days. I don’t want to get lost in the middle of the woods at night : )

Anyway, you know, one of the worst parts of having bipolar disorder is going through the depressive end of the mood swing.

It’s especially hard on the supporter, because you feel so helpless to do anything about it but to watch your loved one suffer.

You can’t just tell them a joke and make them laugh and it’s all over. It’s just not as simple as that. Or watch a funny movie with them – even if it did bring them out of it, it would only be temporary.

If your loved one had the flu, you could give them medicine to help them feel better.

But there is no “cure” for their depression.

You can encourage them to do things, but they are fighting a real enemy.

And their worst enemy is boredom.

Boredom causes more bipolar depressions than anything else (notwithstanding the chemical imbalance that causes the mood swing).

In my courses/systems below, I talk about To-Do Lists, which are very helpful with keeping the enemy of boredom at bay, and I show you how to do this:

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?

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Some people are good at making To-Do Lists and keeping up with them. Larger projects can be broken down into smaller tasks.

Everyday tasks can be big accomplishments for someone when they’re depressed.

What’s important is to keep busy, because boredom is the enemy of bipolar depression.

Sitting in front of the television can deepen a bipolar depression.

Even your trying to make conversation with them can make them more depressed.

One woman who was used to gardening as a way to feel productive (which helped her manage her bipolar disorder) found herself getting depressed during the colder months of the year, until she found some indoor plants that she could take care of year-round. This helped her with her depression.

Another woman who struggled with bipolar depression had been an English teacher before her disorder forced her to go on disability.

Because she had been used to being so busy before, boredom quickly set in, and she struggled with depression greatly.

She began tutoring out of her home, which filled up her time, and her depression lifted.

A man who had formerly run a successful auto shop before his diagnosis of bipolar disorder was overcome by bipolar depression simply out of boredom. There just wasn’t enough for him to do around the house, and he felt useless.

Then one of his friends asked him to work on his car in his garage. One friend led to two, and now he is no longer bored nor depressed.

Another man became the head of his bipolar support group and not only plans the monthly meetings, but also plans outings for both those with the disorder and their supporters and families.

In his downtime, he spends his time researching the Internet for new information on bipolar disorder he can share with the group. No longer bored, his depression has decreased.

Another woman became a literacy volunteer.

Yet another woman began volunteering as a school nurse at her child’s elementary school.

And one woman, who struggled with bipolar depression for years, works for me now. She has become a contributing writer to this website and, although she has had a depressed day here or there, has not had a bipolar depressive episode in almost four years.

Boredom is the enemy of bipolar depression.

But if you think of your talents, you can think of ways to use them so you don’t have to be bored, so you don’t have to be depressed.

Read back over some of these examples. These people aren’t depressed any more. They are helping themselves, their supporters, their families, their communities, and other people.

Boredom doesn’t have to be your enemy if you don’t let it.

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David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.