Current Bipolar News

Hi,

What’s new? Hope you are doing well.

To read this week’s news visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews566/

Here are the news headlines:

The Politics, Stigma and Experience of Brain Disorders
DO> Wow, great article, what do you think?

The Bipolar Disorders Spectrum – More Than Just Manic Depression
DO> Take a look at this

Cyclist Pedals [Bipolar] Message Around World
DO> Do you think this is good for the case?

Dear Amy: She Just Wants to Help Shoplifting Brother
DO> What would you do?

Demi Lovato Slams Disney on Twitter For Eating Disorder Joke
DO> Do you think this is right?

For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews566/

Check out all my resources, programs and information for all aspects of bipolar disorder by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentralcatalog.com

Your Friend,

Dave

Don’t Leave This Out When It Comes to Bipolar

Hi,

I have a friend who, whenever she gets sick, only her mom’s homemade chicken soup will do to get her better. Never mind any antibiotics or modern medicine…Give her Mom’s homemade chicken soup any time! She swears by it! The only problem is…She’s tried to reproduce her mom’s recipe a dozen times, and just can’t do it! Her mom has given her the recipe, and she swears she’s followed it to the letter, but she says it just doesn’t taste the same as Mom’s homemade chicken soup. I’ve heard the same story from other friends. This one’s Mom has a recipe for spaghetti sauce that’s “to die for!” And they say the same thing – They’ve gotten Mom’s recipe and tried to reproduce it, but it never turns out the same way as Mom’s…And they just can’t figure out why. Another friend has the same problem with their mom’s famous cheesecake recipe. And on and on…

So what does all this have to do with bipolar disorder? Here’s my point. I know you’re probably going to think this is corny, but…I think the missing ingredient is LOVE. I know, you’re probably laughing at me right now. But think… I may have a point here. Never discount a Mama’s love!

See…There are many things that you do for your loved one. There’s no disputing that. I know, because there were a lot of things I did for my mom to help her become stable with her bipolar

disorder. And there are a lot of things I still do for her. But never discount your LOVE for them.

And never underestimate the power of that love.

Someone once told me, “Love covers a multitude of sins.” I think that means that you can make a bunch of mistakes, but if love is what’s behind it… if love is your actual motive… then it will all be ok in the end. Like if all your efforts for your loved one are actually done out of love for them, then they’ll turn out all right. Which may be good for you to know, because a lot of

times, supporters wonder if what they’re doing accomplishes anything at all. So much emphasis is put on traditional treatment, that we wonder how much good a bipolar supporter can do in the big scheme of things.

Well…There’s a lot that a bipolar supporter does that medicine and therapy doesn’t do. For one thing, you are closer to your loved one than anyone else. This means that you will see signs and symptoms of an oncoming bipolar episode before their psychiatrist and/or therapist. So you can be instrumental in heading off a full-blown bipolar episode before it actually takes hold in your loved one. A psychiatrist who only sees your loved one every other month, or every 3 months, can’t do that. Or even a therapist, who sees them every other week, or even every week, can’t necessarily do that, either.

So your role is very, very important. Besides, no one loves your loved one like you do. Never forget that. And never underestimate the power of love in the healing process.

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave

Bipolar Supporter – In Spite Of

Hi,

You know, they say that there are two kinds of people in the world: Those that look at the glass as half empty…And those that look at the glass as half full. Those that see the glass as half empty are said to be pessimists. And those that see the glass as half full are said to be optimists.

Then they say that there are those that just see a glass of water. Those, they say, are realists. If, given a choice, which would you be? Which would you say you are? Nobody likes to be a pessimist, but unfortunately, some people are anyway. Those are the people that most people like to avoid, because nobody likes being around someone who is negative all the time. It’s better to be an optimist, with a positive attitude.

Many times, I talk about how it’s good to have a positive attitude when you’re dealing with a loved one with bipolar disorder. Because there is already enough negativity that you have to deal with. And many times that negativity is coming from your loved one themselves.

For example: Many people with bipolar disorder will claim that you are being unfair to them (usually when they are in an episode and you do something like take away the money). Or they will say that life isn’t fair to them (usually when they’re feeling depressed). They will blame everything and everyone else for their problems. They just won’t take responsibility for their own problems. That’s a big issue with many people who suffer from bipolar disorder when they are unstable. And especially a big issue for their supporters, because they are usually the ones who are getting the blame. So it may be hard for you to be an optimist in light of that issue.

Sometimes it may be very difficult for you to be positive in light of all the negativity surrounding you. I can understand that. When my mom was going through her worst bipolar episode ever and was screaming things at me like, “I hate you and I don’t want you to be my son any more,” I was so hurt. I wondered how I could possibly stay positive in the light of such hurtful things. But then I thought of it this way: My mom was very sick…But things (and my mom) would get better. Those two ideas kept me going. And they helped me to keep a positive attitude IN

SPITE OF the things I had going against me.

It didn’t mean that I wasn’t being realistic. Not at all. I still faced the opposition against me.

I dealt with the problems I was up against. I still helped my mom deal with her issues, like

the way things were financially because of when she had gone manic and gotten so out of control. So it wasn’t that I wasn’t realistic. But I was optimistic. I still held onto the idea that things would get better, IN SPITE OF…That’s what kept me going. That idea of IN SPITE OF.

In spite of the fact that my mom was sick, she was eventually going to get better. In spite of the way things looked at the time, I still believed that they would eventually get better. In spite of the fact that my mom had bipolar disorder, I still believed that with the right treatment, she would improve and eventually recover. In spite of the things she was yelling and screaming

at me at the time and how hurtful they were, I still believed that she ultimately didn’t know what she was saying and didn’t mean them, so I was able to forgive her. In spite of the negative things I was feeling, I was still able to be optimistic. See what I mean?

If you can rise above things…If you can hold onto the positive IN SPITE OF the negative…

You can be an optimist too. Then you will be able to handle things so much better. Of course, like me, you will still need to be a realist as well. Some things you can’t ignore. You will still need to talk to your loved one about behavior that bothers you, for example. But IN SPITE OF things they do that bother you, you can still love them and be supportive of their efforts to get better IN SPITE OF their bipolar disorder.

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave

Current Bipolar News

Hi,

What’s new? Hope you are doing well.

To read this week’s news visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews565/

Here are the news headlines:

[Body] Motions Unmask Moods
DO> What do you think of this?

Opioids Abuse may be Triggered by Mood and Anxiety Disorders
DO> Did you know this?

Coping with mental illness at Christmas
DO> Great information for the holidays

Daniel Bader, PhD, Looks at How Mental Illness is Portrayedon Reality TV…
DO> WOW, what do you think of this?

My Experience with Church and Mental Illness
DO> Do you think this is fair or not?

For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews565/

Check out all my resources, programs and information for all aspects of bipolar disorder by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentralcatalog.com

Your Friend,

Dave

Bipolar and Single: Making it Financially

Hi,

I recently received the following email:

Hi David,

I never have written back to you so I first wanted to thank you for all your great articles on BP. I also have a suggestion for something to look into. Have you ever written about the problems of single people with bi-polar who have financial problems. I see lots of great ideas for people who have a strong support network of family and spouses but I haven’t seen anything recently on the issues of single parents, singles and financial management for someone who has to earn enough money to pay for every penny of living expenses and mortgage and manage their Bi-polar. I’ve had to amend my schedule and work a lower paying job to reduce the stress, but I can’t afford not to work full-time.

i hope you have some good ideas for people like this?

Thanks,

Beth

——————————————————————————————————————

Beth does raise some good points in her email, and asks some really good questions, and they should be addressed.

One area where you can save money right away is in the area of prescription medications. Even if you have a prescription plan or Medicare, you still have to pay some money out-of-pocket for your bipolar medications, and that can run into a lot of money, especially if you’re on several medications. For Beth and people like her, who are only working part-time, or who cannot work at all (or who are on Disability and only have a limited income), you can contact the drug manufacturers directly for what is called a Prescription Assistance Program. For example, Astra-Zeneca, manufacturers of the bipolar medication Seroquel, have a Prescription Assistance Program called AZ and Me. If you are eligible, you can get a monthly prescription of Seroquel

for only $25. Each manufacturer has its own regulations, so you need to check with your drug manufacturer for details. If you’re not sure who makes your medication, just ask your pharmacist, and they can tell you.

There are also prescription cards available to you to help you pay for your prescriptions. For example, there is a prescription card that is available on a county by county basis. You can find out about these discount prescription cards by going to www.needymeds.org There is also other prescription help available that that website can direct you to. So, saving money on prescriptions can definitely help you stretch your dollar.

Also, your doctor can sometimes give you free samples of medication if you ask them. Sometimes, the drug manufacturers will also give you a free 30-day supply of a medication (with a prescription) – you need to contact the drug manufacturer directly to find out if they offer this, however.

Another idea is to get a “medication sponsor” from your family – someone who might be willing to help you get your medication for, say, a month or two to help you out. They can even pay the pharmacy directly if they want to.

You can make your dollar stretch further by going to food banks and getting free food as well. This can be done on a continuing basis. Every community has these – check with your local Red

Cross or United Way to find out where your local food banks are. Usually the only requirement is that you are low income.

You should be able to lower your power bill by asking to go on budget billing (most power companies now offer this service) – where they will average your monthly usage and you pay a lower monthly amount.

Single parents can sometimes get daycare on a sliding scale. Some churches offer day care for less as well.

For some people with low income on Medicare, some doctor/psychiatrists and therapists will offer services on a sliding scale as well.

It goes without saying that you need to keep excessive spending to a minimum (such as credit card debt) and to try to live within your means. If you already have credit card debt, try to pay it off so that will eliminate one bill that you have to pay every month.

Scale down to only what is necessary, and sell off the rest. Have a yard sale and/or put your clothes in a consignment shop for extra income. You might even want to consider selling things over the Internet for extra income.

Although it is difficult to make it financially when you are a single person with bipolar disorder, it can be done. Hopefully, these suggestions will help you.

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave

Telling Others About Bipolar Disorder

Hello, I hope things are going well for you today.

I wanted to discuss something that is a difficult aspect of living with bipolar disorder. Many people that are bipolar have difficulty telling those around them of their condition. They are afraid they will be judged, or that others will not quite understand what being bipolar means.

Telling others about your disorder is purely a personal choice. I have seen that many people are able to relax and be themselves once they let others know they are bipolar, and no longer feel like they are ‘hiding’ something from their friends.

Once those you are surrounded by know that you have bipolar disorder, they can often understand you much better and do not wonder why you are acting a certain way. It is common for those who are bipolar to feel that others do not notice their illness, when in fact their behaviors suggest other wise. Once they let others know they are bipolar, they are often told that others “just knew something was not right” and that they now understand their actions a bit better than before.

Of course there is always a right time and place to tell others about your bipolar disorder. A first date or job interview are probably two times where it would be best to not discuss your disorder. The most important thing about telling others about your disorder is waiting until you feel comfortable with another person to tell them.

A friend of mine was having a particularly bad manic episode and people at her job knew something was amiss. She was consistently late for work, and seemed to be very scattered and disorganized when at work. She finally confided in a close coworker that she was bipolar. Once she told her close coworker, she allowed her coworker to let others know of her condition (since she did not feel 100% comfortable speaking to everyone).

Once her coworkers knew of her condition they were much more understanding of things and she was able to relax more at work. Of course there was one coworker in particular who was rude to her and judged her, but she realized what was important was that 99% of her coworkers supporter her and were there for her.

Again, it really is a personal choice, but often confiding in others about your disorder can educate others and make thing a lot easier on yourself.

Hope you have a great day.

Your Friend,

Dave

Bipolar Email and Supporter Burnout

Hi,

I saw this post on my blog:

My son is bipolar and he depends on me for everything, I do so much for him and have a hard time not doing it. I have no life at all except to do for him. I guess I hope and pray that someday he will be able to do for himself. Everytime I try to do something for myself he interfers and makes sure I’m right there for him. I don’t know what to do anymore, I feel I’m never going to have a life because hes taking it all up. I love him so very much but I feel I just can’t do this anymore. I have noticed if he does stay busy then he does leave me alone some. I do feel like I’m in a trap and I can’t get out.

———————————————————————————————————————

I have to be honest with you…This post bothered me. I’m serious…Because I get way too many comments just like this one. And I have to tell you, like I would tell this person…You can’t give up your life. Not even to be the best parent in the world. And certainly not to be the best supporter in the world.

I mean, I’m all the time telling people that you need to take care of yourself first in order to avoid supporter burnout, and that if you don’t take care of yourself first, how can you take care of your loved one?

I’ll tell you what bothered me the most about this person’s comment on my blog. It was this:

“I have no life at all except to do for him.” Don’t you think that’s sad? Or are you in the same position with your own loved one? If you are, then you need to pay attention to this, listen to what I’m about to say. Because you could be in a dangerous position.

Doing too much for your loved one can be dangerous to your own mental and physical well-being! And it won’t be good for them in the long-run, either, to tell you the truth. Because, eventually you WILL burn out – you won’t be able to help it. You’ll be so busy meeting their needs that you won’t be meeting your own needs, and believe me, you will suffer. You will lose the necessary balance that you need to stay physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually

healthy. That’s right, even your physical health can suffer if you do too much for your loved one with bipolar disorder. You can start to lose sleep, or develop insomnia. Or not sleep through the night… get inadequate sleep, or poor quality sleep. You can suffer from nervousness and anxiety, leading to all kinds of things… like ulcers and migraines. You can be more susceptible to body aches and even colds if you’re not careful, too, because you will neglect your physical health.

At worst…The stress of taking care of a loved one with bipolar disorder can even lead to heart attack or stroke, and you could even die! Can you see why I am stressing why it’s so important

NOT to be like the person in this email and why I am so concerned about it?

Being like that is called enabling. Enabling is when you do for your loved one what they can (and should) do for themselves. It can even lead to codependence, which can lead to things like the supporter burnout I was describing.

You need to be as good a supporter as you can be, yes, and I commend you for wanting to be…

But not at your own expense. You still need to take care of yourself, too. Make sure your own needs are being met as well. That way you can also take care of your loved one. And that way you can have a life, too, and you won’t be like the person in the email.

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave

Bipolar Lesson From a Tree

Hi,

You know I like to go hiking, right? It’s my main hobby (besides non-competitive bodybuilding), and I do it as often as I can. Hiking helps me balance out the hard work that I do, and helps me stay de-stressed. That’s what a hobby is for, and I think everyone should have at least one, and the experts agree with me. Anyway…For my hikes, I like to pick spots that have the most beautiful surroundings, so that when I take my breaks, I can enjoy them. Makes sense, right? So I was thinking about this…

Have you ever noticed the trees? How they seem to bend in the wind but not break? And how strong their roots are? That’s what keeps them firmly planted, so that they can stand against the wind and not be blown over. So that’s what I was thinking about, how we could learn a lesson on bipolar disorder from the trees. I was thinking about how when they bend in the wind, they’re being flexible…And how you need to be too…Sometimes. And how when they’re being firmly planted, so that they can stand against the wind and not be blown over…That’s how you need to be against the adversity that comes into your life…Even if it comes from your loved one…At other times.

Sometimes, I talk about how that adversity, or stress, can come from your loved one in the form of being depressed or manic at times, especially when they’re in an episode.

There are some things you need to be flexible about. For example…It won’t kill you to be flexible about what you watch on TV. Seriously, I’ve known couples who’ve gotten into verbal battles over just what to watch on TV! And you’ve got to ask yourself, is it worth it? To fight over something so seemingly trivial? But to these people…Hey, they’re willing to go to battle over their right to each watch what they want! Well… I agree with their rights, but…I also believe that you should, as they say, “pick your fights.” There are some things worth fighting over, and some things that just aren’t, in my opinion. Like the TV and what you watch on it, I don’t think that’s worth a knock-down-drag-out fight, do you?

Or…Say the fight is over your teenager’s curfew time. What’s the difference if it’s 10 pm or midnight? Is it worth fighting over? Some say it is, some say it isn’t. The point is…This might be a place where you can be flexible, like the tree bending in the wind. You might be willing to give in to the two hours curfew time just to save the peace and your relationship with your teen.

There are some things you would be firmly planted about, of course… Like who they hang around with…Or how they are in school…Or how they act at home…And getting their chores done, etc. And meeting their responsibilities. But on other things you can be flexible.

It’s the same in your relationship with your loved one with bipolar disorder. There are some things you will stand firmly planted on, of course, and other things you can be flexible about.

For example… You will not stand for unacceptable behavior. Like the impulsive behavior they exhibit when they’re in a bipolar manic episode. Like risky sexual behavior, risky driving, shoplifting, excessive spending, fighting, or even substance abuse, and other unacceptable behavior that hurts them or you (or others) or has consequences in whatever way. That’s when you put your foot down, saying that you won’t tolerate the behavior. Or at least that you will reinforce the consequences of their behavior. That’s you “being the tree,” and “not bending in

the wind.”

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave

Current Bipolar News

Hi,

What’s new? Hope you are doing well.

To read this week’s news visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews564/

Here are the news headlines:

Health-care Community Comes Together to Help Uninsured
DO> Wow, this is great and so needed

Daily stresses of Bipolar Disorder: Paranoia, Spending Sprees and Lots of Guinea Pigs
DO> What do you think of this?

Mental Health: Roadblocks to Recovery, a first-hand look
DO> Very interesting, take a look.

Mood Disorders Up Risk of Opioid Abuse
DO> Did you know this?

Alexza Inhaled Antipsychotic May Pose Fatal Lung Risks
DO> Wow, this is scary, make sure you read it

For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews564/

Check out all my resources, programs and information for all aspects of bipolar disorder by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentralcatalog.com

Your Friend,

Dave