Current Bipolar News

Hi,

What’s new? Hope you are doing well.

To read this week’s news visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews579/

Here are the news headlines:

What Does Bipolar Disorder Really Look Like?
DO> Interesting article, do you agree?

Re-Thinking Mental Illness In Media
DO> Don’t you think that they need too?

Avoiding Professional Help for Mental Illness: Is it Over-Confidence Or Courage?
DO> Do you think this is smart, let me know.

Giving Your Disorder Too Much Credit? Bipolar Type II and Self-Esteem
DO> Great article, what do you think?

Comparing Psychiatric and General Medical Medications: What Does the Evidence Say?
DO> I think the need to do much more research in this area

For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews579/

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

Your Friend,

Dave

Bipolar: This Can Be Really Hard

Hi,

I don’t have a pet, because I live alone and I’m in and out a lot. But I do know a lot of people who do have pets, and some of them treat them like their children or their best friends! I can understand that. It’s easy – I mean…You train your pet…And they do what you tell them to do.

It’s not like a person. You can’t train a person to do what you tell them to do. People are just going to do what they want to do anyway. No matter how much you want them to do something.

Even if it’s for their own good. Like your loved one with bipolar disorder. You can’t change your loved one, no matter how much you would like to. They have to be willing to change themselves.

But like I said: You may want your loved one to do certain things, especially if they’re for their own good…But you sure can’t make them. And that’s where things can get hard sometimes. That’s one of the really hard things about supporting a loved one with bipolar disorder.

ACCEPTANCE. It’s hard to accept things you don’t like. Or that you don’t agree with. Or that you see are harming your loved one. Or are harming your relationship with them. Or are even harming you. How can you accept the detrimental things that come with your loved one having bipolar disorder? Now, first of all, notice I said ACCEPT, and not like. No one says you have to like these things. Because obviously you’re not going to like them. Who’s going to like it when their loved one flies into a bipolar rage and starts screaming and yelling at them? But, unfortunately, I am saying that you have to accept it.

So how can you do that? By accepting that it’s just part of the behavior that stems from their bipolar disorder when it’s out of control. That way, by making it part of their bipolar disorder

and NOT them…It’s easier not to blame them for their behavior…And to not take it personally.

That way, hopefully, it won’t hurt you as much. Other things are hard to accept as well. What about when you see your loved one doing things that hurt themselves? Like not complying with their treatment? Say they start skipping their therapy appointments, for example? Then even stop going? This can lead to acting out behavior, then to bipolar episodes. Or if they stop taking their medication, because they “feel fine,” which can also lead to an episode. It’s really hard to accept that. But all you can do is try to talk to them and tell them how much you care and that you want them to be better and the way to do that is to take their medication and go to therapy, then hope that they will.

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave

Bipolar Daily Review

Hi,

Many people follow the newspaper every day. Are you one of those people? Some people say they just can’t seem to start their day without it. Others say it just wouldn’t be the same without

their daily “fix” of the news. Did you know that some people even get that “fix” on their computers now? They don’t even have to wait until the newspaper is delivered to their door! One of the advantages of getting your news online is that it provides a daily review of the news. So that anytime during the day…It provides a sort of running commentary, or a review of that day’s most pertinent headlines. That way, by following the daily review, you can read about what you’re most interested in. So you can keep up with things. So you can be on top of things, so to speak.

Being on top of things is important to all of us. It’s especially important when it comes to bipolar

disorder. I mean, you wouldn’t do a daily review like the newspaper does…But you can do a sort of daily review in another way that might help your loved one (and you). What I’m talking about is keeping a daily mood chart or diary. This can be an important tool in managing your loved

one’s bipolar disorder. A mood chart or diary can track things like changes in mood. This can be useful, because it can help you to see if your loved one is heading toward a bipolar episode before it happens. Different mood charts keep track of different things, but most of them chart at least these basic things: Date, Mood, and Comments.

The mood section should have a range that goes from manic to depressed, and everything in between, like anxious and irritable or agitated, etc. Again, this is useful to note patterns, which can help you to see if there might be an oncoming bipolar episode. You can also track how long your loved one has been in this same mood without change. And you can also see when their mood changes, and track that as well. Many have a place where you can put what medications

your loved one is on, as that can affect how they’re feeling, too. You can note there when there has been a medication change, which can be important. Then, in the comment section, you can note any reactions to the new medication. Many mood charts also have a place to note number of

hours slept. This is important, because sleep changes can indicate an oncoming bipolar episode.

Loss of sleep can indicate a manic episode. While too much sleep can indicate a depressive episode. The comments section is important, because it gives you a chance to indicate what might be responsible for mood changes you have indicated, or anything else of note that day.

For example: You may note that something happened that day that was responsible for a “down” mood that was only situational, and not an indication of a possible bipolar depressive episode.

This would be important, as there is a difference.

Mood charts can be kept online or in a mood chart diary offline. The important thing is that you maintain it consistently. Then it can be printed out when it is time for your loved one to see their doctor or psychiatrist (or you can bring it to show them) so they can see what has been happening to your loved one since their last visit. Do you see how a daily mood chart can be an important daily review in helping to manage your loved one’s bipolar disorder?

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave

Humor and Bipolar Disorder

Hi,

Do you remember George Burns? Or maybe you heard of him? He was a famous comedian, who died in 1996, just a few weeks after his 100th birthday. Now, you might say that George Burns is proof of what the experts say about humor: That humor can actually extend your life.

Now, I’m not going to dispute whether that is actually true or not, but I can see where it might be true.

Consider this: Stress is one of the things that doctors warn you against. They are constantly telling you to get rid of the stress in your life. Why is that? Because studies have shown that stress decreases people’s life spans? Yes! How? Because stress leads to more heart attacks and

strokes, that’s how. And even if you don’t go along with that idea, you must at least believe that stress decreases the quality of a person’s life. Stress makes you nervous, edgy, irritable, agitated,

short-tempered, and can even lead to physical illnesses and maladies, like: insomnia, body aches, headaches, stomach aches/ulcers, and make you more susceptible to colds and viruses because you tend to not take care of yourself.

That’s one of the reasons why I recommend humor to people who have bipolar disorder. Learning not to take everything so seriously can help them and their supporters to cope with the disorder.

Humor decreases stress. That’s right. Even the Bible says so! It says, “Laughter does good like medicine.” People who laugh live longer than people who don’t laugh. I may not be able to quote you the exact studies, but there have been actual studies into the phenomenon. Think about it… It has to do with having a positive outlook on life. Negative people tend to have more problems and more stress. They also tend to get sick more. Thus they tend to have a shorter life span. At least that’s what studies show.

So… In spite of your loved one having bipolar disorder… LAUGH MORE! Try not to look at everything so seriously. I know it may be hard sometimes, but it will help to decrease some of the stress in your life.

Need help? Try watching a comedy movie or watching a comedian like George Burns on tv, or reading a funny book. That should make you laugh! Or consider the following funny quotes from people who have bipolar disorder who have learned to laugh at their disorder:

“If you like rollercoasters, you’ll love bipolar disorder!”

“I’m a bipolar bear – cute and cuddly!”

“Bipolar – where Santa Claus’s cousin lives.”

Enjoy!

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave

Bipolar Supporter – Do Anything You Want

Hi,

When you were young, did your parents tell you that you could do anything you wanted to

(within limits)? Oh, I don’t mean things that would get you in trouble or anything…I’m talking about things like that if you wanted to, that you could become a doctor… or a lawyer… or even the President if that’s what you wanted! The point is that they probably saw your talents and your unlimited potential, and probably tried to steer you in the right direction…Offering encouragement and hope that you could do anything you set your mind to doing, to accomplishing. That’s positive reinforcement. That’s a good thing for a parent to do. That’s a good thing for a bipolar supporter to do as well.

One of the things that I teach supporters is that you should be supportive to your loved one and not let their bipolar disorder hold them back. But it shouldn’t hold you back, either. You should still be able to do anything that you want to do, too. If you still want to work a full-time job, for

example, you should be able to do that without having to worry about what your loved one will

do without having you around to “babysit” them. If you do, that’s called codependency.

If they get in trouble without you around, perhaps they are too dependent on you to keep them out of trouble, and that isn’t a healthy thing. You should be able to trust them to be ok when

you’re not around, at least as much as to be able to work at a job outside the home. However, I know one woman who tried to work, but her husband would call her 10 and 12 times a day at work, until she was let go from her job because they said they just couldn’t have that happening there.

Your loved one needs to have something to do while you work so that they don’t do things like

that. They need to be productive in their own right so that they aren’t so dependent on you. They need to have their own strong support network, for example, and their own social network as well. They could even have their own job – either part-time, or at least a volunteer position, just something that gets them out of the house – or even a home business might work for them.

You should also be able to have your own friends that you can see when you want. It’s healthy for you to have a social life outside of your loved one so that their bipolar disorder doesn’t

overwhelm you. It’s something you need.

Go to lunch with a friend every once in a while – it will do you good. For your own mental and emotional well-being, you should be able to go out and do things on your own. You shouldn’t feel trapped by your loved one. And you shouldn’t feel guilty at leaving them alone at home, or fear for what might happen. They should be learning how to manage their own disorder, and to be independent to some degree. They shouldn’t need you to such a degree that you can’t do what you want to do, or it isn’t healthy.

If you feel as if your loved one and/or their bipolar disorder is holding you back, then you need to talk to them about it. You need to be able to do the things you need and want to do. And they need to have things that they do on their own without you as well. Perhaps having them go to a Day Center might help, or scheduling other activities for them that you aren’t involved with. Try giving them a To-Do List of tasks to accomplish for when you aren’t home and which they don’t depend on you for help with. Try encouraging them to take up a new project – one that will take more than one day to accomplish. Perhaps some community involvement might interest them.

The main thing is that you be able to be independent, though, so that you get a break from your loved one’s bipolar disorder, as you need that.

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/bipolarnews578/

Here are the news headlines:

A Psychiatrist Tells The Truth — It’s OK Not To Be ‘Normal’
DO> What do you think about this?

What Are Some Of The Positives About Having Experienced Bouts Of Depression?
DO> Do you think there are any positives?

Utah Mom: Young Kids Need To Learn About Mental Health
DO> Do you agree with this or not?

Hidden Data Show That Antipsychotic Drugs Are Less Effective Than Advertised
DO> Hmmm. Do you think this is a dangerous concept?

The doctor who broke up families: Psychiatrist who damned hundreds as ‘unfit parents’ …
DO> WOW, what are your thoughts on this article?

For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews578/

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

Your Friend,

Dave

Service Dogs for Bipolar Disorder

Hi,

You’ve heard of service dogs for the visually impaired, haven’t you? Those are those specially trained dogs that help visually impaired people get around better. Well, now they have service dogs for other disabled people as well. Including people with bipolar disorder. It’s true!

Here’s a true story:

Bill has bipolar disorder. He was in a major car accident this past year, and was injured. They thought he was going to lose his leg, but fortunately, they were able to save it. Unfortunately, it was broken in four places, and had to be immobilized. He needed two major operations to save it. Bill was a very independent man and up until then, was used to getting up and going wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted. So being in a wheelchair was something new to him. He didn’t like it at all. On top of that, he was told that his recovery would be very slow. In fact, he was told that it could take up to a year before he would be able to walk again. He was very discouraged by this news. It was very hard for him not to be depressed. His doctors were very concerned that on top of fighting to recover the use of his leg again, that he would be fighting to stay out of a bipolar depressive episode on top of it. So somebody recommended that he get a puppy from the Animal Shelter. At first he was reluctant to do it, but the more he thought about it, the more the idea appealed to Bill. He talked it over with his wife, who said she would help him take care of it. They went to the Animal Shelter and picked out a puppy. Bill began training the puppy and playing with her, and pretty soon, his spirits improved greatly. It was a great motivation to get up on his leg as he needed to take the puppy for a walk, so his leg began improving as well. Believe it or not, he improved so rapidly that he actually was able to walk at less than a year – at only nine months of recovery! Bill attributes his rapid recovery and avoidance of a major bipolar episode to getting a puppy.

——————————————————————————————————————-

An amazing story, isn’t it? So uplifting and encouraging! You might want to consider getting a puppy for your loved one to take care of as well. Look what it did for Bill!

I saw another report on TV, on Discovery Channel, I believe, where they did a story on a young woman who was struggling with depression. She had even been on medication to try and help her depression, but it wasn’t helping her. Even therapy wasn’t helping her. Nothing was helping her. She was desperate. So somebody suggested that she get a dog. And she did. She quickly came out of her depression, and this report, done quite awhile after that, showed that she still was not experiencing any more depressive episodes. She attributed her healing from depression to

getting that dog. She said it was because it gave her something to get out of bed for every day, among other things. She couldn’t just stay in bed and feel sorry for herself any more, because that dog needed her to take care of it. Maybe this would help your loved one as well.

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave

Bipolar Picnic?

Hi,

My goddaughter is at that age where “Let’s Pretend” is almost better than real life. So, even though it’s winter outdoors…An indoor picnic is just the thing for a cold, windy day! Of course, it must come with everything from real peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to potato chips to chocolate chip cookies for dessert, with lemonade to quench our thirst! The only thing that definitely does NOT come with our indoor picnic is ANTS! LOL Of course, coping and dealing with a loved one with bipolar disorder “ain’t no picnic,” as the saying goes, and I certainly understand that, from dealing with my mom. You have to deal with the daily ups and downs of the disorder, and that is really NOT easy. In fact, it can be downright discouraging sometimes.

I’m sure when your loved one was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder and the doctor was going over some of the things to expect, he/she didn’t tell you everything. They sure couldn’t tell you everything in the short time they have to be with you (your loved one). They just really go over the basics. Plus, everyone is different. And bipolar disorder can manifest differently in different people, too. So I’m sure your loved one’s doctor probably also stuck to just general information because they didn’t want to give you wrong information for your loved one. But by doing that, I’m sure they left you with some questions that went unanswered. I mean, even if they had answered every one of your questions at the time, I’m sure there have been circumstances and issues that have arisen since your loved one’s diagnosis that were not anticipated in the beginning. There are some things that you can only find out by going through them, unfortunately. For example: Everyone who has bipolar disorder has triggers. But everyone’s triggers are different. So even if your loved one’s doctor had talked about what triggers a bipolar episode…You wouldn’t necessarily know what triggers your loved one’s episodes until you go through them. That’s why it’s important to do what I call a PEA, or Post Episode Analysis, after the episode. That’s where you and your loved one sit down together and analyze the episode, going over things like what led up to the episode (including triggers), and how they could

be prevented in the future (or at least spotted quicker to prevent a major episode). These are just some things that you learn with experience as you go along with bipolar disorder.

So how do you deal with the daily ups and downs and discouragement of having a loved one with bipolar disorder? Well, what I just talked about will help. In other words…TIME is a big factor. Experience as you go will help you to get along better, as you become more learned about your loved one’s disorder. The more experience you have, the better you will be able to cope with it (and them). Another thing that will help is your attitude. Learn to just make it through the bad times with a “This Too Shall Pass” (it always has before) attitude, and to appreciate the good times for as long as they last, and to get the most out of them. But you also need to stay realistic, and remember that, although you can appreciate the good times, they won’t

last. And always separate your loved one from their disorder, remembering that it’s NOT their fault that they do some of the things that they do. That will also help you get through the daily ups and downs and discouragement. As one supporter puts it: “I hate when my wife acts bipolar, but I always remember that eventually she will get back to herself, so I just wait it out.”

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave

Bipolar: Do Something Different

Hi,

You’ve heard the saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again,” right? Well, that doesn’t mean that you keep trying the same thing over and over again if what you did wasn’t working. Otherwise, you’re just doing what is thought of as the common definition of insanity,

which is: “Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.” So, instead, I say that you should: DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT! That’s all it takes, sometimes, to change things. Or at least to change the outcome of something. And it doesn’t have to be something

big that makes the difference, either. It can be something small that can make a big difference.

The important thing is that you do something different than what you were doing that wasn’t working in the first place. When what you’re doing isn’t working, DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT!

If what you’re doing with your loved one with bipolar disorder isn’t working…And you’re getting very frustrated…It’s obvious that something has to change. Chances are, your loved one isn’t

going to change. And you can’t make them. And you shouldn’t have to change, either. But it’s obvious that something has to change, because what’s happening isn’t working any more. So…

DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT!

Maybe you’re enabling them. Maybe you’re making things too easy on them. So change that. Stop enabling them. Make them do it for themselves (whatever it is that you are doing for

them). Then they will have to take responsibility for themselves in that area, at least. For example, maybe you’ve been cooking all the meals. But they are perfectly capable of cooking

some of the meals themselves. So you tell them that they are going to have to start chipping in and helping out with the cooking. If they don’t want to, that’s fine, they can go hungry on the nights that it’s their turn to cook (but be prepared to go hungry yourself the first couple times if they test you!). Eventually, by your doing that one thing, it will change the situation (and, hopefully, your loved one). NOTE: This could work just as well with the laundry.

Here’s another example: If whenever you fight, you get defensive, and try to give your side of things, but it just makes matters worse, and your loved one just gets louder and more obstinate about giving their point of view, and it’s very frustrating for you…DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT! The next time you fight, try being quieter. It’s hard to fight with someone who won’t fight back, and your loved one will lose steam a whole lot faster!

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/bipolarnews577/

Here are the news headlines:

Bipolar Moms Likely to Need Meds While Pregnant
DO> Do you agree or disagree?

Hemy Neuman pins murder on Bipolar Disorder: Prosecution, Mayo Clinic contradict
DO> What do you think?

AstraZeneca Fails to Delay Generic Seroquel Launch
DO> Kind of boring, but take a look

Regulating Body Clock May Be Key to Treating Bipolar Disorder
DO> I totally agree, do you?

PayPal exec killed on Caltrain Tracks had Bipolar Disorder, Family Says
DO> Geeze, what a sad story.

For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews577/

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

Your Friend,

Dave