Current Bipolar News

 

Hi,

What’s new? Hope you are doing well.

To read this week’s news visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews644/

YOUR MONEY-When bipolar disorder leads to extreme shopping
DO> Important information for you to know.

Calif. Case Raises Issue of Employee Privacy in Yum! Brands Employment Lawsuit
DO> Do you agree with the court’s ruling?

My Bipolar Disorder Wrecked My Finances
DO> You’ll find this woman’s story very interesting.

Elisa Lam’s Strange Death Ruled an Accidental Drowning; She Was Bipolar
DO> You’ll find this video very interesting.

Ex-patient died in Chippenham rail tragedy
DO> This was a tragedy, don’t you think?

Strike a Chord: Broadway Actress Puts Struggle With Bipolar Disorder in the …
DO> This play sounds interesting, what do you think?

Jury Deliberates Weisheit Sentence
DO> Do you agree with this?

Why This Memoir On Bipolar Disorder Should Definitely Be On Your Summer …
DO> Her story will inspire you.

For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews644/

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

Your Friend,

 

Dave

Bipolar: What Can You Afford to Lose?

Hi,

You know, there are some things we can afford to lose in life. In recovery programs, for example, as well as in church, you can afford to lose your pride and ego. (In fact, it may happen whether you like it or not.) You can afford to lose your car if there are too many repairs needed for it, and buy another one. In other words, it’s not a life or death thing. At worst, you may have to get rides from people until your car is fixed, if you keep it. But still, you could afford to lose it. You can afford to lose some of your possessions, like if you have a yard sale, or donate to Goodwill or a church or other worthy organization.

But there are some things that you can’t afford to lose. For example, you can’t afford to lose your home, or else where would you live? You can’t afford to lose your job (unless you have another one lined up), because you need that income to live off. You can’t afford to wreck your credit, although too many people with bipolar disorder do. Then it’s a mess trying to establish your credit back again.

Your loved one can’t afford to lose your support. Your support is invaluable to them, as it helps them to deal with their bipolar disorder. Your loved one can’t afford to lose their commitment to take their medication. If they lose that commitment, it could lead to going into a bipolar episode, or worse, it could take their life! So they definitely cannot afford to stop taking their medication. They can’t afford to lose their doctor, psychiatrist, therapist and any other member of their treatment team, either. Because these people help them as much as you do. Your loved one cannot afford to lose sleep, either. Because loss of sleep is one of the biggest triggers to a bipolar episode.

And what about you? You can’t afford to NOT take care of yourself, because your loved one and family need you. You can’t afford to lose your self-esteem and self-respect. These are very important to anyone to have, whether they are dealing with bipolar disorder or not. Your self-esteem and self-respect are how you feel about yourself. And you need to feel good about yourself. Some supporters suffer in this area, because they believe that their support is directly related to their loved one’s bipolar disorder.

In other words…If their loved one isn’t doing well, or goes into an episode, they blame themselves. They think negatively. They believe that since their loved one isn’t doing well, that it means that they’re not a good supporter. But that isn’t true. The struggle for bipolar stability falls outside your responsibility as a supporter. You can be the best supporter in the world, and your loved one will still go into episodes. Going into episodes is just part of their bipolar disorder, and is no reflection on you as a supporter. You also can’t afford to lose your peace of mind. You need to stay as stress-free as possible.

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/bipolarnews643/

Infections linked to mood disorders
DO> Important study, don’t you agree?

Would you hire someone with a mental illness?
DO> Do you agree with this man?

Antidepressants: Ineffective, but Harmful?
DO> Interesting study, don’t you think?

Jesse lawyers link crime to disorder
DO> Do you think this is fair?

Bipolar at 17, and speaking bravely
DO> Don’t you think she is brave for doing this?

Normal or Not ? When Temper Tantrums Become a Di . . .
DO> What do you think of this controversy?

Richard Dreyfuss talks movies, mental health at fundraiser
DO> Don’t you find his comments interesting?

Austin’s Myriad RBM at Work on Molecular Tests for Mental Ailments
DO> They are doing important work, don’t you agree?

For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews643/

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

 

Your Friend,

 

Dave

Bipolar: How Would You Answer This Question?

Hi,

You know, I sorta talk a lot about communication – good communication – and how important that is. Well, a key component to getting along with others is: COMPROMISE. Let me share about this guy I knew who was always fighting with his girlfriend. It’s because he HAD to be right! He didn’t realize that compromise was the key. So they kept fighting. But when I talked to him and explained about the AGREE TO DISAGREE concept, which IS compromise, I think he really listened, because I haven’t heard about any more fights!

Whether it is a relationship with your loved one or whoever, you need to learn the art of compromise. Whatever the situation, you may be called upon to compromise, and the more willing you are to do that, the less disagreements or uncomfortable situations you will have to face.

So the first thing is: WILLINGNESS. You have to be willing to compromise. Now, that’s hard for some people to do – Like the guy I told you about who had to be right all the time. At least until he became willing to compromise. Then he started getting along more not just with his girlfriend, but in other situations and with other people, too. If you are willing to compromise, you will get along a lot better with your loved one who has bipolar disorder. Hopefully, you can teach your loved one about the AGREE TO DISAGREE concept, or even show them the blog posts (that one and this one). Then, as long as they are WILLING to compromise, especially if they agree with the concept, your communication will improve. So, the first step is WILLINGNESS.

Then you have to have the DESIRE to have effective communication. Like this guy I had told you about, it was either learn how to compromise, or to have to break up with his girlfriend, because they couldn’t just keep going along fighting all the time. If you have willingness and desire to have good communication, you will be more apt to have it.

You also have to have a GIVE-TAKE attitude. Like that guy who learned in the end that it was ok not to be right all the time! Having a give-take attitude means that you will have a more positive attitude, not shutting the other person out.

You also need to have an OPEN MIND. Understand that it’s ok for your loved one to feel the way they do. If you keep an open mind, it will be easier to separate them from their disorder.
It will also be easier to see where they are coming from. If you do that, it will help to explain why they do the things they do. In turn, if they keep an open mind, they will be able to see where you are coming from as well. And why you do the things you do.

If the two of you can do these things, you CAN have good communication, in spite of the fact that your loved one has bipolar disorder. Good communication is crucial to any relationship.
Even one in which one of the people in it has bipolar disorder. But the key is really all about compromise.

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave

 

Bipolar: Smoking and Bipolar Disorder

Hi,

I saw this post on my blog and wanted to share it with you, because I thought it was a very important topic:

“Hi Dave There is something I have not read about in your emails. I wonder if there have ever been studies done about the effects of tobacco use or nicotine with bipolar disorder. My father was a mile mannered gentleman who was liked and respected by most people.

He was a heavy smoker. He quit smoking about age 50. Ather he quit smoking, his personality changed. He began using a lot of profanity, he physically attracted the mailman, and when a local church burned down, he tried to take credit for that. I thought he needed some kind of mental help. I planned to consult with an attorney.

The day I was going to see an attoryney, I heard a newscast announcing the the govorner of the statr (Missouri) had sighned a bill the prevoius day forbidding involuntary detainment of persons with a mental disorder. this was in the 1970s before people had heard of bipolar disorder. the rest of his life, he put me and my mother through a lot of verbal abuse. My mother said she wished he would start smoking again.

I have heard that nicotine has some effects on the brain and may have something to do with delaying the onset of alzheimer’s disease. I sonder if you have heard of any studies having to do with bipolar disorder. I would appreciate any news about this in your email.

Regards

Fred

 

=====================================================================

I have been asked about this before. Smoking does have an effect on the brain because it affects the dopamine receptors, which are the pleasure centers in your brain. That’s what makes it so difficult to quit. And it can have some effect on medications taken for things like bipolar disorder. That’s why doctors always ask you if you smoke and how much you smoke (and for how long), and because smoking does have an effect on you.

As far as research on studies for bipolar disorder, it’s best to take an entire day or two to go to a university library. That’s what I always have to do. You basically go to a big university and then spend the day researching for the study you are looking for. I believe there are also studies on bipolar disorder and smoking but I don’t remember the details.

I do know this, though – That several people who I know who quit smoking and had bipolar disorder went into episodes. Does this mean that you can’t quit smoking when you have bipolar disorder? NO. But if you do, in my opinion, you need a plan if you are going to do so. Talk to your doctor and therapist. Tell them you want to quit smoking. Talk with your supporters. Make a plan with all of them. Check out all the programs that are for quitting smoking. There are a ton of them, everything from meditation to some kind of therapy programs to tapes and CDs to hypnosis (NOTE: I am not endorsing any one or which one.) Whatever you are doing, make sure that you are monitored and if something goes wrong you have a plan B in place as well.

Michele who works for me once quit smoking and went into a mini bipolar episode.

According to her, here are the mistakes she made:

1. She didn’t do any research.

2. She didn’t have a plan.

3. She didn’t talk to anyone about it.

4. She didn’t tell her doctor.

5. She didn’t explore options.

6. She took medication she hadn’t

checked out thoroughly to see

if it would affect her bipolar disorder.

The biggest mistake she made, though, was when she started having side effects, she didn’t stop using the medication, because she wanted to quit smoking so bad. That’s what ended her up in the hospital in a bipolar episode. So, even though quitting smoking is important, you also have to have a plan and not make the mistakes that Michele made.

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/bipolarnews642/

Research and Markets: Global Bipolar Disorder Pipeline Capsule – 2013
DO> This will be an important report, don’t you think?

Does Fame Make You More Suicidal?
DO> These studies make a good point, don’t you agree?

British Actor Stephen Fry Reveals Suicide Attempt To Stunned Live Audience
DO> His revealing story will interest you.

mHealth prize goes to bipolar management app at Datapalooza
DO> Don’t you think this is an important app?

NICE backs Abilify for teenagers with bipolar disorder
DO> A bold move on their part, don’t you agree?

Most people with mental disorders ‘not getting care they need’
DO> Some startling statistics, don’t you think?

For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews642/

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

Your Friend,

 

Dave

Bipolar: Taking the Right Steps

Hi,

You know…In life in general…If you want to get someplace, you have to take the right steps to get there. That just makes sense, doesn’t it? Like this woman I know. She wanted to be a great educator. So first she got her bachelor’s degree. Then the next step she took was to get her master’s degree. The next step for her was to get her doctorate. And the final step was to get that career that ensured that she would be the great educator that she wanted to be. And you know what? She did all that. Because she took the right steps to get what she wanted.

I know a man who wanted to become successful in business. Well…He started off with an idea. (A good idea, of course.) He took a small step at first, utilizing a good business plan. Then he took a bigger step, enlarging his business. Gradually he took enough of the right steps that he parlayed that idea into a tremendously successful business!

I did the same thing when I started BipolarCentral.com. First…I just wanted to help my mom with her bipolar disorder. So I took the first step and got educated about the disorder. Then I took the next step and found out how to get her stabilized. Then I did research into other people who had the disorder and people who were supporting them. Then I started the website. And everything blossomed from there.

So what am I getting at? And what does this have to do with bipolar disorder? I’ll tell you. You have to take the right steps to insure stability with your bipolar disorder.

Take my mom, for example. Recently she was under a tremendous amount of stress. Things were happening at work…And on top of it all, my dad got real sick. So because my mom had to go back and forth to the hospital, her schedule was all off. That meant that she lost sleep, for one thing. Which is bad when you’ve got bipolar disorder. And she stopped eating right, because she had to just grab what she could at the hospital. After a little while, she felt herself starting to go “off” with her bipolar disorder.

So what did she do? She took the right steps to avoid a bipolar episode. First: She got in touch with her psychiatrist. And her psychiatrist increased one of her medications for a few days. Then she talked to her therapist on the phone. Then she got her sleep under control. Then she started eating right again. Then she started pacing herself with work and being proactive in the problem that had been stressing her out at work.

By taking all these steps, my mom stayed stable and was able to avoid a bipolar episode, in spite of all the major stress in her life at the time. Your loved one can avoid an episode as well as long as they take the right steps.

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

 

Dave

 

Bipolar: Do You Agree with This Man?

Hi,

I wanted to share with you a comment I received on my blog:

“There is a difference between a symptom and a behavior. A symptom is what is experienced by a person as a result of an illness. A behavior is an ACTION that person takes in response to that experience. Hypersexuality, for example, does not mean being unfaithful. Hypersexuality is a symptom. It is the experience of a suddenly or dramatically increased sex drive. There are many choices as to what to do in response to a sudden increase in libido. The vast majority of those choices are not harmful to self or others, illegal, irresponsible, or regrettable.

So I don’t dispute for one minute that in general, there is a set of symptoms that is typical for a person with bipolar disorder. Most of us here agree that bipolar disorder doesn’t go away. That means if I have bipolar disorder, I will have symptoms — EXPERIENCES of the illness for the rest of my life.

My responsibility to myself is to think about how I want to conduct myself, what kind of life I want. Responsibility means I keep tabs on what I DO. Yep, I know that typical set of symptoms. What I DON’T do is ACT just the same as every other person who has those same symptoms. And therein lies the difference which some people tend to disregard when talking about the whole big bunch of us.

I could feel like doing all manner of destructive things. I could tell you the reason why I feel like doing destructive things is because of symptoms of bipolar disorder. And I could be right! At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what destructive thing I felt like doing, nor does it matter why.

It matters which CHOICE I made.”

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

So, he is basically talking about the difference between a symptom and a behavior. He’s defining a symptom as what is experienced by a person as a result of an illness. Then he defines a behavior as an action that the person takes in response to that experience. He uses the example of hypersexuality (increased sex drive), which is one of the symptoms of bipolar disorder. So hypersexuality is something that a person in a manic episode might experience, because it’s a symptom.

In his words, “Most of us here agree that bipolar disorder doesn’t go away. That means if I have bipolar disorder, I will have symptoms – EXPERIENCES of the illness for the rest of my life.” I like the way he put that, because it is realistic. It’s not realistic to assume that you won’t have symptoms if you have bipolar disorder, because if you have the disorder, no matter how long you’ve been stable, you WILL have symptoms from time to time.

So then he goes into CHOICES. This has to do with what he said in the beginning of his post:

“A behavior is an ACTION that person takes in response to that experience.” So you have a symptom, then an experience, then a CHOICE, then an ACTION (behavior). Now, some people stop there, and make poor choices, or impulsive decisions, which cause wrong actions.

So what is the key, does he say? RESPONSIBILITY. He says, “Responsibility means I keep tabs on what I DO.” He uses the example of wanting to do destructive things, and he concludes, “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what destructive thing I felt like doing, nor does it matter why. It matters which CHOICE I made.” And that would be great if everyone could do it that way. Unfortunately, when someone with bipolar disorder is in an episode, their thinking is impaired, and they won’t necessarily be able to make good choices, or exhibit good behavior.

When they are in an episode, your loved one may throw responsibility out the window and be unable to control their impulses as a result of their “symptoms.” At that point, everything this man said is “out the window,” since the person is “experiencing” a bipolar episode.

At best, though, in my opinion, I agree with what he said.

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/bipolarnews641/

The new disorder: teen temper tantrums
DO> What do you think about this controversy?

Carrie Fisher vows ‘to learn’ from Catherine Zeta-Jones
DO> An encouraging decision, don’t you think?

OCEAN BEACH WOMAN FINALLY HAS A LITTLE PEACE OF MIND
DO> This woman’s story will move you.

Long ER wait leads to son’s final hospitalization
DO> This man really struggled, don’t you agree?

New Treatments for Bipolar Mania
DO> Important clinical findings, wouldn’t you say?

Rescue dog helps Fargo woman manage challenges of bipolar disorder
DO> Don’t you think this is an interesting approach to treatment?

A Rorschach test of modern mental health care
DO> Do you agree with their opinion?

Obama: ‘He’s a Kennedy,’ He Didn’t Have to Talk About His ‘Bipolar Disorder …
DO> Don’t you think he was a brave man to talk about his bipolar disorder?

For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews641/

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

Your Friend,

 

Dave

Bipolar: Coming and Going

Hi,

I have a friend who says that when he was younger, his mom had an expression she would say all the time when things got a little frantic and she got stressed out as they sometimes do when you’ve got kids: “I don’t know if I’m coming or going!” I can see how a mother could feel that way at times. I can even see how someone with bipolar disorder could feel that way, too. With extremes in mood swings and other issues that surround their disorder, and uncontrollable emotions sometimes, they could easily feel like they don’t know if they’re coming or going. Things can get pretty confusing for the person who has bipolar disorder. That’s why they depend so much on their supporter. Your loved one depends on you for a lot of things. Especially to help them when they’re feeling like things aren’t exactly within their control. Those times when they don’t know if they’re coming or going. Those are the times when you need to know what’s coming AND going.

You need to always be in control. So you need to be emotionally healthy. You can’t let your emotions (feelings) get in the way of being able to handle things. That means that you should be dealing with your emotions in a healthy way. Such as talking them over with your loved one. Or a friend or family member. Or someone else you trust, such as a clergy person, or a therapist. If you don’t have someone you can talk to about your emotions/feelings, you should at least be writing them down in a notebook or journal. This way you still get them out and don’t stuff them. Otherwise they would just come out in unhealthy ways (like fighting with your loved one).

You also need to be physically healthy. You should be exercising regularly, at least three times a week, for at least 30 minutes each time, in a way that gets your heartbeat up. This could be in any way that you like – even walking would work, as long as you do it with regularity and consistency.

Also, make sure that you take care of your physical concerns health-wise. Get regular physical check-ups with your doctor, and see him/her for anything else that concerns you in between those regular check-ups. Eat a healthy, nutritious diet that is low in carbohydrates, fats, and sugars, and take a multivitamin to supplement it.

You should also be mentally healthy. You should do things that occupy your mind and challenge you, like work. Now, work is definitely a challenge sometimes, isn’t it? But you should also enjoy your work, and it shouldn’t be a source of stress for you. If it is, you should consider another job.

You should also find ways to be stimulated creatively. Like in the hobbies you choose. They should be creative outlets for you, and you should enjoy them.

You should also be spiritually healthy. This doesn’t mean that you should pray or go to church or temple all the time. But many people find that prayer does help. And many find that meditation also helps. Having an active church/temple life can give you an outlet where you can have friends outside your loved one and their “bipolar world.”

I know I’ve said an awful lot of “should’s” today, but if you do them, you’ll be a lot happier and more able to handle the comings and goings that go along with bipolar disorder.

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

 

Dave