Current Bipolar News

PLEASE FORWARD TO YOUR FRIENDS

Hi {!firstname_fix},

What’s new? Hope you are doing well.

To read this week’s news visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews700/

Link Found Between Glutamate, Adolescent Bipolar Disorder
DO> These results make you think, don’t they?

Optimism app can help patient with mood disorders
DO> This app can help your loved one.

Study Details Risk Factors for Substance Use Disorders After Manic Episode
DO> Interesting study, don’t you agree?

Gene variant linked to schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and alcoholism
DO> Important study, don’t you think?

Impulse control predicts euthymia in bipolar disorder
DO> This study makes an important point.

Bipolar Depression Treated With Low-Strength Magnetic Stimulation May Improve Moods Faster
DO> This study reveals something very interesting.

Genetic Mutation Found In 1 Of Every 200 People Linked To Alcoholism, Schizophrenia, And …
DO> Wouldn’t you say this is an important study?

People with bipolar disorder take risks
DO> Good study, wouldn’t you say?

Earlier treatment better for bipolar patients
DO> Don’t you think this is an important study?

Impaired emotion recognition runs in families with psychosis
DO> Interesting study, don’t you agree?

For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews700/

POST RESPONSES TO THE NEWS HERE
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/bipolarsupporterblog

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

Your Friend,

Dave

Bipolar: Worsening Bipolar Disorder

Hi,

I got the following email and wanted to share it with you:

“Dave, I have to tell you about my wife, because I don’t know what to do and was hoping you might have some advice for me. Susan has bipolar disorder. I knew she had it when I married her, but she was pretty stable at the time, and over the next few years, too.

Then something happened. She got really stressed out and went into an episode. She spent a lot of money, and even started to gamble. She went through all of our savings. I learned through your courses to forgive her for this, so I did. But our finances were really stretched and it took a long time to get them back to normal. Just when they were, she did the same thing again!

Now, I know I’m supposed to forgive her, but it wasn’t so easy this time. I know she didn’t do it on purpose, that it was another bipolar episode, but it was still hard for me to take. I hadn’t expected another episode to happen so soon, that was the thing. I thought she would be ok for awhile. But there she was, in another episode.

Only this time it was worse. She didn’t just spend all kinds of money and gamble – she also had an affair. She was all apologetic about it and everything, and I knew she wouldn’t have done it if she wasn’t in an episode, but this time I really didn’t think I could forgive her.

This increase in episodes, and the things she is doing really has me worried. I thought she would get better with age, but instead, she is getting worse. The mood swings are happening more often, and so is the episodic behavior. What do you think about all this? What should I do?”

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

Wow. It sure sounds like this man has his hands full with his wife. Yes, you would think that with time, she should get better instead of worse. However, there are some researchers who
believe that bipolar disorder does get worse over time. And untreated bipolar disorder definitely
gets worse over time.

The first thing I would tell this man would be that his wife’s medication needs to be looked at.
It seems like something isn’t working there. It could be that some of her medication just
needs to be changed, or at least the dosages need to be changed.

I would also look at her treatment plan. Is she seeing a psychiatrist? How often? Is he regulating her medications? When was the last time her medications were changed? Is she seeing a therapist? On a regular basis?

A therapist would help her look at some of her bipolar behaviors and help her to change them.
They would work together on some of the issues surrounding her bipolar disorder. It sounds like she might still have some unresolved issues going on. It also seems that maybe his wife is still holding some things in that she isn’t talking to him about. So I think there needs to be some work done on their communication.

So it could be not just that her bipolar disorder is getting worse, but these issues that surround
her bipolar disorder that need attention. For example, if she is holding in negative feelings, and not talking to her husband or her therapist about them, they will build up inside her and eventually come out and “blow up” possibly into a bipolar episode.

Also, other things need to be looked at. For example, what are her sleep habits like? Is she sticking to a regular sleep schedule? Loss of sleep can be a trigger to a manic episode. Any one of these things can be making her bipolar disorder worse.

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave

 

Bipolar: Critical Email to Me

Hi,

You know, I come out with new material on bipolar disorder all the time, because I want to help people with the disorder and their supporters.  That’s my bottom line. I want to keep you up-to-date and give you new information all the time, information I think you need to know. And most people thank me, telling me how good the material is, and how much they enjoyed it, and how much they learned from it.

I’ve even had people tell me how a report or course saved their life or the life of their loved one!

Others have told me how a report or course even saved their marriage!

But look at what this person wrote me:

“I don’t belive in what most of what you say. unsless of course you DO have the SUPPORT of others ( like you say ).Tell me..how do you get that?!!!! Amanda”

Well, what do I say to that? What would you say, if you were doing what you believed in most, and you thought you were helping a lot of people, and someone came along and trashed what you were doing? First off, I read the comment again very carefully. I tried to read it again without my first emotional reaction.

Look at the first line: “I don’t belive in what most of what you say.” MOST of what I say. Well, that means that she at least believes in SOME of what I say, right? That means I’m getting some good information out to her, and that’s encouraging to me.

I never said that everything I write is going to please everyone. I know that some of what I write, that some people might think I’m crazy for writing (especially when I talk about some of my friends! lol) Or when I talk about some of the things that happen to me (and, yes, they really do happen to me). Or how I tie everything in to bipolar disorder.  Even the strangest of things!

Or when I post some of the comments, like this one, that this lady wrote to me. But the important thing is that I’m honest.  That’s the one thing that I am.  Because I believe in what I do, and that’s who I am. I assume you’re honest, too.  Would you be defensive about that?  Would you defend yourself against the comments that this woman made if she made them about you?

Many times, I talk about the importance of having a strong support system. I only bring that up because it sounds to me like this woman doesn’t have one, or else why would she ask me: “unsless of course you DO have the SUPPORT of others ( like you say ).Tell me..how do you get that?!!!!”

So let me ask: How DO you get the support of others? If you have bipolar disorder, you get it by developing a strong support system, like I was saying before. How does a supporter get the support of others? By developing their own support system. By not isolating, by not letting the world of bipolar disorder overwhelm them…By having their own set of friends, etc.

How do I get the support of others? I give them good information that they need to know. And everyone should have the support of their family behind them, whether they have bipolar disorder or are supporting someone who does.

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/bipolarnews699/

Bipolar sufferers ‘wired for risk’ – study
DO> Interesting study, don’t you agree?

5 Promising Smartphone Apps in the Works to Protect Mental Health
DO> These apps will really help your loved one.

Mentally ill American sentenced for threatening Bush
DO> Do you think his sentence was fair?

Neural Protein Plays Key Role in Bipolar Disorder
DO> Important study, don’t you think?

Bipolar disorder affects brains of children, adults differently
DO> This study reveals something very interesting.

Inflammatory shift in long-standing bipolar disorder
DO> Don’t you agree this is an important study?

Openness predicts cognitive function in bipolar disorder
DO> Don’t you think this is an interesting study?

Use ADHD questionnaire ‘with caution’ in bipolar patients
DO> This study makes an important point.

Early cognitive impairments improve with sustained bipolar remission
DO> Good study, wouldn’t you say?

For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews699/

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

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/bipolarnews698/

Factors linked to bipolar cycle acceleration identified
DO> Interesting study, don’t you agree?

Social environment may influence mood stabiliser adherence
DO> This study reveals something very interesting.

App frees mental health patients from their ‘chains’
DO> This app could really help your loved one.

Panel of Genes May Identify Those With Increased Alcoholism Risk
DO> Important study, don’t you think?

Lawsuit: Tennessee man with bipolar disorder kept in filthy New Mexico solitary confinement
DO> This man’s story will shock you.

Why people with bipolar disorder are bigger risk-takers
DO> These results make you think, don’t they?

Openness predicts cognitive function in bipolar disorder
DO> Don’t you think this is an interesting study?

Mentally Ill Inmate Death Costs Jail $1.15M
DO> What do you think of the amount of money?

Inflammatory shift in long-standing bipolar disorder
DO> Good study, wouldn’t you say?

For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews698/

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

Your Friend,

Dave

 

Bipolar: Spiritually Coping with Bipolar Disorder

Hi,

There are many ways that people with bipolar disorder use to cope with their disorder, and one way is spiritually. There is a difference between being spiritual, though, and being religious.
Now, I want to be clear about this: I’m not talking about religion here, as in going to church or adhering to any type of dogma. I’m just talking about spirituality in general.

One of the most basic ways I’ve discovered that people with bipolar disorder use as a coping strategy to deal with the disorder is the familiar Serenity Prayer:

God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change
The courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference.

It doesn’t matter whether you are “religious” or not, the prayer still works. From what people who write and talk to me about their disorder have told me, they get tired of the ups and downs of their mood swings, and seek some kind of “serenity,” or peace. So they can relate to the first line of the prayer.

Many times I have talked about how you need medication, therapy, and support to help you with your bipolar disorder, and how important they are in helping you to achieve stability. But in addition to medication, therapy, and support group meetings, many people with the disorder still
feel that they need something more to help them feel “balanced” from the excessive mood swings.

In any 12-Step Program, they call it a Higher Power, and that works for some people, but for
others it is just simpler to call this God. In the Serenity Prayer, they ask God to help them
“to accept the things I cannot change.” For many people with bipolar disorder this is really hard, because they have to ask him to help them to accept the fact that they have bipolar disorder, and many of them are still struggling with their diagnosis.

They just do not want to have bipolar disorder and to tell you the truth, I don’t blame them –
this is something that is very hard to do. Being told that you have a disorder for which there is no cure, and for which you would have to take medication the rest of your life…That you would have to live with these mood swings for the rest of your life…That you would never be “normal”…Well, this is definitely one of those things that you cannot change, no matter how
much you want to.

You have no power over bipolar disorder and the fact that you have it and always will. This is a very hard truth to swallow for many people with bipolar disorder.

“The courage to change the things I can.” There is only one thing you DO have power over, however, and that is yourself. YOUR decisions. YOUR choices. You do need courage to face up to the disorder, as well as the other things you have to do to get to stability.

You have to take your medications, see the doctor, therapist, and psychiatrist regularly, go to a support group, take care of yourself, learn as much as you can about bipolar disorder, etc. It might even feel as if you’re taking on a second job! But the point is, that you can become proactive in your own recovery. That is your own choice. It is the only thing you can change. The only thing you have power over.

“And the wisdom to know the difference.” That’s the tough part. Because some people still try to play God in their own life. Some people still don’t get this line of the prayer right. But if they just do the little bit that they can do, one day at a time, and let God do the rest, they will find that their stress level is much lower, their stability is much higher, and overall, their life will be much better, in spite of the fact that they have bipolar disorder.
Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave

 

Bipolar: Different is Not Always Bad with Bipolar Disorder

 
Hi,

I have something really interesting to tell you today. You might not know this but I have about 8 people now who work for me with one or more mental illnesses. One has even been diagnosed with 10 different disorders, and she is still able to work for me. Am I out of my mind? Some people think that I am.

But I want to tell you two things. First, that if you have one or more mental disorders, you can still do well. Just look at this one person’s story: She is a writer who has 10 different disorders, starting from when she was 12 years old!   She is on disability, but she loves to write, so maybe that’s part of it – she is doing what she loves to do.

Do you think that’s her secret?  I think her secret is that she is stable. And she is stable because she follows a good treatment plan, including taking her medication and seeing a psychiatrist on a regular basis.

Secondly, I have found that people who have mental disorders like bipolar disorder are really very smart when they are stable. It’s amazing actually. I have found people in my company that once stable can do tasks and projects that nobody else can do or wants to do.

These people can think faster, better, solve problems faster, and are solution-oriented, proactive, take initiative, etc. It’s amazing!

If your loved one has a mental illness, remember this. Great things in society were done by many people with mental illnesses. Edgar Allen Poe was a great writer, and they say that even he had a mental illness.

There were (and are) a number of great authors, actors, composers, writers, etc., who they say had (have) mental illnesses. They say that even Van Gogh had a mental illness. Believe it or not, even Abraham Lincoln was thought to suffer from bipolar disorder because of his documented depressions. And Mozart, too!

People today include:

Patty Duke
Carrie Fisher
Jane Pauley
Jim Carey
Robin Williams
Ted Turner
Mel Gibson
Patricia Cornwell
Robert Downey Jr.
Tim Burton

If someone says you are odd, the only reason you would be odd is because you have such tremendous potential. But does that mean you have a mental illness?  Not necessarily.

Different?  Smarter?  More creative? If your loved one is these things, it’s not something to be afraid of.  As long as they are stable, and taking their medication and following a good treatment plan, you can remain supportive without fear of them.

Remember about the people I told you about who work for me. Think about all the famous people I told you about, both in the past and the present. Different is not always bad. It just means that you look at things differently, as people with bipolar disorder do.

I call it “coloring outside the lines.” Or, as it is more commonly known, “thinking outside the box.” I can always count on the people who work for me to do that. If your loved one seems different than other people, embrace that difference.  It can be a good thing.

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/bipolarnews697/

Sensoril® Improves Cognition in Bipolar Patients
DO> This study reveals something very interesting.

Antidepressant risk in bipolar patients limited to monotherapy use
DO> Important study, don’t you think?

Factors linked to bipolar cycle acceleration identified
DO> Interesting study, don’t you agree?

Social environment may influence mood stabiliser adherence
DO> These results make you think, don’t they?

Facebook app to predict mental health relapse
DO> Don’t you think this could really help people?

Pageant contestant speaks out on mental health
DO> Don’t you respect this woman’s courage?

Lithium in drinking water may prevent suicides
DO> Good study, wouldn’t you say?

Family Of Lee Thompson Young Opens Up About His Battles With Bipolar Disorder Nearly A Year …
DO> His is a very sad story.

For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews697/

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

Your Friend,

Dave

Bipolar: Activity and Productivity – The Difference

Hi,

Today I want to talk to you about two words: ACTIVITY and PRODUCTIVITY. There is a difference between “activity” and “productivity,” especially when it comes to your loved one.
Productivity, for the most part, involves having something to show for your “activity.” I’ll show you what I mean.

Scenario #1:

Lisa works as an office worker in a major corporation. Her co-workers are very busy, so no one has time no notice what Lisa is doing – they can’t tell if she is being productive or not. So Lisa walks around carrying files in her arms for most of the day, looking as if she is busy (just in case anyone happens to be looking). Is Lisa being productive? No, Lisa is showing some activity, but is not actually being productive.

Scenario #2:

Mary works for a virtual organization in the customer service department; in other words, she works from home. So there is no one looking over her shoulder, no one to see if she is really working or not. However, she spends more time on the phone with the other members of the virtual organization than actually talking to customers. Is Mary productive? No.

Talking on the phone is an activity, but it is not really productive. In fact, in this case, it’s worse, because it’s a distraction to the other members of the organization who can’t get their own work done while they’re on the phone with Mary.

Scenario #3:

George has bipolar disorder and when he’s depressed, he tends to sleep more often. The answer may seem obvious, but is George productive? No, because although sleep is an activity, it isn’t productive, since there is nothing to show for it.

In fact, in the case of bipolar disorder, it can be harmful to your loved one. Too little sleep can lead to a bipolar manic episode, and too much sleep can lead to a bipolar depressive episode.

Scenario #4:

Bill watches quite a bit of TV. His wife accuses him of being lazy, but he argues that at least he is doing something with his time! Is Bill really being productive since he is doing something with his time, as he says?

Bill is doing something with his time, as watching TV is an activity. However, it is not a productive activity, as once you are done watching TV, you really have nothing to show for it.
So Bill is not really what I would consider productive.
———————————————————————————————————————

You want your loved one to be more than the examples in the scenarios I just described. You want them to be productive, since that will help them manage their bipolar disorder better. You want them to be productive, because that will make them feel better about themselves. You want them to be productive, because productivity brings more quality to a person’s life (bipolar or not).

So how can you help? You can encourage your loved one to start making To-Do Lists, detailing out tasks they want to accomplish. These can be things around the house, outside the house, or errands they can run. The list doesn’t have to be long, but just something to make them feel a sense of accomplishment.

The difference between activity and productivity is having a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. And that can help your loved one feel better about themselves, increasing their self-esteem. Being productive will keep your loved one from being bored (one of the triggers to a bipolar episode). Being productive will also keep your loved one from getting depressed (which could also lead to a bipolar episode).

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave