Current Bipolar News

Hi,

What’s new? Hope you are doing well.

To read this week’s news visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews713/

Woman who threatened to kill judge goes on trial
DO> Do you think her bipolar is at fault?

Ketamine Restores Ability to Experience Pleasure in Depressed Patients Within Minutes
DO> You’ll find this video very informative.

Insulin resistance linked to treatment-refractory bipolar disorder
DO> Important study, don’t you think?

Judge Finds Woman Not Guilty Of Assault On Mother Because Of Mental Illness
DO> Do you agree with the judge’s decision?

Verbal abuse worsens bipolar disease outcome
DO> Interesting study, don’t you agree?

ISBD Task Force examines suicide predictors
DO> This study reveals something very interesting.

Bipolar Symptoms May Soon Be Treated With New Drugs
DO> This is exciting news!

People with mental health disorders twice as likely to have heart disease or stroke
DO> This study makes some important points.

Psychotherapies offer options for treating bipolar disorder
DO> Good study, wouldn’t you say?

For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews713/

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/bipolarnews713/

Woman who threatened to kill judge goes on trial
DO> Do you think her bipolar is at fault?

Ketamine Restores Ability to Experience Pleasure in Depressed Patients Within Minutes
DO> You’ll find this video very informative.

Insulin resistance linked to treatment-refractory bipolar disorder
DO> Important study, don’t you think?

Judge Finds Woman Not Guilty Of Assault On Mother Because Of Mental Illness
DO> Do you agree with the judge’s decision?

Verbal abuse worsens bipolar disease outcome
DO> Interesting study, don’t you agree?

ISBD Task Force examines suicide predictors
DO> This study reveals something very interesting.

Bipolar Symptoms May Soon Be Treated With New Drugs
DO> This is exciting news!

People with mental health disorders twice as likely to have heart disease or stroke
DO> This study makes some important points.

Psychotherapies offer options for treating bipolar disorder
DO> Good study, wouldn’t you say?

For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews713/

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

Your Friend,

Dave

Bipolar: Being Well-Balanced

Hi,

You know, we hear a lot about cholesterol these days. You may even have a problem with your cholesterol, or have to take medication to control it. Many people do, so you’re not alone. It’s getting to be in epidemic proportions.

But did you know…If you’re trying to control your cholesterol – That there are actually two types of cholesterol. And that it’s not enough to lower your “bad” cholesterol, you also have to try to raise your “good” cholesterol at the same time.

The good news is that you can do this through medication, diet, and exercise, so it can be done and you can stay healthy. The important thing is BALANCE. Treatment is a BALANCE between the medication, diet, and exercise. It takes all three.

When it comes to bipolar disorder, you need a BALANCE as well. For example: Most importantly, they need to take their medications religiously and as prescribed. They also need to go to all their appointments with their doctor, psychiatrist, and therapist, and any other professional on their treatment team on a regular basis.

It’s good for them to have a structure and a routine, and to have productivity to their days, such as having a To-Do List of things to accomplish. They should have a good strong support system that they can depend on.

They should stick to a regular sleep schedule as well, going to bed at the same time every night and waking up at the same time every morning, and getting 8-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night.

A good, healthy, nutritious diet is very important, too. They should avoid caffeine, and they definitely should avoid alcohol, as this could interfere with their medication (as well as other possible problems).

Exercise is very important for your loved one. They should exercise at least three times a week for at least 30 minutes, enough to raise their heartbeat. Even walking is good, as long as it’s regular and they stick to it.

If they can’t work a full-time job outside the home, maybe they can work a part-time job, or a job with flexible hours. If not, perhaps a work-from-home job, or a business you can start from home.

If they can’t work, they should at least do volunteer work. The important thing is to do something productive with their time. They should also have projects that they work on, and creative things that they do, like working in a garden, or building things. Hobbies are important as well.

They also need to do things that they enjoy. That is really important for their emotional well-being.

The important thing about all these things is that they create a BALANCE for your loved one.
Your loved one needs to be balanced physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

But don’t forget yourself! You need to be balanced as well. Pretty much all the things that I listed for your loved one could apply just as easily to you.

If you do all those things…You will be balanced as well, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. And it’s just as important for you to be well-balanced as it is for your loved one to be well-balanced, even though you don’t have bipolar disorder.

It’s actually important for all of us to be well-balanced in general. So all of this is actually just good advice to follow. But one thing I would add for you: You need to take breaks from your loved one. If not, you will burn out. Make sure that you have your own support system as well, just as your loved one does.

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave

Bipolar: You Better Not Do This

Hi,

Whether you have bipolar disorder or are supporting someone who does, YOU BETTER NOT DO THIS: Never wish you were somewhere else.

Haven’t you ever heard that old saying, “Wherever you go, there you are?” In other words, it doesn’t help to try to run from your problems, whether literally or just in your head.

You can’t wish your problems away. You have to deal with them. I know it’s hard. I have to do it too. (Try being me for a day! LOL) But NEVER wish you were somewhere else. “Somewhere else” has its problems there, too. Because, “Wherever you go, there you are.” And so are your problems. They’re still in your head.

A supporter doesn’t stop being a supporter just because they’re not home with their loved one.
Running away doesn’t help. And neither does wishing you were somewhere else.

I know it’s hard dealing with a loved one with bipolar disorder. And sometimes you’d rather be somewhere else doing something else (anything else). But it doesn’t help to think that way. In fact, you better NOT think that way, because it will only get you into trouble.

You have to face reality. You have to deal with what’s in front of you, both the good AND the bad. And there are ways to do that:

1. Remain positive
2. Be proactive
3. Maintain contact with friends
4. Maintain contact with family
5. Take care of yourself
6. Journal your thoughts and feelings
7. Exercise (it gets out your frustration)
8. See your own therapist
9. Take up a hobby
10. Go places without your loved one

These are just some suggestions. I’m sure you can think of some of your own if you try.

Another thing is that you have to separate yourself from your loved one. You have your own identity outside your loved one and outside their disorder. Make sure you remember that!

Also, try to separate your loved one from their disorder. I know that’s hard sometimes, especially because you have to live with them every day, but you have to try to do it anyway. Some people do this by looking through old photo albums or scrapbooks and remembering what their loved one was like before the disorder.

Other people keep in mind what their loved one is like when they’re not in an episode (and they’re grateful for that!).

But whatever, always keep in mind NOT to think about being somewhere else – it will ruin how you’re trying to stay “in the moment.” You may not be in the best “moment” of your life, but at least you’ll be dealing with reality. And that’s the important thing.

Many times, with bipolar disorder, you will be forced to “go places” with your loved one when they are in an episode, so it is even more important that you stay reality-based. One of you has to keep your head at all times and since you are the supporter, that someone has to be you.

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave

 

Bipolar: Using the 10/2 Equation

Hi,

Today I want to talk about how people in a manic episode make mistakes when it comes to other people (“friends”). They tend to choose the wrong people to surround themselves with (negative or toxic people) when they are in that episode, and it comes back to hurt them and their families.

Remember before when I’ve told you about Michele and how she taught her children about
picking the right friends by using the 10/2 Equation.

It works like this: If you are a 10 and they are a 2, and you hang out with them, you are not going to bring them up to an 8, they are going to bring you down to a 4!

So that’s what I’m talking about here. It’s hard for a supporter to watch their loved one go into a manic episode…Your loved one might get all outgoing and such (whether that is their normal behavior or behavior caused by the bipolar disorder)… and the next thing you know, your loved one is hanging around with these people…

…and you KNOW that these people are bad for your loved one, but they just use excuses, or defend their “new friends”, because they can’t see how these people are bad for them.

In a manic episode, your loved one’s judgment can be totally altered by their bipolar disorder.
They may not even realize that these people are bad for them (or you).

That can be so frustrating for you, because your loved one just won’t listen to you when it comes to their friends, because they think they’re ok, and they may get defensive about it. And you don’t want to get into a fight with your loved one over their choice in friends, but you may not know
what else to do!

It’s really tough, but you may even have to stand silently by and watch your loved one get hurt by these “friends.” Maybe they are just negative people and will bring your loved one down, but that’s not as bad as what some will do –

Some will take advantage of their “new friend” (your loved one while they’re in a manic episode) and possibly use them for their money, etc. Even so, your loved one might still defend them! It’s very difficult in this situation to get your loved one to listen to you.

For example: Michele (who works for me), her mom has bipolar disorder, just like my mom.
Michele spent hours with her mom, working out a routine for her to be able to manage her bipolar disorder. Her mom was doing great on her routine. Until she met Mary.

Mary became close friends with Michele’s mom. But Mary decided that Michele’s mom didn’t need her routine any more, and that she had better advice for her. So guess who Michele’s mom listened to?

Well, after awhile, Mary kind of floated away from Michele’s mom, and Michele’s mom went into a mini-episode, most likely caused by the fact that she had no routine to cling to, like she had before.

Do you see the important point that I’m making here? Now, I’m not saying that people with bipolar disorder shouldn’t have friends. But only that they should be VERY particular in who
they choose for friends. In fact, this is one of the areas where your loved one should trust you more than themselves.

A manic episode will definitely affect their thoughts and, like I said before, it will affect their judgment as well. If you see that your loved one is making a poor choice in friends, or even being taken advantage of, then you should tell them.

Hopefully, they will listen to you. Or at least think twice about who they are hanging around with. I will tell you this as a p.s. – Michele’s mom sure learned her lesson about choosing her friends more carefully. And now she sticks to her routine, too!

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/bipolarnews712/

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/bipolarnews712/

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

Your Friend,

Dave

Bipolar: All-Too-Common Tragedy

Hi,

Unfortunately, they aren’t going so well for one person who wrote to me. This is what they wrote:

“Dave,
Please remove me from your mailing list. I hate to have to ask you, as I have gotten so much good information from you, but my sister who had bipolar disorder killed herself last week.

She had decided that she was “cured” from her bipolar disorder and had stopped going to see
her psychiatrist and therapist and wouldn’t go to her bipolar support group any more. She even stopped taking her medications, saying that she didn’t need them any more.

We (the rest of her family and me) tried to convince her that it was her medication that was making her feel so much better, but she just wouldn’t listen to us.

She went into a deep depression, telling us that we would all be better off without her, and that
life just wasn’t worth living, and all kinds of things like that. We all tried to tell her how much we loved her and that it was the bipolar disorder that was making her think like that, but like I said, she just wouldn’t listen.

I just don’t understand. How can this disorder be so deadly? Why aren’t more people aware of how devastating an illness this really is? What could I have done differently? Is there anything I could have done to stop her? That’s what’s really bugging me. That there’s something I could have done to stop this from happening. That there’s something I should have done but didn’t. That way my sister would still be alive. Somehow I think it’s my fault. Dave, is it my fault? What should I have done?
–John”

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

This is a horrible tragedy. A needless tragedy. But, unfortunately, one I hear about all too often.
Did you know that statistics say that 1 in 5 people who go off their bipolar medications will kill themselves?

Michele, who works for me, her sister did the same thing, and she came to me with the same plea, “Is there something I could have done to stop her?” I get asked that question a lot.

There is so much guilt that the family and loved ones are left with after the person with bipolar disorder commits suicide after going off their medications. That’s one of the biggest reasons I preach so hard for people to stay on their medications, no matter how much they want to go off them. The chances are just too great (1 in 5) that they will kill themselves.

Is there something that John could have or should have done to stop his sister from killing herself? Unfortunately, we can’t control anyone else – we can’t stop them from doing what they will inevitably do.

In Michele’s sister’s case, her sister waited until she knew no one would be there to stop her, and that’s when she did it. She planned it. She did not want to be stopped.

The thing is that suicide is not the result of a rational mind. When someone with bipolar disorder decides to kill themselves, they are not thinking clearly. So there is nothing you can do to stop them. If they were thinking clearly, they would hear your pleas that you love them and want them to live and get better. They would understand that they are sick and need help.

But, unfortunately, bipolar disorder is a deadly disease, and without medication, it can fool the person into believing all kinds of things, just like it fooled John’s sister into believing that she was “cured” and didn’t need the medication any more.

If your loved one has been talking about going off their medication, show them this post. Do whatever you have to do to convince them to stay on their medication. You don’t want to have to face this all-too-common tragedy.

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/bipolarnews711/

HOSPITAL HORRORS: Patient locked in cell with no toilet, food or water
DO> You will find this man’s story shocking.

Doctors ignore tribunal decision
DO> Do you think this was fair?

Reversing the effects of binge drinking on mental health
DO> Interesting study, don’t you agree?

Researchers are backing major bipolar survey
DO> This is an important survey.

Pointers for boosting prophylactic bipolar treatment reported
DO> Important study, don’t you think?

Clinical pointers to bipolar, unipolar depression confirmed
DO> This study reveals something very interesting.

Anaheim doctor placed on five-year probation
DO> Do you agree with this decision?

Psychologist says KOP killer has bipolar disorder as jury decides his fate
DO> What do you think of this sentence?

ADHD increases major depression to bipolar disorder conversion
DO> This study makes an important point.

Mood and Magnetic Stimulation
DO> What do you think of this treatment?

For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews711/

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/bipolarnews711/

HOSPITAL HORRORS: Patient locked in cell with no toilet, food or water
DO> You will find this man’s story shocking.

Doctors ignore tribunal decision
DO> Do you think this was fair?

Reversing the effects of binge drinking on mental health
DO> Interesting study, don’t you agree?

Researchers are backing major bipolar survey
DO> This is an important survey.

Pointers for boosting prophylactic bipolar treatment reported
DO> Important study, don’t you think?

Clinical pointers to bipolar, unipolar depression confirmed
DO> This study reveals something very interesting.

Anaheim doctor placed on five-year probation
DO> Do you agree with this decision?

Psychologist says KOP killer has bipolar disorder as jury decides his fate
DO> What do you think of this sentence?

ADHD increases major depression to bipolar disorder conversion
DO> This study makes an important point.

Mood and Magnetic Stimulation
DO> What do you think of this treatment?

For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews711/

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

Your Friend,

Dave

Bipolar: Bipolar is All Around You

Hi,

A long time ago, there used to be an old song called No Man is an Island and talked about how none of us is alone. Yet many of us can feel that way anyway.

You know, one of the things that bipolar supporters as well as survivors struggle with the most is the idea that they are alone in their battle. I’ve even had people tell me that they still feel alone, even when they’re in a group of people. They just don’t feel like other people can relate to what they’re going through.

That’s why these people don’t attend support groups. That’s why they don’t have friends. That’s why they even shy away from their co-workers.

But, whether you are a bipolar survivor or supporter, isolation is not a healthy thing for
you.

My mom used to think that no one else had the disorder but her. So I asked her to think about anyone else she knew that might have it. She thought of two others.

Then I told her about the statistics, which say that about 4.4% of the people in our country have
bipolar disorder, amounting to around 9 million people.

So I told my mom that I figured that for each person that has the disorder, there are probably
at least 3 others who are at least associated with the disorder in some way.

I told her to conduct this experiment – I asked her to go out of the house that day and ask the people she came in contact with if they knew anyone with bipolar disorder. It turns out that my mom proved my theory right! The average was about 3 people for every person she talked to!

So when I did my calculations again, based on our population, bipolar disorder affects about
27 million people in our country every day! Now, that’s a LOT of people!

So if you’ve been feeling alone in your struggle with the disorder, just remember what I just
told you, and you’ll know that you’re not alone. If you don’t believe me, try it for yourself. Do what my mother did.

Ask around – and you’ll probably find that for each person you talk to, there will be at least
3 others who are at least associated with bipolar disorder.

I mean, I was on the phone with my insurance agent one day, and while we were waiting for
her supervisor to get on the line, we started talking just to pass the time. She asked me about what I do, and I told her about how I work helping people with bipolar disorder and their supporters, and she told me that her sister had just gotten diagnosed with the disorder!

See how prevalent it is? And this was just someone who I’d been talking to on the phone about my insurance!

Bipolar disorder really is all around you, and you really are NOT alone! Still, you might feel that way sometimes if you’ve been isolating yourself, or if your loved one has been isolating.

Isolation, in someone who has bipolar disorder, is one of the triggers to a bipolar episode, so
your loved one needs to be careful about that. You both need to have things to do outside of the disorder. Try having a social life, friends, outside activities, that bring you pleasure.

Have fun, and do things that make you feel good, that you enjoy doing, that keep the bipolar from being the focus of your life. Don’t let it make you isolated.

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave