This is so crazy, I’ve been thinking this same way for years. My boyfriend always comment on how they only report the bad news and how the suicides and murders are always pinned on someone with bipolar disorder. We actually get a laugh out of it. If you can’t laugh at it, you will go crazy and shouldn’t be watching it. However, I am the one that was diagnosed and for several years now have been so sick of all the bad news and the fact that it’s all they report. We , due to a bad car accident, moved into a subsidizes housing apartment about three years ago. The building is not set up to have cable t.v. So, if we blocked all the news channels, we would have no t.v. at all. We only get four channels and there are some shows I choose to watch. Not many of them include the news. When I watch the news all that I want to do is e-mail the stations and go off on them. The other thing that drives me crazy is when someone gets hit by a car and they make a point to let you know that they were’nt in the crosswalk. Like it was the person’s (who got hit) fault. So I choose to listen to my sweet sounding Bose radio alot of the time. Thanks for giving me a topic to vent about. Have a wonderful day! Peace!

I agree that a steady diet of ‘negativity’ produces even MORE ‘negativity and becomes a vicious cycle if not balanced with upeat/positive thinking. I would be very interested to learn your views on ‘malignant narsiccists’. Thank you.

You are so right about the news..My Husband has become obsessed w/
the downward turn of the economy. All he listens to is Newstalk radio all
day at work and Financial/News programs on TV. Then moans & groans
about everything. I am Bipolar and I lost my second job in 6 years on
Memorial Day. I lasted exactly 3 years at each job. I just so happen to
have plunged into a mixed episode in the last couple of weeks which my
doctor is treating with trial and error changing some of my meds. I have
had to remove myself to my bedroom to escape the gloom & doom of
my spouse on many many occasions lately. THAT is the last thing on
earth I need to be bombarded with at this point. I need all the positive
reinforcement I can get. Of course it doesnt help that my family doesnt
want me to discuss my “problem” with anyone and they are not at all
interested in learning anything about my Bipolar Disorder and the
help I need (and the help they will need) dealing with this. Sorry for the
ramble LOL I am sure you understand the frustration;)

Hello Dave,
You are so right about the news. They are run by the secret elite and they pick out what they want the people to hear. As long as they publish the negatives it keeps the people divided and easier to control. I am a supporter and I have noticed that when my boyfriend watches the news he gets depressed. But, I am glad that he does try to avoid the depressing things.
I also wanted to tell you about a new medical breakthrough that is coming out and being practiced by people in the medical field. It’s called EFT and you can find information here about it at this sight. http://www.emofree.com/
I downloaded the manual and started practicing it on myself for problems I had supporting my boyfriend. I got great results and it helped me. I’ve gotten pretty good with it and now I help others and it’s work with them. I have not let my boyfriend stop his medication, but I have tried it on certain things that come with having Bi-polar and it seems to easy some of the outbreaks he would have. He still doesn’t understand how it works or believes in it, but he says it does help him. You can use it on anything and you may want to try it on yourself for your own things that you would like to clear up first. Then you would see the results for yourself the beginners manual is free. So you won’t loose out on anything if you give it a try.

I agree 100% that the news is depressing. I also believe that there is truth in there somewhere, too. I have learned to take what I need, and leave the rest.

The news will having you believing the sky is falling. If you want to stay in a state of confusion, disparity, no hope and scared out of your mind, keep watching the news. It is a way to control and they use it to the best of their ability for which ever way they want to manipulate people.
Even with advertisement and some of the sitcoms and so called reality shows. It’s traumatic.

This country will do just fine if they stop with all the negativity because when you put that kind of stuff out in the universe, that is what you can expect in return. Just as this holds true for an individual it certainly holds true for us collectively as humans.
But, I guess there is profit to be made either way – we live in a capitalistic society and seemly that’s all that concerns many.

There is nothing wrong with many programs and entities out here, just the processes to which the go about it.

It’s funny how so few can influence so many and they become gullible and ponds, and puppets to so much nonsense and confusion.

It is difficult to stay positive when all that you hear tells you that there is no reason to do so and reinforce gloom and doom.

Heaven Help Us All.

Dear Dave,

I am so greatful you are here. I am looking toward buying your research material. My tiny budget is holding me up. My adult Daughter is the person I am dealing with. Heavens she is 55 now. { I am not sure that it has any bearing on the research of this problem but I do have another grandson that has been troubled with the attention defficit disorder } Heck I am supposed to be 80 my next Birthday in December. Kims last really big episode that I am aware of is when I was home from the hospital and at her door with my helper. I was on a walker AFTER HEALING BROKEN HIP AND SUBSEQUENT HEART ATTACK and she explodes right here on the spot in front of my then nurse and goes bonkers. She was angry at me because I had taken the liberty of sending a beautifully crafted album of mainly her pictures and her sons ( AND A TOO LONG LETTER OF APPEAL FOR $ HELP )to her Father. Of course her step mother has always been an impediment in any efforts to help his children. He is far more financially able than I and my daughter was facing an eviction. I do not recomend being homeless in this Society. She finally did get some help from her father and I know that I helped to pave the way for that effort. Anyway, my ( late Bloomer) grandson is with her and that does help. He has noted an incident with her in another situation that sounded employment related. Shortly after this she lost her last job. She has always had a hot hot temper. But after several auto accidents I believe that this has confounded the problem. she has not been herself at all. After this tirade at her front door we left. I was standing there with my $100 bill in my hand to help her which she accepted. HA… HA WHAT IS THE OLD SAYING ABOUT A GIFT HORSE. ……………in the midst of this diatribe she will accept my money but not have the good grace to invite me in the house. But what sustains me is that I know that all this behavior is NOT HER. Anyway I hope I am not waisting your time as I wonder if you have any left to read all our experiences with these LOVED ONES who are so troubled. IN THE 18 YEARS THAT i HAD MY GIRL IN MY HOMe WE i KNEW SHE HAD A BAD TEMPER BUT NEVER EVER LIKE THIS. AFTER SOME PAINFUL ENDING TO HER 22 YEAR OLD MARRIAGE AND THEN THESE ACCIDENTS SHE IS LIKE A DIFFERENT PERSON. I DO BELIEVE THAT THIS HAS CONTRIBUTED TO HER PROBLEMS. BUT WE NOW KNOW HOW WE CAN HEAL THE BRAIN AND THAT IS NOT WITH NEGATIVITY. What has hurt so much is these temprement outbursts have hurt her in the workplace and she is talented and skilled.
I have tried my best to be what small monetary support that I can give and right now the situation is still very iffy. I DO APPRECIATE YOUR MINI COURSE TO HELP US UNDERSTAND these troubled people. When I took the liberty of trying to contact her father,as she had CUSSED HIM OUT in the past, like she has everyone else in the family. and she wonders why we have no family unity. Even just one of good will, connectivity and contact! These bi polar people just do not get it when it comes to how they effect the atmosphere in the people they say they love. They hold up this NOTICE OF NON RESPONSIBLITY TO THE WORLD AND CONTINUE WITH THEIR BAD USUALLY RANTING BEHAVIOR.
Please do not ever give up with any of the NAY SAYERS ABOUT YOUR EFFORTS and those of your staff. ……………..AS IT IS SO IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!!!> If there is any chance I would appreciate a reply. ……..along with a zillion others I am sure. I am considering contacting her again to see if I can get a dialogue going. She has not spoken to me since a year ago April after the Front Door incident. This is no matter how much I try to help her and Doug ( my grandson). She uses my Grandson as the mediator and he is just not strong enough ( personality wise) to deal with her yet. I finally told him a week ago that he must realize what he is dealing with and I am not trying to “talk badly” abput his MOM. I have tried to get it across to him that his first LOYALTY IS TO HIS MOTHER but to help him realize the nature of this problem. HOPING FOR FEEDBACK. sUZ.
He is also presently dependent on her.

Thank goodness for a voice of reason, a voice of sanity and good old-fashioned

Hi Dave – I couldn’t agree more ! Thank you for “spreading the good word”. I haven’t had a TV for years, don’t buy newspapers or magazines & look to my 3 wonderful dogs for entertainment, education, distraction, help and so much much more. If I remember rightly, I believe that there used to be a “Good News” channel, but it closed down, as no-one to hear “good stuff”. Sad, but true. Wasn’t it Chris Rea who recorded “57 Channels – and Nothing On” ? My time on this planet is limited and I want to make it as enjoyable as possible. Why wouldn’t I ? However, I appreciate that some people appreciate the attention given to them when “down” and “behaviour that is rewarded will be repeated”. So, I reward myself. With walks, play, being in & with Nature and enjoying myself as much as possible. I can recommend it as a philosophy & way of life 🙂 Keep up the EXCELLENT work you do and thank for what you’ve done and continue to do and, I’m sure, will do in the future.

Hello Dave and everyone else, 🙂
I know how you feel. Every day we are bombarded with negative news that it seems the world is coming to an end in the next 24 hours. No room for hope. And, when you are trying to manage your own bipolar disorder you truly do not NEEDE negative news coming at you. I try to take it in stride and search out the goode news too ( the internet helps with that; there are always goode stories floating around ). I listen to NPR which tends to have a balance of both goode and negative stories. So I don’t have to be immersed in all negative news. There IS light at the end of the tunnel………..just as there is light at the end of the bipolar tunnel. And that is where I draw my strength, knowing there is light at the end of my own tunnel.

Blessings
Ammi

Hi Suz,

I don’t think you mentioned if your daughter is on medication or not. The primary important thing with anyone that has bipolar is that they see a psychiatrist and psychologist, but primarily get on the right medication that will enable them to balance out their moods. Dave put it nicely one time he said, “it is who we are between episodes that we really are” all the ranting and raving, she may not really remember or if she does she may not realize that other people don’t do that sort of thing and expect to have a relationship with the person they go off on. Bottom line is she needs to get to a psychiatrist. I don’t know how open she is to that, but that is the help she needs. I was a complete loss of a person before I got medicated and since I have been medicated, I have completely turned my life around. I used to burn rubber leaving people when I was angry with someone and drove like a mad-man until my temper calmed down. That was many years ago, and I have not had one case of driving inappropiately since then. I cannot tell you how important it is for her to see a doctor. By all means, do what you can to get her to a psychiatrist. If she absolutely refuses, try to get her to a psychologist. The psychologist may be able to talk her into seeing a psychiatrist. But you can throw money at her all day, every day, and it won’t fix her chemical imbalance in her brain. That is what bipolar consists of and where the problem needs to be addressed. We are not crazy, we just do crazy things when we are not on medication. We are normal people with extreme emotions that would cause anyone to act, say or behave the way we do if they had them.

Bipolar is not well understood these days, David Oliver is your best chance for getting the information you need to deal with her, effectively and get her the help she needs. I totally relate to your problems with her. My sister is an untreated bipolar who refuses treatment. But there is only so much one can do to help. If we do nothing surely it won’t help them at all. We just have to help in ways that direct them to getting the kind of help they need. David Oliver’s material will help you tremendously!

Sincerely,
Bob

Dear Dave and fellow readers,

I have several comments about today’s email and the responses.

First, I have heard many people say that their therapists advise them strongly not to listen to, read or watch the news because it only heightens their depression, anxiety and general negativity. I know too that if one relies only on popular media reports, such as most of those on TV and radio, and, yes, even the weekly bipolar and borderline personality news, the majority of what is reported is negative. That is partly because negative or strange news sells. Look at such irresponsible pseudojournalism as what you find in the tabloids so ubiquitous at supermarket checkout counters. People standing in line read them sometimes out of boredom and , while many of their stories are so outrageous that you know they can’t be true, there is often material in these publications that portrays mental illness and the mentally in a totally inaccurate and negative light.

The sad thing is that when TV came along, with its ability to show vivid images to accompany words delivered by dramatic attention-catching anchorpeople, objectivity soon became replaced by sensationalism and what would sell the most commercials. It started in radio too. But it was made worse when the ability to portray such realistic and graphic scenes as those in the Vietnam War brought these images into homes on a daily basis. This was a double-edged sword. While it brought Americans face to face for the first time with what war actually looked like, while it gave impetus to the protest movement and to the awareness of a generation that it needed to speak out and make its ideas known, the continued abuse of power by the media has actually desensitized many people to violence so, to keep audiences interested, the negative aspects of what is going on in our world, and there are plenty of them, became more and more emphasized.

However, while I agree that much of the news available is negatively slanted, particularly where mental illness is concerned, I do not believe the answer is for us Americans (or those overseas readers) to bury our heads in the sand and refuse to face the world around us. The trick is being able to sort through the purely negative, the usual political campaign mudslinging and try to get at the truth so that we may intelligently exercise our rights to vote and through that and other ways, to try to make our voices heard. There are fewer “human interest” stories being published in newspapers or on TV than there used to be but it might be possible to use things such as the upcoming “mental illness awareness week” coming up in October, and the “bipolar awareness day” as part of that week, to let the media know not only the negative aspects of mental illness in this country, though they certainly need to be addressed, particularly the need for mental health parity in insurance coverage, people will also want to hear about success stories, of which, you know, Dave, there are plenty. Dave, you and your team and the many loyal readers of your emails are indeed fighting bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses in a positive way. Perhaps you and some of your staff and those whom you have interviewed could try to get air time during the mental illness awareness week to show that, when properly treated, mental illness does not have to be totally disabling and we mentally ill people do not have to be feared.
I have had better luck lately working with the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) regarding support issues, than I have had with NAMI. My local chapter of NAMI is not very strong and I think the organization as a whole is experiencing some difficulties. While no mental health organization is perfect and DBSA support groups run on a continuum from really good to counterproductively negative and it’s important to evaluate support groups on an individual basis to see if they meet your needs or if you can exercise enough changes within the group to meet your needs or if you can start a better one, DBSA is still trying to do a lot.
I have not checked with either NAMI or DBSA or the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) the government agency in Washington that deals with mental illness, to see what promotional materials they have for Mental Illness Awareness Week. I am not even sure which week it is this year except that I know it’s usually in October so it isn’t too early to start planning. I’ll check and post relevant information if/when I find it.

To the person who spoke about EFT, the initials stand for “emotional freedom technique”. It has been described as “acupuncture without needles”. Although I have the manual and have read the success stories, I have seen nothing yet relating to bipolar, dissociative disorders, or many of the other serious mental illness and personality disorders. The technique uses acupressure points and is similar to TFT (thought field therapy) except that instead of having different sequences of tapping the pressure points for each kind of situation, as thought field therapy does, emotional freedom technique, at the very basic beginner level, uses a “basic recipe” with setup statements along with the tapping. It is designed to help the patient focus on core issues which are emotional, such as past traumas or feelings of low self-esteem, that may be contributing causes to physical illnesses. It has been around for awhile and people are using it as an alternative treatment or as a complement to standard treatments. There are medical doctors and therapists who use it. After reading the introductory “getting started” manual, people are encouraged to buy the three DVD libraries, consisting of workshop presentations by Gary Craig, the EFT founder, as well as others in the field. There is a new certification process which, if a person has mastered the appropriate levels (there are three) can be certified at those levels. The three levels correspond to the DVDs. In addition, the person has to have practiced EFT on a certain number of clients for a certain number of times. EFT can be used in a person-to-person office setting, over the phone, or even what is called “surrogate tapping” or, tapping for someone else’s problems, which, while shown to be helpful, is acknowledged to be generally less effective.

I downloaded the basic manual for free and am subscribed to the newsletter. I don’t know how much longer the manual will be freely available because there is now a hardcover edition available from amazon and people are being encouraged to buy it. It costs $15.
Since I have not read anything about its success in treating bipolar disorder, I would be extremely careful. If someone is interested, the best way to go about finding out what empirical research has been done would be to contact Gary Craig himself, which I believe can be done through their website http://www.emofree.org, but I would not recommend that anyone latch onto this method as being any more effective than other methods which tap into the body’s energy via pressure points and I would hope that noone would even consider stopping the taking of meds in order to try this method on themselves. Even seasoned EFT practitioners caution beginners to begin slowly, especially if they are using the manual alone, and to practice the techniques with relatively benign issues, such as a bad habit, a headache etc. Even then, I am skeptical of this technique. I went through “thought field therapy” and did not receive relief for mental illness related issues. I do have a friend who has Seasonal Affective Disorder and her depression gets bad in the winter months. She used to take meds and started acupuncture as a supplement to meds. She eventually weaned herself off the meds and continues to have periodic acupuncture treatments along with psychotherapy. But it should be remembered that she does not have bipolar, her, she does not get manic, her depressions were helped only somewhat by antidepressants, and her depressions, while more intense in winter, was often situational in nature, stemming from such things as being involved in abusive relationships or stressful jobs. In short, I do not advocate stopping meds while exploring any alternative treatment, whether it’s herbal or vitamin/mineral supplements, alternative healing techniques such as those mentioned above and many more, or advice of others. While there are some techniques, such as light therapy of a specific kind, generally with a “light box” for a certain amount of time per day in winter to help alleviate symptoms of seasonal affective disorder,I believe it would be inadvisable to stop meds until the light treatment is well underway and even then, I would reduce meds slowly to see whether the light therapy was indeed making any difference.

It should be noted here that I am not a doctor, therapist, lawyer, counselor, social worker, etc. or other professional. I am a person with a number of disabilities, both mental, sensory and physical, who has been around the mental health system a long time, from my first suicide attempt at age nine to a diagnosis of depression, later changed to schizophrenia, then, when I was sixteen, to bipolar, and then ADHD, various anxiety disorders, dissociative disorders and personality disorders were added. At one point I was diagnosed with schizo-affective disorder because I had psychotic symptoms for awhile without mood swings but I believe that diagnosis was not accurate and is no longer a diagnosis on my record. Nevertheless, I have tried all kinds of things and all kinds of meds. I am still trying to get the right combination. I hate some of the side effects. I gained sixty pounds in three months on one medication and believe that it helped push me into diabetes. Weight gain is one of those side effects that can happen with a lot, though not all, meds and it doesn’t necessarily happen to every person. I have since lost over forty pounds and am continuing to work on it. I am trying to slowly (under doctor supervision) wean off of another popular med that has been causing weight gain and water retention and another which is making my short term memory problems worse and I will start on a new med that will hopefully do the same thing that the med that was causing the weight gain did but without the other side effects. But this is nothing new. I’ve been toxic on lithium, but then I’ve been able to lower the dose without being toxic. If you’re on lithium, it’s really, really important to keep getting those levels checked. Blood tests are a pain, especially if you get some lab worker that either can’t find a vein or is just clumsy and ends up bruising your whole arm. But I’ve actually run across those rare examples that manage to insert the needle painlessly. But it’s still important and much better to keep on top of it than to go toxic.

One thing I always do when I go to the doc, unless I’m in the hospital in the middle of a full-blown episode, is to ask beforehand what I might expect for side effects. If you simply go by the packaged insert the pharmacist gives, they list every side effect that has ever been reported in any clinical trial. They have to do that. But a good doctor can tell you what the more common side effects are and, in the case of one medication where there can be a very, very rare occurrence of a potentially lethal side effect (if it is not caught at the beginning) then a good doctor should be able to tell you that. Mine did and I didn’t get that side effect. But I know someone who did, who had not been informed by his doctor but who was astute enough to know something was sweiously wrong and got the needed help.

I can not emphasize enough how important it is if you have a mental illness like bipolar and are stable, that it is important to work with your doctor, therapist and other health professionals and members of your support team so that you can be on track. That means educating yourself as much as possible. I have a friend who has bipolar and she complains about things, like things that her doctor does that she doesn’t like, or like how she wants to change therapists, but who refuses to take responsibility to educate herself and, now that she’s come out of her latest episode, to take concrete steps to put a plan in place in case she gets sick again. She and I are going to a DBSA support group tonight. Although initially she did not want to go and, I have to admit, I am skeptical since I have seen support groups in the past where all people did was complain, I’m not going to prejudge this one. I hope she can connect with some people there and do some networking since she wants to find a part-time job. I hope, by example if nothing else, to infuse positive energy into the group, maybe put together a program for bipolar awareness day, maybe try to work on reaching out to teens with bipolar as well as to families. I’ll let you know how it goes. Whether she actually goes with me or not is still up for grabs. If she doesn’t, I probably won’t because I’m still trying to shake this pneumonia I’ve been battling since last week and I know I have to go out tomorrow.

I wish you all a day where you can find at least one positive thing to think about, remember, or be grateful for and where you can have at least one positive interaction with someone. If I can do even just that, it makes a difference in my outlook and in my day.

hey david
well my b/f watches the news everynight never allows himself to miss it what now am i supposed to do if i cant pull him from it he seems to love bad news i really am concerned most of the time he just shrugs stuff off like “oh well”sux to be them” but thats exactly the way he is walking through life just simply not having a care in the world> its so sad to watch a persons life mean this little to him i love him so much but i just cant stop wondering how long our son is going to have a dad. :c

but yeah i could stop being negative but the choices he makes, quiting his job blowing his money , like last months bills i payed 2mon worht of rent and electric and i left him in charge of paying a $21.00 water bill and he couldnt do it all his money was gone and nothing to show for it meanwhile my water is going to be shut off and our next check isnt til sat
‘
my piont is hes the greatest but he has his thorns too

and as for my mom we’ re not close but we’ re trying she gets to be child like and it makes me sick i used to not be able to stay in the same house as her for more than 10min at a time but now we talk on the phone everday or we try to b/c she finally got back on her meds now i just have to get my b/f to except he needs them an then try and get him not to abuse them b/c thats what happened the last time he said they made him drowsy and then he started drinking w them so it didnt do hin any good at all!!!! it was kalotopin, just pronouce iot i can t spell good either but isnt that just an anxiety pill like u talked about hopefully we could get something to help the whole disorder well thank u for ur site i feel like im not exactly alone anymore
kristina

Wow, all this is what I think about the news! (And I am one of these persons who would like to help, whereever the misery happens – but can’t!!!)
Bravissimo!!!

I’m afraid I have to disagree with you on this (as a politically aware person) I believe that we should watch the news…good or bad. I believe it is IMPORTANT to be aware of whats going on around us…and not ignorant. I do however believe you should find a good balance between being entertained and being educated. The news can be very educating and healthy for you if you look at it in the right way. When you see something bad going on you can be thankful that it’s not you. It actually helps my bipolar disorder cause I see ppl worse off than I am and then in turn am thankful that I have the life that I do have (as selfish as that my seem) Plus I believe knowldge is power…the more knowledgable you are about something the less you are afriad of it because you know whats going on. Me…I’m afraid of the unknown…not the known. I know I can do my small part and I do it…it’s that simple. The key is to not watch the news ALL THE TIME!!! But to pick one or two news shows and watch them….and them only so that you do not watch the news consistantly but only an hour or 2 a day….then watch a nice feel good show or movie to counteract the bad news you’ve heard. Then do what you know you can do such as recycling and planting things in the garden…you’re little part that EVERYONE can do…and take heed in knowing that you’ve done all you could…it really feels quite good. WE CAN’T JUST RUN AND HIDE EVERYTIME SOMETHING WE DISLIKE HAPPENS!!!

A friend asked me today how she could help me. She offered to help me find a therapist, a job and be my supporter. She knows I had a difficult time recently and she wants me to get better. That’s so nice for a friend to say she is my supporter and asked me how she can help.

Your right about the news. I threw away my TV 3 years ago and don’t believe I am missing a thing. I told someone that and they asked me “What do you do for fun?” I told her that life was fun and what is so fun about sitting in front of a box watching a bunch of filth and junk? Life can be bad enough without inviting negativity into your home.

Positive, negative, positive, negative. It isn’t

David

I largely agree with your earlier (unlinked) post about leaving people who won’t help you. But I think there are exceptions. You (again) give your brother negative press. (I wonder why he doesn’t sue for defamation of character! LOL! Seriously though – I don’t think it’s good form to diss someone, least of your own kin, in a public forum.) If your brother is someone you care about surely you would want to know why he feels unable to help? Does he just not care, or does he feel inadequate to the task, out of his depth? Might he feel he can’t work with you, under your direction? (I can tell from your employment agreement that you are very demanding of things being done your way, which for some may be difficult to handle, especially for someone who is close to you.) Is it too distressing for him to face, in which case, why might that me? (Remember my example – I felt unable to help my friend with Type 1 BP many years ago because I could not cope with the emotions I felt in seeing her that way, because I felt so helpless, and because I saw too much of myself in her illness and that scared the sh#t out of me!!!) If it was my brother I’d want to find out before I cast him away. Have you asked, I mean really asked him, why he won’t help?