Hi,
First, remember you have to move your clock forward and
we lost an hour. I know that’s a pain but sorry,
I didn’t setup the system 🙂
Okay, yesterday I had a situation where someone was advertising
and promoting a multi level marketing company’s “nutritional”
product on my blog.
I actually police my blog and pay someone to do so. I got
an “urgent” call informing me. Now, I am all for f.r.ee
speech and everything but not this kind.
I have a ZERO tolerance policy about advertising on my
blog. Anything ads will be removed and if someone keeps it
up, there will be serious consequences.
I am not kidding around.
The situation was made even worse with the fact
it was a multi level marketing aka network marketing
product that was being promoted.
I guess since I know this industry so well (I wrote
my thesis on it, I consult firms that invest in mlm
companies, etc), and I know bipolar disorder so
well, I get mad when people promote miracle
products for bipolar disorder.
Ones with ZERO, and I mean ZERO research into
them.
Let me tell you, I have spent a TON of money
paying doctors, researchers, writers and all kinds
of investigators to find out if ANYTHING can work
and replace medication.
I have NEVER, EVER found ANYTHING. Not one single
thing. Nothing. Zero. Also, anyone that has told
me they know someone, who knows someone, who knows
someone, who knows someone, who found something, I looked
into all of these in 2006.
Actually I had a system of finding people not on medication
taking natural products and interviewing them. In all cases
they were not on the right track and they were either in
a disaster and they thought everything was “a ok” or they
were going to be in a disaster soon and didn’t realize it.
What do I mean? I remember one person that got off his
medications. He was doing just fine. He had 3 jobs,
was painting, volunteering, starting a business, and he
had lots of money. I informed him he was manic he said
he wasn’t. HELLO?
I followed up 7 months later. First line disconnected, email
address bounced back, fax line disconnected. I finally reached
him on his cell.
He lost it all and was brought into the hospital by the police.
He was broke and trying to “find” his family to get help.
I actually felt bad. And spent like half the day finding his
family and then spending hours on the phone trying to help
them.
I have lost track of him now.
He’s not an isolated case. There were so many others like
this, I had to stop even looking into it because it was a
waste of my time and money. I had to pay 3 people to
find, follow up with and preinterview these people.
The only good news is, I can pass the lesson along to
you at no cost in this email.
I don’t even bother to waste my time and money in
2007. If I hear of a miracle cure, or something
I just let it go. Michele made a comment to me
and said “Let someone else spend the time and money
running down these things.”
I almost felt like a person that was chasing Big
Foot sighting. For those out of the US, Big Foot
is a like a myth. Actually I can’t really even
explain what Big Foot is, go to google.com type
in Big Foot and look around if you want to know.
Back to the story, the thing that gets me so mad is that, people
make these claims and they don’t realize how it
hurts folks with bipolar disorder.
EVERY SINGLE person that I know that is stable,
doing well FOR THE LONG TERM, not for 6 months or
7 months but for the long term is on medication.
EVER SINGLE ONE.
Period. My mom, all the people that work for me,
all the people I have interviewed that have huge
success stories, the ones that I meet when I
got to conferences and meetings.
Sometime I am baffled that people want to experiment
either on their loved one or on themselves trying
“natural” remedies made by questionable companies
especially in the MLM industry.
Some supporters call me and say “well I don’t want
my loved one on medication” I always say “Oh
so you don’t want them on what’s proven to work? You’d
rather have them try risky non proven treatments?”
Then they get all mad at me and think that I secret
work at a drug company and I am in the global medication
conspiracy.
Sometimes I think these supporters need to have their
heads examined.
Hey, before I get the hate mail, don’t even bother
sending it, because I will not read it. I have a totally
inflexible opinion on this issue.
I am never going to promote nutritional products
made from let’s say a mlm company that is telling
you a product cures everything, fixes your hair,
turns you into a super model, cleans your house,
cuts your grass, watches your kids, etc. AND all
you need to do is “invest” a bunch of money
and you can get R I C H telling the others
the same thing.
If you are doing this, shame on you.
Look, if something really did work, don’t you think
that I would promote it? Why do I promote going to the
doctor, paying his/her fee? Because it works?
Do you think that I have a financial agreement with all
doctors all over the world and they give me a commission
on all the people that come to them from me?
I know you don’t think that but you know what? There’s a
few people that have written me that think:
-I own a drug company.
-I own stock in drug company. Actually maybe I do or maybe I don’t. If I could even figure out how to read my mutual fund statements I would know.
-Someone in my family is a doctor and I make money sending people to doctors.
-You’re gonna laugh but some think, I have been hired by drug companies
to promote medication because I am a tool in a global conspiracy
to promote medications instead of nutritional products. I know that sounds
crazy but people tell me this. One person said “Dave, I can tell
you are a nice guy but you’re being used by ‘them’.”
When I ask who “they” or “them” is/are I never get an answer. I guess it’s the 4 or 5 people that control the world?
If you have bipolar disorder and you are doing well,
for a while, it’s because of proper treatment.
Oh and I just thought of another thing I almost
forgot.
If you take ANY nutritional supplements, you MUST
tell your doctor so he/she knows. For example,
my mom’s doctor, who is EXCELLENT, believes
in complementary natural treatments to medication.
If my mom sees something and wants to try it,
she takes in the literature and/or the product
and gets her approval. My mom’s doctor is
very open and will do research to check up on it
and give my mom the okay. She will also monitor
my mom.
GUESS WHAT?
There are tons, and tons of other doctors that are
the SAME EXACT way. So don’t think, “Oh, it’s easy
for him to say because his mom has the only good doctor
on the earth, and well there’s no one like his mom’s doctor
for me to talk to.”
HAVE BIPOLAR?
In my course/system at http://www.survivebipolar.net/
SUPPORTER?
In my course/system at http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11
SUPPORTING CHILD?
In my course/system at http://www.bipolarparenting.com/report2/
I have an entire system of finding a doctor. If you are
“in to” natural complementary treatments, make sure you
put that on the call back request form you use to
find doctors.
That’s all you need to do. And when you interview the doctors
that are calling you, ask about if they support natural
complementary treatments.
These days, many doctors include complementary nutritional
products AND other natural things along with medication.
BUT you have to work as a team. You can’t go it alone, like
so many people do.
The people that “sneak” stuff behind their doctors back
are just hurting themselves. Actually I take that back,
they might be hurting others. Do you know how many people
get off medication and kill someone else? It’s sad.
Not to mention, do you know how many people that get off medication
and then commit suicide? Just ask Michele who writes for me. She
has a blog as well. Her sister had bipolar disorder and got off
her medication. She was doing great in her own head. Then she
killed herself.
She is gone. She will never be back. There are no “do overs” for her.
All because she got off her medication.
Anyway, back to the lady who posted the stuff on my blog.
I told my mom the
entire story and I was rather annoyed that this person
also included “maybe this can help your mother.” My mom
asked me why I was so mad and I said, “Because you are
doing fine and don’t need any questionable mlm nutritional
product’s help.”
My mom said, “David don’t get so worked up
the woman probably didn’t mean anything by her comment
and she probably just wants to help but doesn’t know
all of what you know.”
I told her she was probably right.
I called her and explained a) don’t promote products on my blog b) how
serious it is.
Anyway, the woman I
spoke to was a really, really, nice person who really
didn’t know a number of things. I felt bad for her. I feel
she had been suckered by a mlm company. But that’s my opinion.
Nevertheless, she said sorry.
I was also really concerned for her brother. He
got off his medication, without checking with the doctor,
and now he thinks he is doing okay. I have seen over
the years, people get off their medication and they THINK
they are doing well. In their minds, everything is going
along just wonderful.
Now if you check their life out, it slowly turns into a
disaster.
I hope this woman’s brother gets back to the doctor
and gets back on his medication.
Anyway, okay enough about multi level company’s today,
I have a bunch of stuff I have to do.
Hey I have to figure out how to record into my computer.
I am going to Radio Shack because I found some kid that
says he can explain it to me. I am still working off
recording into audio tapes. That’s really old school,
don’t you think?
On a side note, I listen to cds, and I was in the gym
and had my cd player, this guy came up to me and pointed
at my cd player and asked me if I ride horse to work
:).
I need to get with the times I guess LOL.
Okay have to run, catch you later.
Your Friend,
Dave
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Let me preface this by saying that I am not affiliated with any MLM company. I buy all my vitamins and other supplements either in stores or online through comparison shopping.
So far it’s true that there are no obvious miracle cures. There are some doctors who advocate certain drugs for certain disorders, and there are those who advocate certain supplements. One problem with this is that diagnosis is not an exact science, and different people could have the same symptoms for different biological reasons. There are many biological markers that have been identified in bipolar, borderline, and psychotic disorders, but there is not one that is universally consistent, and even addressing the biological marker may not “cure” the disorder. There have been instances where addressing the markers seemed to effect a cure, and that’s great, but diagnosis is still an issue. People are cautioned about self-diagnosis or unprofessional diagnosis, but even professional diagnoses can be wrong. It happens.
I believe that everyone who believes they or a loved one may have a serious disorder should get a full spectrum of tests if they can afford it. Find out what you’re allergic to, what your magnesium/copper balance is, what your hormone levels are, whether you have anti-candida antibodies, how your thyroid checks out (including axillary temperature checks on waking), etc. Get as much biological information as possible on what the body is doing.
Yes, diet can have a huge effect in these disorders, and supplements can help. I’ve done some research in this area, and these are some conclusions I have come to:
Manic or psychotic episodes may correlate with high cortisol levels, the biological marker for stress. Reducing cortisol may be the answer in these cases. First go for high doses of vitamin C, and try taking phosphatidylserine. There are other things that may help, but these seem like the safest bet for the most people. If you’re not pregnant or breastfeeding you might consider ashwagandha, an herbal remedy. I would not go with licorice root extract for this purpose as any stimulant effect could trigger mania.
There is also often an issue with high homocysteine levels. Many advocate taking B6 and zinc supplements for this purpose. Much of what this does for you is increased levels of GABA, so you might also take a GABA supplement.
People with schizophrenia and similar disorders (there can be some overlap) benefit from the use of natural neuroleptics. The most potent one available as a supplement is the B vitamin niacindamide, a potent but well-tolerated form of niacin.
Because magnesium deficiency is often an issue and can skew the magnesium/copper balance, it is highly advisable to take a magnesium supplement. Excess copper levels cause neurotransmitter imbalances, and magnesium helps to offset that.
Omega-3 fatty acids are popular as a help to these disorders. More recently there was one study that indicated that EPA and not DHA might be of benefit especially to borderline sufferers, so now there are several EPA rich supplements available.
B-12 and folate are also essentials that I believe a bipolar person should take.
There are, of course, herbal rememdies and amino acid therapies. Some try using 5-HTP to increase serotonnin levels. Some try using taurine to fight mania as was done in recent studies with some success. I made the mistake of trying to use tyrosine and phenylalanine with my girlfriend, which are stimulant precursors, and we ended up with another manic episode.
I have tried to convince her to take prozac, but she doesn’t want to be on meds because she believes they will turn her into a zombie and hurt her libido. I admit these concerns bother me too.
Aloha Dave,
Once again…right on!! From first hand experience you speak the truth. I was medicated for Bipolar 1 for years when I decided to “get healthy” and wean myself off of meds “in favor” of supplements. What a disaster. One of the worst psychotic breaks ever. It just crept up on me over a period of 4 years!!! It was devastating to me because after going that lenghth of time I thought I was cured. Wrong. My whole family suffered from my uninformed decision. Anyone with half a brain left does very well to listen to you.
Mahalo,
Denise
I can’t believe someone would read this entire post and then post a link to their mlm website? If you do this, you will be removed.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kelley said…
Hi. I have a bi-polar cousin who goes off her meds every time she’s pregnant and has done ok. She gets back on them as soon as she has the baby. I’m wondering if there isn’t a hormonal clue in her bi-polar that makes this happen.
I would really like to read your thesis on MLM groups, or at least a synopsis of it. I have a few problems with them myself.
I have bi-polar cousins, my husband had a bi-polar uncle, and we have a bi-polar daughter. She stays on her meds(from our family practioner) and is doing all right. She won’t see a psychiatrist, and thanks to the ADA, I can’t make her. So she’s toughing it out on meds alone. I contacted NAMI for information about getting her to go to a psychiatrist, and they basically told me that I can’t do anything unless she’s endangering herself or others since she’s 21.
Any ideas?
Also, This daughter is type 2, so when she’s manic, she doesn’t seem manic–instead she starts hoarding things and obsessing about money and behaving irrationally. Because of this it took a long time to diagnose her, 16, when she’s actually been very different since she was a baby.
This same daughter, when in college, was advised by the college social worker to go off her meds. She wasn’t the only one advised this. This social worker had a whole group of drug and alcohol free students who would in turn pressure their classmates to get off drugs, quoting the social worker and saying that it’s all about changing attitude and behavior and if you’re willing to do that, you don’t need meds. I was furious with this woman and went to the college pres. I found out about her doing this when my daughter and one other student, also bi-polar and off her meds, tried to commit suicide within two months of each other. I threatened to sue the college.
Your imput would be appreciated, Thanks.
no name, no slogan, how can any take what you are saying seriously and you don’t have a name attached to it?
That’s really strange.
Also, everyone wants to talk about how professionals get it wrong. I agree BUT, if you look at the greatest probability of success, it comes from a professional.
If a kid is in 9th grade and ask you the older person, “Do I have to graduate high school to become successful and rise up the corporate ranks?” Do you say, “Well actually there are some people that don’t even graduate 6th grade and make millions. Also, many people who do graduate college struggle. Actually go ahead and drop out today.”
OR do you say, “well research shows that if you graduate high school and college you generally make more and have a better chance to move up?” Of course you do.
It’s about PROBABILITY. Do you want to gamble? Do you want to take
the chance with you or your loved one’s life?
Check out http://www.bipolarcentral.com and the news, run a search on my site for murder and bipolar disorder. Suicide and bipolar disorder. Look how many stories there are.
I can’t understand why people want to promote supplements so badly for these types of illnesses when the greatest probability of success is through medication.
Now keep in mind, I SELL supplements myself, I body build non competitively and take a ton of supplements. BUT, I am not going to take them for a serious disorder or become an experiment and hope it all works out.
So I am not a vitamin or supplement hater.
Also, for those that think that if you get on medication you “libido” will be ruined are not fully informed and need to go find a great doctor and get the right information.
On one last note, I know people who make vitamins and sell them. To the tune of millions of dollars a year. you would be shocked how little testing they do and what their labs look like. You would actually laugh.
Just do this, take a public vitamin company and look on the SEC filings as to how much they spend on research and development. Virtually nothing. This is not all companies. I get supplements from high quality small companies no one has even heard of. They care and do research. BUT I would
never tell people to use them for serious illnesses.
Okay I have to go now.
For a long time the whole concept of medication just plain frustrated me. My doctors always seemed to want to throw more pills at me. At one point I was taking handfuls of pills 3 times day with a diagnosis of depression, anxiety and PTSD. It was so hard to deal with because I could not function on the all that medication (20-30 pills a day). Well, I was also in active addiction (not uncommon in persons with bipolar disorder). I had bad doctors AND I was unable to advocate for myself.
I’ve been clean and sober 4 years now. That has been such a big help in knowing, seeing and understanding. My PCP and my psychiatric provider are both wonderful and talented doctors. I’ve come to respect them not just because of their willingness to listen to me but also because of their insistence that I listen to them. I am very open with them about all my prescription and nonprescription medications. They are willing to let me try certain things because they see value in those options. They steer me away from charlatans and illusions.
I can’t say that I am “happy” to be on medications per se. I’d rather not have to take anything but I can surrender to the inevitable. I’ve seen the expressions on the face of family and friends when my anger and irritability get out of hand. Having worked the twelve steps of AA I know today I don’t want to create more harm. I am responsible for taking care of me so I do not harm others due my untreated condition. I just don’t have the right to take my disorder out on others.
I would suggest to anyone that if they have a real issue with medication perhaps they might want to reevaluate their doctor. Or perhaps their ability to advocate for themselves with that doctor. I thought visiting my psychiatrist was supposed to be a tense battle of wits, attempting to get the least medication possible by way of manipulation and then not taking half of what I had been given once I got home. That was all wrong. All it did was create chaos. Finding a doctor I work well with has been a lifesaver. Finding my voice has been empowering. Finding the willingness to listen to what I don’t want to hear….PRICELESS!
Dave, I am sorry for your misunderstanding, truely I am. My comment was deleted by you and I am sorry you took it the wrong way. Like I had said before this is my first time on Blogger (I had to create an acct to send the message).
I didn’t leave my website for any advertising purposes. I did not realize this was for all to read, but thought it was a way to get a message to you. Again, I am sorry.
However, I did leave that website for you to gain knowlege about the products our company carries. I tried to make it clear I am not here to sell anything. Please except my appology…?
I guess I don’t understand why you are against natural supplements? I don’t feel anyone should take them in replace of their current meds, but taking vitamins in replace of lost nutrients in our dietary intake is great to rebuild our bodies natural healing cycle. Did you know that once you cook a food over 118 degrees the food looses its nutrient values? So you could eat broccoli and carrots every night but if they are fully cooked there is little point in eating them. And over time our bodies chemicals change/mutate to compensate itself. Now my semi-educated opinion here: I feel that part of the reason mental health is on the rise is due to poor nutritional habits, starting at childhood. And I feel my husband and children, all of which have M.H. disease fall victim to that trueth.
Infact, many people that find the right supplements for thier bodies needs, over time, can wean down thier meds because thier body has time to heal and produce the needed chemicals it requires to maintain normal daily functions.
onlouMy daughter has been on 64 different medications and combinations. she would feel better for a while and then down into a deep depression. she made a serious suicide attemps several years ago. She is bipolar with treatment resisitant depression. Last August she had VNS therapy. This is a device implanted in her neck that sends signals to her vaugus nerve. It has been used for epilepsy for several years. It took a few months, but she is fianlly free from her deep depression.. That does not mean she is off all medication. She will probably be on some for the rest of her life. Perhaps she will be able to lower the dose. If it weren’t for medication she would probably not be here, but I just want people who have treatment resistant depression to know there is hope. Talk to your doctor about this new procedure.
In response to MVPJIMBO about VNS therapy. I too have treatment resistant depression with my bi-polar disorder. At first i would go sometimes years between depressive episodes but it usually took a lot of meds and a long time to pull me out once I got into one. In 2004 I crashed. It took several months to make any kind of progress. We tried ECT treatments and I couldn’t tell you how many different meds. Nothing worked. In late 2005 my practioner gave me and my husband a DVD packet about VNS therapy. We took it home and watched together. Then we shared it with all of our supporting family members including the children. We were scared of this option because it was in our eyes very evasive. At our next appointment we told the doctor that we would like to mill over it for a while. In that time frame I had two serious suicide attemps. One of which I am very lucky to have survived, I died twice, once in the amublance and once at the ER. After the second incident we decided we had nothing more to lose. Within 2 weeks my doctor had the appointment made with the surgeon. A week later it was in place. Now I won’t say this is a miracle cure because it isn’t. Even if you choose to go with this treatment it may take as much as 6-12 months to see any improvement. I had one more suicide attempt after starting the treatment, 3 months later. It has been just under a year since I started this treatment and I have gone from 21 pills, 9 medications a day to 2 pills with 2 medications a day. Now it is assumed that I will need these meds for the rest of my life and that is okay. With this treatment I ahve also stablized enough to go back to school. Perhaps I am the exception, but for those of you who have been suffering with treatment resistant depression with your bi-polar disorder I would strongly reccommend you ask your physician if this treatment may be right for you. There are many physicians who haven’t jumped on the band wagon for this treatment so don’t be surprised if you are met with a negative response,but if you truely want to investigate this treatment for yourself then there are doctors out there who will endorse it. It does have to be endorded by a doctor and nurse practioner can not sign off on it. It is becoming used widely enough that Medicare is starting a discovery panel with current patients to decide if they will start covering this treatment.
to david you have the right to
get mad at these morons who take
advantage at anycost for their pocketbook!
needing some help my wife is in
denial and the adult protective
services are being a hindrance
they dont seem to think but
for their cause not any other
persons especially when the
said person is has run away
and doesnt want to to be responsible but get drunk and
stay of medication when she
does want to be responsible til
it hangs my rear end out big
time mww_h@yahoo.com
then i call my brother in law and
his stepdaughter answers the phone
and and just hangs it u p which i
call her and the rest a bunch
chicken s then she elaborates with
profanity at me and tells me i need
to get a life even this creature
is drunk or something trying to act
like a man what a coward
but they wouldnt tell me where
my wife is either!
i need help on how to get this problems solved i included my
main email here mww_h@yahoo.com
can somebody come up with some
ideas on about guardianship over wife!!
I have spent the last year with a woman who is severely bipolar and absolutely refuses to take meds or go to a doctor about it. She’s afraid the “system” will label her for life and she’ll never escape it somehow, and she refuses to consistently admit that she has a problem. The most I have been able to convince her of is the need to take supplements regularly. If I could convince her to get into therapy and take meds, I would, but she won’t do it. She thinks she’s just fine the way she is. She isn’t suicidal. She just has severe manic episodes, and the worst psychotic rages I have ever seen. I love this woman, but I left her recently because I couldn’t take her inconsistency. I couldn’t count on her for anything. She has never kept a single promise to me. She can’t even be the same person from one day to the next. Her rages are a horrible curse, like she’s being possessed by a demon. She has blamed it on PMS before, but there’s no way PMS accounts for this. Also, because she is breastfeeding she will not take meds and is very careful about what supplements she will take. Prozac is supposedly safe for breastfeeding moms, as is dilantin, but getting her to take the stuff would be a battle I would lose again. I’ve already lost this relationship (again) to her mood cycle and the impulsive things she does in this state. If I get back together with her, I’ll want her to get therapy, but I have no idea how to make that happen, so supplements are the best I can do. There is solid research behind many of these supplements being done all over the world, NOT by the companies that sell them. Do a few web searches to see what’s on Pubmed or the Mayo Clinic web site. The research is done by scientists, not salesmen I assure you.
hey dave,
i have learned alot thru all the emails about bipolar–some i wish i had a year ago or the year before. i have a 13yr old (this year), i find all your information very very helpful for me and my family. we all have been thru a lot the last 3 years. roller coaster ride walking on egg shells and lashing out getting in trouble at school grades dropping the whole nine yards sort of speak–been thru it all but now everything is going pretty good now. james is taking abilify and going to counseling and doing excellent in school and not getting in any kind of trouble–he has never been hospitalized but probably should have been but we handled it and now seems to be under control–havent had episodes since he started the abilify in december–having a normal life–your info really helps me and my husband –well actually me–because im the only one who knows how to operate a computer besides james–but we discuss bipolar and james said he likes his medicine and the way it makes him feel–keep sending me the information–very helpful–no i havent let my guard down because we dont know when another episode will come but we are prepared–thanks so much for the information–BridgetS–Indiana
In your opinion and with all of your experience, how do you feel about neurofeedback?
Hilary Katersky
Hey David-
I Totally Agree with your moms doctor. The key is a multi faceted approach in which different modalities are applied or as you moms doctor states “complementary natural treatments to medication”.
Hi, i am new and signed up the previous week around 06 or 07 March 2007. I’m from South Africa where ther is a big stigma toward anyone with a mental condition- heck even a normal PMS day, is seen as being crazy-so i would get on and off the meds and i kept it a secret. I also tried the so called natural remedies when i felt ok and the natural therapist whatever would tell about the dangers of the drugs i’m on. But truthfully i looked for natural therapy ‘thingies’ because i was ashamed of being different as i was told my whole life by family that i was crazy like my father and paternal gran. But 2005 i decided to accept it but i still went back and forth with the meds and kept it secret and in 2006 i told my mum and aunt who just looked at me and said i cannot be on meds my whole life what do doctors know anyway. So i went back to hiding meds and slowly i got off until i found myself flirting on the internet dating site and falling inlove at every corner and buying airplane tickets to visit a guy i didn’t know and blowing my credit card on clothes and travel. Until last week when i signed on i was ‘ok’ but i realised i had not been taking my medication except st johns’ wort and had not been to counsellor and psych. and had not filled my repeat prescription because i am just feeling down and want to leave work. But since discovering the sites i can read and calm down a bit except when i look up and see that i have reports to write and cant start. The doctor wanted to book me in a private hospital (yes in south africa we have private mental hosiptals)because of dissociate??(not sure about it as he has helped me but it does not make him an expert)and he said i am not getting better but i feel so good except the mood and the stupid people around me. he works close with the psychiatrist who has thus far found me good meds.and he booked me a bed? And guess who didn’t show up. from today i am taking my pills even though i have not refilled my prescription i still have enough as i was not drinking the meds.but now i am leaving the herbal things.But the hospital i cant go as i rememebr last time i went in 1999 i just recall the comments at work about the ‘crazy hospital’.
DEAR DAVE, I AM AT THE POINT I JUST DO NOT KNOW WHERE ELSE TO TURN. I HAVE ORDERED THE PLANS YOU OFFER AND MY SON HAS PUT THEM “SOMEWHERE” I HAVE ORDERED JULIE FAST BIPOLAR OFFERS..ALSO “SOMEWHERE” MY SON HAS NO INSURANCE AND WE ARE (RAISING MY GRANDCHILDREN, DAUGHTER (DIAGNOSED ALSO BEFORE DEATH)WAS KILLED IN A CAR ACCIDENT, SO OUR FUNDS ARE LIMITED. HE GOES TO A HEALTH CARE FACILITY THAT IS COUNTY FUNDED, BUT THEY AS YOU KNOW DO NOT MONITOR. IT IS JUST A EVERY 3 MONTHS VISIT. HE HAS ALL THE CLASSIC REOCCURING BIPOLAR SYMPTOMS AND STAYS ON MEDICINE FOR A WHILE. OF COURSE HE HAS HAD ABOUT 15 JOBS IN THE COURSE OF 2 YEARS. HE HAS APPLIED FOR DISABILITY TO NO SUCCESS. HE HAS A SON THAT HE IS NOT ALLOWED TO GO ANY WHERE NEAR, (NOT BECAUSE HE HAS EVER DONE ANYTHING HARMFUL TO EITHER SON OR MOTHER, BUT BECAUSE THE MOTHER THINKS IT IS BEST AND HAS THE MONEY TO CONTINUE TO HIRE LAWYERS TO SEE TO IT. HE TRIED TO FIGHT THE CASE BUT DUE TO IT BEING IN ANOTHER STATE AND LAWYER FEES HE JUST CANNOT SUBSTAIN THE DEBTS. EVERYTIME HE GOES TO WORK, HIS CHILD SUPPORT COMES OUT OF HIS PAYCHECK, BUT THAT IS ABOUT ALL SHE GETS IN SUPPORT. WE HAVE TRIED TO HELP OUT BUT SHE WILL NOT ALLOW US TO SEE THE BOY EITHER. IT IS A PRETTY BAD SITUATION BECAUSE IT CONTINUALLY KEEPS MY SON STRESSED. SHE KNOWS HOW TO PUSH ALL THE RIGHT BUTTONS. EVERYTIME HE SENDS HIM ANYTHING, SHE REFUSES TO USE IT. NOT A GOOD SITUATION THERE FOR SURE. ANYWAY.. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL INCIDENCES WHERE I FELT HE NEEDED TO GO INTO THE HOSPITAL AND HAVE TRIED TO GET HELP THROUGH THE POLICE BUT THEY SAY THEY CANNOT HELP UNLESS HE DOES SOMETHING TO HARM HIMSELF OR OTHERS????? WOULD IT NOT BE BETTER BEFORE THAT HAPPENS!!!! I AM LOOKING FOR A WAY TO BE ABLE TO GET HIM THE HELP HE NEEDS WHEN I SEE THE SIGNS BECOMING STRONG, INSTEAD OF WAITING UNTIL THE POINT OF TOTAL DISORDER. THE LAST COUPLE OF TIMES HE HAS BEEN IN THE HOSPITAL HE HAS GONE AFTER IT BEGAN TO WORK ON HIS PHYSICAL (ANXIETY OF DYING, HEART, CIRCULATION, CONFUSION.) HE THEN GOES IN FOR TEST ON PHYSICAL CONDITION, THEY, THANK GOD RECOGNIZE HIS STATE AND PUT HIM IN FOR HIS BIPOLAR DISORDER. HE ENDS UP IN A STATE FACILITY OF COURSE SINCE HE HAS NO MEANS TO PAY AND WE STRUGGLE THROUGH THAT FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS, GET HIM ON HIS MEDICATION AND LET HIM OUT. HE STAYS ON IT FOR A WHILE OR UNTIL HE BECOMES DEPRESSED OR BIG TIME FRUSTRATED AND THEN WE START OVER. THIS DISEASE WAS DIAGNOSED 4 YEARS AGO (WHEN MY DAUGHTER DIED) AND I DO RESEARCH AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK ON IT. I READ ALL YOUR INFO AND HAVE BEEN ON A COUPLE OF THE TELEPHONE CALLS. OF COURSE YOU KNOW IT HAS TOTALLY CHANGED ALL OF OUR LIVES. HE WAS VERY GOAL ORIENTATED, TOP OF CLASS, A GREAT FUTURE AHEAD OF HIM IN PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL AND MINISTRY WHEN THIS HAPPENED. HE LIVED IN ANOTHER STATE AND THE DOCTORS SUGGESTED BRINGING HIM BACK HOME TO HELP AND SUPPORT HIM. WE DID THIS AND HAVE TRIED TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO ENCOURAGE AND HELP. HE CAN NOT LIVE WITH US BECAUSE WE HAVE THE TWO SMALL CHILDREN AND ROOM IS VERY LIMITED. (TRIED IT JUST TOO MUCH STRESS) SO HE IS LIVING SOMEWHERE ELSE. HE SPENDS A LOT OF TIME ALONE (WHICH I KNOW IS NOT GOOD) I DON’T REALLY KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO. I HAVE WRITTEN SEVERAL DOCTORS TO SEE IF SOMEONE WOULD TALK TO HIM, BUT IF WE ARE NOT FINANCIALLY ABLE TO PAY THEY OF COURSE CAN NOT SEE HIM. ANY SUGGESTIONS ON ATTORNEYS THAT MIGHT HELP WITH DISABILITY, MEDICARE, OR SOME KIND OF VISITATION (EVEN SUPERVISED). sHE IS NOW SAYING SHE IS TAKING HIM BACK TO COURT FOR PAST CHILD SUPPORT. PEOPLE ARE SAYING HE WILL PROBABLY GO TO JAIL. THIS NEEDLESS TO SAY SCARES US. HE HAS BEEN THERE ONCE, WHEN HE HAD HIS FIRST EPISODE (BEFORE DIAGNOSIS) AND THEY HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO DO WITH HIM. AFTER THEY FOUND OUT HE HAD NO ALCOHOL OR DRUGS IN HIS SYSTEM THEY FINALLY CALLED US. THAT RESULTED IN HIS FIRST HOSPITAL STAY. HE HAS BEEN BACK IN THE HOSPITAL ABOUT 6 TIMES SINCE THEN.. I KNOW IF HE COULD ONLY SEE HIS SON IT WOULD AID IN GIVING HIM A REASON TO BE BETTER…THAT IS ONE OF THE KEY FACTORS IN HIS STRESS. HE GETS DEPRESSED BECAUSE HE HAS NO HOPE OF SEEING HIM (SHE HAS MADE THAT PERFECTLY CLEAR, NOT EVEN SUPERVISED VISITS.) I KNOW THIS SEEMS STRANGE THAT A COURT WOULD ALLOW THIS WHEN HE HAS BROUGHT “NO HARM” TO EITHER OF THEM NOR HAS HE THREATENED TO..HE GETS SO FRUSTRATED ABOUT IT. HE FOUGHT IT UNTIL HE (AND WE) COULD NOT AFFORD THE TRAVEL OR FEES..ANYWAY GUESS I AM JUST LETTING OFF SOME STEAM AS YOU SAY LOL LOL. HE NOW HAS ANOTHER PRETTY GOOD JOB ALWAYS HOPE HE WILL STAY LONG ENOUGH TO GET INSURANCE LOL. OH YEAH MY BEST FRIEND IS ALSO BIPOLAR. FORTUNATELY SHE HAS LEARNED TO LIVE WITH HERS TOLERABLY FOR THE 10 YEARS SHE HAS HAD IT. SHE HAS REALLY GOOD INSURANCE SO SHE STAYS WITH A DOCTOR WHICH LIKE YOU SAY HELPS TREMENDOUSLY, PLUS SHE LISTENS TO ALOT OF THE INFORMATION I COME UP WITH. MY FIGHT MOSTLY CONTINUES TO TRY AND ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO LEARN ALL THEY CAN ABOUT MENTAL DISORDERS… “””””WHEN THE BODY IS SICK THE MIND TELLS IT WHAT TO DO TO GET BETTER …WHEN THE MIND IS SICK THE MIND DOES NOT KNOW TO TELL THE BODY WHAT TO DO”””……..THANKS FOR LISTENING “””ALWAYS LOOKING FOR A BETTER DAY….”””
Interesting article! I can only wholeheartedly agree with Dave. It is irresponsible what some people do with these herbal MEDICATIONS- and that is what they are!! Some of this stuff is as strong if not stronger than prescription drugs, and can be fatal.
My bipolar mother was totally into anything herbal, swore by it, and caused huge health problems to herself. One time she had done a detox program over a period of several weeks, a few weeks later she was in excrutiating pain, couldn’t move any joints without screaming in pain … to make a long story short, she had been exposed to toxins (from living in an old house in Germany, where the insulation had been chemically treated, before those chemicals were banned), to the extend that her doctor, that my dad finally dragged her to, said she had such high levels of heavy metal poison in her system, as if someone was spoon feeding it to her daily! The detox program (of course herbal) had spread the poison throughout her body, causing incredible health issues for her for many years. Her Doctor said since heavy metal poisons can not be removed from your body, it had gotten spread throughout her system causing damage beyond compare. Had she not done this he said her body had already found a way to keep this stuff “dormant” in a way, where it would have never caused the extreme damage that it did. Herbal Cures are a bunch of BS.Thank you Dave for your stand on medications for bipolar disorder, that is why doctors have to go to school so long to learn, and an herbalist doesn’t need to get any education, but thinks he/she can give advice on health issues.Go figure!!
Thanks
Petra
Dear Dave,
I have been reading the post in the blog now every day for the past week and 1/2. I see where you have deleted some of the blogs. Since mine have not shown up so far, I am presuming thst one or all of mine must have been one or more of those. I don’t know what I did to get deleted, but I certainly would like to know so I won’t do it again. If I was out of line I am truly sorry, but I REALLY NEED to know what I did to be deleted! Will you PLEASE give me an explanation!
Most Sincerely,
Nancy Pence
PS: Knowing the cost of medicine, among other things, and being the care taker of someone thar has bipolar, as most everyone knows, can lead to a very rough financial hardship. If, you aren’t one of these so far, you’ve been blessed! But get preparred, because it will happen at some point in time. That is, unless you have a steady stream of a large amount of monay. For those of you who don’t, or are on medicaid, medicare or SSI /Disability, and you are limiter to 3 free meds a month – not to WORRY! I have some GREAT news for you! There is a foundation I found that has ask me to share their information with every one I know or come in contact with. They will supply you with free medicine. AND under certain circumstances, if there is a hardship you can even receive meds if you make up to $80,000. They will charge you a one time fee of $5.00 for each med to fill out all the paper work and then it’s free from then on.
You can contact them at: freemedicinefoundation.com They work and have area offices all over the USA. I pray that this info will help someone.
If you’re bipolar, TAKE YOUR MEDICINE! Period, end of story. Do supplements help? Yes. Does a proper diet help? Yes. Does a regular workout routine help? Yes. They help the medicine work better. THEY ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROPER MEDICATION MANAGEMENT. Also, let your doctor know about any medicines, including herbs & supplements, that you’re taking. They can tell you if this is a bad combination with your bipolar medicine(s). Most of them, though, will be thrilled that you’re taking some initiative and responsibility for getting better. I’ll end with this thought: if I take my medicine, there are a few ignoramuses out there who think I’m crazy. If I don’t take my medicine, the whole world will know I am!