==>>Help with ALL aspects of bipolar disorder<<==
Check out all my resources, programs and information
for all aspects of bipolar disorder by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/catalog.asp

Hey,

What’s new? Hope things are going well
for you today.

I received an email from someone
that said:

“Hey David, I have a quick question.
I don’t want to offend you but how
much of what you say about bipolar
disorder has been researched and
studied? Are there any studies
backing up suggestions you have
like the importance of sleep
and bipolar disorder?”
–Jerry

First let me remind everyone that
I am NOT a doctor, therapist, insurance
person, lawyer, or other kind of professional.
These are my opinions that I am giving.

I wanted to say something and I am NOT
saying this to brag.

As you know, my mom has bipolar disorder,
I have more than 100,000 people on my list.
I have between the #2 and #8 site in
the world for bipolar in google (ahead
of dozens of drug companies and sites like
webmd),

I have 8 people who work for me with bipolar
disorder, I been volunteering helping people
with bipolar disorder and supporters,
for more than 2.5 years, and the #1 most
read blog on bipolar disorder, I have lots
of audio and writing material for helping
people with bipolar disorder and supporters.

Again I am NOT saying this to brag but
to prove a really important point that
I am going to tell you. Again, I didn’t
write that list to brag.

PLEASE READ ON.

When I first got started. I did a ton
of research. I bought ever book. Most
weren’t any good. Then I interviewed
doctors, therapists, and tons and tons
of people with bipolar disorder.

I took lots of notes. I read and analyzed
my notes trying to make a plan or system
that could help my mom.

You know what? At the time, I was
too dumb to know how complex bipolar
disorder was. I assumed that I could
easily figure it out.

Actually this “dumb” almost naïve
little kid type thinking is what
enabled me to help my mom.

If I was thinking more intelligently,
I may have concluded that her
case was impossible.

Over time, I started to see how it all
would come together and what it would
take for her to be stable.

We had some ideas. We wound
up testing them and they worked.

I noticed that when I looked for studies
to back up so of my ideas and concepts
and almost in every case, didn’t find any.

Here is the surprising truth about
bipolar disorder. Much that goes along
with the management of bipolar disorder
is NOT studied. It’s really strange.

Early on, I figured medication is
super important but I knew there had
to be more. The studies do talk about
medication and it’s role in treatment
of bipolar disorder BUT I knew there
were other things as well.

My mom had taken medication almost
every year except the first 10 years
of being diagnosed.

But she still struggled. So I knew
there was more to it.

Then we started looking at stability
being more of an equation like
stability equaled medication +
therapy + sleep + stress reduction
etc.

It is interesting that in the last couple
of years of doing this, things that I
discovered or that someone told me they
knew worked for 10 years or longer are
now being announced as being important.

For example, recently in the news
they have been talking about how
psychotherapy helps with bipolar disorder.

Without a study, I knew that. How?
Well my mom stopped going to talk therapy
for a while after getting stable and
she got worse.

But today they are finally just announcing
it.

Some people on my list ask me if this
or that has been studied or confirmed to
help with bipolar disorder. I say to them
no it hasn’t because most things haven’t
been studied. And for whatever reason,
they don’t seem to be working too hard
on figuring out issues related to
mental health.

When I say they I mean like the drug companies,
governments, research people, etc.

It seems that more money and funding goes to
non mental health disorders. Just look around,
the biggest announcements rarely have anything
to do with mental health.

Announcements are usually bad news. Like
so and so killed so and so. Or so and so
did something really bad.

It’s never this studied concluded that
the introduction of calming music at night
for someone with bipolar disorder decreased
manic episodes by such and such percent.

Announcements are usually news is based on
something dumb like a new movie that
has a totally insane mentally ill person.

The important point here is, if you think something
will work for you or your loved one with bipolar
disorder, talk it over with your doctor and/or
therapist. Don’t wait years or even decades for
a study to come out.

Remember you can’t talk it over with me because
I am NOT a doctor or therapist. I really want
to keep on reminding people. I feel good
because many of the emails that I get all
start with, “I know you are not a doctor,
therapist or attorney but…” so that’s
good. Just want to be clear and not
misrepresent myself.

Anyway, with my mom, she runs any new idea or thing
she wants to try past her doctor and therapist
and they monitor.

One idea my mom had was to use calming music
to sleep better. Many people on my list
recommend this. I looked and there is no
study that talks about calming music and
bipolar disorder but for my mom, it’s worked
wonders.

Her doctor thought it was a great idea and
told her to try it. The results are great.

I hope you understand the point that I am
trying to make.

In my courses/systems, you’ll find that
many of the ideas, concepts and strategies
proven to work are the result of years
of struggle by both bipolar supporters
and those with bipolar disorder.

The reason I put together my material
was to help to reduce the time it takes
to figure it all out. These strategies
work but you won’t find each one backed
up by 57 different studies for the
reasons that I just talked about.

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com

HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net

I hope this email made sense to you.
Let me know your thoughts.

I have to take off. I just got a notice
saying there is a problem with one of my
websites.

Your Friend,

Dave

P.S. Don’t forget to take a look through the
different programs I’ve put together… each one is designed
to help you with a different area of bipolar disorder whether
you have it or you are supporting someone with it.
You can see them all and get the details by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/catalog.asp

P.P.S. Check out my F.ree blog with copies of emails
that I have sent in the past and lots of great
information for you:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/supporterblog/

P.P.P.S Check out my F.ree podcast. Hear me give
mini seminars designed to teach you information
you can’t learn anywhere else.
http://bipolarcentral.libsyn.com