Hi,<\/p>\n
How are you?<\/p>\n
I have a REALLY important lesson for you today
about bipolar disorder. It’s something I have
never really focused on.<\/p>\n
There’s a quiz at the bottom related
to bipolar disorder make sure you take it.<\/p>\n
I am not sure because it’s really important.
I started thinking about this because
of an incident I saw when I was coming
back from Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n
Here’s the story and how it relates
to bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n
Okay I had to go to check out my
new POTENTIAL furniture. Right now
my desk that I am typing on is
falling apart.<\/p>\n
I found a person in PA that sells furniture.
I wanted to make sure that I got a great deal
AND that the furniture would last for several
life times (just kidding for at least 10 years
or so).<\/p>\n
Anyway the top selling furniture person
who by the way use to work in a mental
health facility and told me many things
that you should read about concerning
mental health facilities. If you missed
that or want to reread it again, visit
my blog below and look for “Lesson
learned from stuttering furniture
sales person.”<\/p>\n
Okay, so I drive all the way there.
I noticed on the way driving there,
there seemed to be some traffic going
the opposite way (the way I would
have to go back home).<\/p>\n
That was strange to me because the traffic
never goes through that way. Anyway,
I made it to the store, ran in and found
the guy.<\/p>\n
I looked at what I had and then I left.
I started driving back and guess what?<\/p>\n
Traffic started slowing. Then it was slower
and then slower.<\/p>\n
Then traffic was DEAD STOPPED. Nothing was
moving.<\/p>\n
I thought to myself that in a minute
it would move.<\/p>\n
BIPOLAR DISORDER LESSON IS COMING SOON<\/p>\n
Hey, there’s a bipolar lesson coming don’t
worry.<\/p>\n
So I sat there for like 10 minutes. I couldn’t
believe it. I didn’t move one inch.<\/p>\n
25 minutes went by and I saw the same thing.<\/p>\n
Then I saw people in front and behind me looking
out their car doors to see what the heck was
going on. I did the same you couldn’t see
anything. Then after like 31 minutes we moved
maybe 5 feet.<\/p>\n
Then I almost was getting claustrophobia AND
I had to go to the bathroom really, really,
really bad. Since I drank too much water
before I left. I have to drink 1.2 gallons
a day for my training.<\/p>\n
Then I started to get mad. I wanted to complain
but to who? I called my friend Tony and he
laughed at me.<\/p>\n
AND THEN IT HAPPENED. About one hour
and 15 minutes had gone by and I moved
maybe 15 feet.<\/p>\n
People started driving on the shoulder where
you aren’t suppose to drive to try to get ahead
but then the shoulder turned into bumper to
bumper traffic.<\/p>\n
There were no exits you had to sit. It was a nightmare.<\/p>\n
ONE MAN TAKES ACTION<\/p>\n
One guy tried to go around somehow and he almost
hit another guy. The guy he almost hits gets
super mad and starts screaming at him. The
other guy says something and the guy almost
hit tells him I think to get out of the
car.<\/p>\n
I was like, “Oh, no, there’s going to be a
fight.” So I sat and hoped that these ADULTS
would sit in their cars. Then I thought, I
hope that I don’t have to get involved
like if one guy beats up another and someone
has to break it up.<\/p>\n
Well the guy that almost hit the guy wouldn’t
get out. The other guy that wanted him to
get out started screaming at him.<\/p>\n
I heard little kids start to cry because you
could hear it all since there was no movement
and their was dead silence.<\/p>\n
Part of me was super mad that this one guy
kept trying to provoke the other guy.<\/p>\n
This lady next to me said to me across the
way, “That guy’s crazy. He is insane.”<\/p>\n
I didn’t say anything at all. It was very odd.<\/p>\n
Then after like 1 and half hours, the traffic
started to move.<\/p>\n
STRANGE BIPOLAR DISORDER LESSON<\/p>\n
There’s something called IED. Intermittent
Explosive Disorder also known as road rage.<\/p>\n
Mayo Clinic says:<\/p>\n
“Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) is
characterized by repeated episodes of aggressive,
violent behavior that are grossly out of proportion
to the situation. And, according to a June 2006 study
funded by the National Institute of Mental Health,
intermittent explosive disorder is more common
than once thought. Intermittent explosive disorder
occurs most often in young men and may affect as
many as 7.3 percent of adults in the United States.”<\/p>\n
DID THIS GUY HAVE THIS OR BIPOLAR DISORDER?<\/p>\n
Think for a second and then scroll down
after you formulate an opinion…<\/p>\n
HAVE AN OPINION YET? SCROLL<\/p>\n
Here’s my thoughts. First, I know
people may say, “YES!” he does
and some may say “maybe he
has bipolar disorder.”<\/p>\n
BUT, this is the thing. We do NOT
know. If you are NOT a doctor
you should not be diagnosing people.<\/p>\n
AND even more importantly, this entire
incident reminds me of a huge problem.<\/p>\n
REPEATED PATTERNS VERSUS ONE TIME EVENTS<\/p>\n
With IED, which this newsletter is NOT
about, and bipolar disorder, doctors
look for repeated patterns of behavior
to form a diagnosis not one time
events.<\/p>\n
If the fighting guy in the car did
this once, that’s one thing. If he
starts fights on the highway all
the time that’s another.<\/p>\n
When you are supporting someone
with bipolar disorder it’s important
to track patterns and report them to
the doctor and therapist so these people
can help make a proper diagnosis AND
treatment plan.<\/p>\n
When I was seeing this guy, the entire
thing made me think of how important
it is. I know people on the road with me would think
the guy was crazy, had IED, bipolar disorder
schizophrenia, etc, but we would not know
his history.<\/p>\n
One of the things lacking with doctors is
patients history. If patients come in and
the doctors asks for history, the doctor
normally gets what I call the “snow job”–
which is basically when a patient says
whatever they think they should say so
the truth about their condition is not
revealed.<\/p>\n
It’s up to YOU the supporter to reveal
the patterns. Doctors then take this into
accountant along with a number of other things
doctors look at to make a correct diagnosis.<\/p>\n
People write me all the time about how to figure
out if someone has bipolar disorder. I am NOT
a doctor or therapist but I know it’s a doctor
that has to make a diagnosis.<\/p>\n
And you can help them by reporting signs and symptoms,
history and patterns you see.<\/p>\n
So many supporters don’t do this.<\/p>\n
DISTURBING THINGS AT SUPPORT GROUPS<\/p>\n
I do a ton of volunteering and one of the most
disturbing things that I see is when people
try to treat and diagnose one another. I think
in my head, “these people have no clue and
are dangerous.”<\/p>\n
Many supporters get a little knowledge and
then they run around and try to diagnosis
people AND sometimes talk about what medications
are good and bad.<\/p>\n
This is a HUGE, and I mean HUGE and I mean HUGE
NO NO!<\/p>\n
If someone who is not a doctor starts acting
like a doctor, run and don’t listen. Most of
these people really have no idea what they
are talking about.<\/p>\n
SUPPORTING AN ADULT? SUPPORTING A CHILD\/TEEN? HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER? I have to run, have a great day.<\/p>\n Your Friend,<\/p>\n Dave<\/p>\n P.S. Check out my F.ree blog with copies of emails P.P.S Check out my F.ree podcast. Hear me give Hi,<\/p>\n How are you?<\/p>\n I have a REALLY important lesson for you today There’s a quiz at the bottom related I am not sure because it’s really important.
Visit:
http:\/\/www.bipolarsupporter.com\/report11<\/a><\/p>\n
Visit:
http:\/\/www.bipolarparenting.com<\/a><\/p>\n
Visit:
http:\/\/www.survivebipolar.net<\/a><\/p>\n
that I have sent in the past and lots of great
information for you:
http:\/\/www.bipolarcentral.com\/supporterblog\/<\/a><\/p>\n
mini seminars designed to teach you information
you can’t learn anywhere else.
http:\/\/bipolarcentral.libsyn.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
about bipolar disorder. It’s something I have
never really focused on.<\/p>\n
to bipolar disorder make sure you take it.<\/p>\n
I started thinking about this because
of an incident I saw when I was coming
back from Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n