Creating a Bipolar road map leads to success!

  Bipolar people are some of the most creative people in the world!  

  How can you tap in to this creativity and still manage your Bipolar symptoms?  Create a life road map.

  Start with clear road.  Keep in mind that this is your road and you can drive any speed that you like.

  As you accomplish things you will travel further down the road.

  Remember, slow and steady wins the race.  You will also have bumps,hills,detours,ditches, and will have to maintain this road.  Baby steps!

  Here is an example of my road!   

Maintaining my road!

1. Taking medications as prescribed by your doctor
2. Getting enough sleep
3. Not using drugs or alcohol
4. Eating healthy
5. Keeping my mind active
6. Trying to stay balanced and positive
7. Not isolating myself or make impulsive decisions

How to get out of a ditch! (Severe depression)

1. Seek out professional help
2. Realize you are not alone.  (Other people are in similar situations)
3. Give yourself a break. (Do not beat yourself up)
4. Try to enjoy simple things.

  

  Now draw your road map placing things that you would like to achieve along the road.  Realizing that you will have bumps,hills,detours and ditches.  

Things I want to achieve on my road

1. Lose weight (Lost 90 lbs) 15 lbs to go, not bad!
2. Be independent (Still working on it)
3. Go to my counseling and doctors appointment (Doing good)
4. Being kind to myself and others 
5. Help others, makes you and them feel better
6. Keep positive (This is the hardest for me, creating this map to help visualize has helped my thinking.  It makes me feel like I have better control over my life.  

    Remember to take what is special about you and use that for fuel to keep going on your road.  You build and maintain this road exactly the way you want.

  Some famous people with Bipolar! 


Sincerely, Dan

Bipolar and Getting Back in Shape

  Gaining weight has been a big issue with me.  I have been dealing with it all my life.  I gained over a hundred pounds.  I think it was mostly due to depression and lack of energy.  It is easy to lay in bed  and eat, then face the world.  Depression will beat you up.  How do you lose weight, when you are not sure that you want to live?

  Here is how I lost the weight.  First of all losing weight is not easy no matter what your circumstance is.  The first thing I did was get on the scale.  I weighed in at 293lbs.  I am 5'9" tall and 49 years old.  The one thing I did have is that I was still alive.  I was lucky to be alive after some of my manic episodes.

  Looking at that number made me even more depressed and turning it around seemed impossible.  I decided I would not make any more excuses.  I decided to take charge and make a plan.  I would not make any excuses for not losing the weight such as, money, meds, time, age or let anything stand in my way of losing the weight.  I layed out a simple plan.

1.  I weighed myself (know where your starting from)

2. Create a diet of healthy foods that you like, that you can stick with forever.  That way when you lose the weight your diet will not change.

3. Decide what is a realistic number of weight that you would like to be.  Know how many calories you should should eat to achieve your desired weight.

4.  Be stubborn!  Stick to your plan.  If you have a bad day, jump back on the next day.  Remember, no excuses.

5. Exercise.  It cost no money.  I started out walking.  Pick any activity that you like.  I use a stability ball and a couple of weights to do all my exercises.  You can do a lot of ab exercises and tighten your core.  That way if you have a lot of weight to lose you can decrease the amount of extra fat that will hang if you do not exercise.

   I think eating is about 80% 15% is exercise and 5% is genetics as far as weight loss goes.

  I did not set a time frame for losing my weight.  Time will pass and the weight will come off.  Take it day by day.  Eventually the weight comes off.

  I did not set a goal.  That way there is no failure.  I did become stubborn.   I was only stubborn one day at a time.   I woke up and was stubborn.  I was not going to give in to my old excuses for this one day.  That was my thinking.

  After a while it becomes automatic.  You start to see results and even get compliments.  So far I have lost 93lbs.  I still have a little bit more I would like to lose.  It has taken over a year to get this much weight off, but it doesn't really matter because I have designed a way of life for me, not just race to get the weight off.

  Yes, Bipolar is a struggle and it is very hard sometimes.  Feeling better about your body also helps your self esteem and your over all health.  Exercise also helps with depression.  It is not easy, but if your stubborn like me, you can and will lose the weight. 

GOOD LUCK!

DAN 



  

   

History of Bipolar Disorder - Bipolar Disorder Already Existed Centuries Ago

Bipolar Disorder has been discovered many years ago however, a lot of people find it hard to understand the condition and was not accepted as an illness right away. The history of Bipolar Disorder can be traced back as far as the second century when Aretaeus from the ancient city of Turkey called Cappadocia determined some of the symptoms of mania and depression. He thought that both mania and depression warning signs were interrelated. The world of medicine didn't recognize his findings back then since no one was able to support his theory.

The next study that followed the second century findings wasn't around for many centuries. It was only made public in 1650 when Richard Burton, a scientist, wrote and published a book called "The Anatomy of Melancholia." He was the first one to successfully study the condition of depression and his book is still widely used today in the mental health field as a key reference. Because of this, he was named the father of depression as a mental illness.

In 1854, Jules Falret instigated the term "folie circulaire" which means circular insanity because he discovered the difference between the depression moments and heightened moods of an individual. He even supported that depression and suicide are both linked together. His findings of depression and manic episodes led to the term Bipolar Disorder but in 1875, his findings were officially called Manic-Depressive Psychosis and it has been recognized as a psychiatric disorder that is different from simple depression alone. Falret even proved that the disease has a genetic linkage as he observed that it is present within certain families.

Francois Baillarger has made an important role in the history of Bipolar Disorder as he differentiated bipolar disorder from schizophrenia for their characteristics of depressive phase. His findings allowed the Bipolar Disorder to be classified apart from the other known mental disorders during the era.

Emil Krapelin in 1913 coined the term manic-depressive as he studied the effects of depression and manic episodes. His unique approach to the mental illness was fully accepted during his time and became the most widely accepted theory of the early 1930's.

In 1948, Dr. John Cade, a Psychiatrist of Bundoora Repatriation Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, was able to discover the positive effects of Lithium Carbonate in treating some of the World War II veterans who have been experiencing manic-depressive psychosis. This was the first time a drug has been discovered to have some successful effect in treating a psychiatric condition. Until now, the compound of Lithium Carbonate is being widely used as a medication for the Bipolar Disorder.

The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disorder published an article in 1952 about the genetic linkage of manic-depressive. It has revealed the possibility of manic-depressive to run in the family stricken with the mental illness. In the 1960's, anyone who has been showing the symptoms of the disease were institutionalized but were given little help by the government since they refused to accept manic-depression as a mental illness. The early 1970's made the mark for new laws that established to help those who were afflicted with the manic-depressive illness. The year 1979 was the year of birth of the National Association of Mental Health or NAMI.

The term Bipolar Disorder replaced the known manic-depressive disorder in 1980 when the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association used it as a diagnostic term. Throughout the 1980's, studies have been conducted to tell the difference between adult and childhood bipolar disorders. To this day, the history of Bipolar Disorder continues to prosper as more and more studies are being conducted to know the probable causes as well as newer methods to treat the mental illness.

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Do not let Depression become your friend

Depression can begin to play with your mind.  It can become your identity and take over your life.  It becomes your new best friend.  The kind of friend that moves in and you can't get rid of.  Other people will leave you but depression moves in and stays.  It becomes stronger, as you become weaker.  It lies to us and wants to destroy us.  It becomes familiar and comfortable and dangerous.

Getting rid of depression can be one of the hardest things you will ever do.  It takes effort, work and professional help.  I am not talking about being a little down.  I am talking about the kind of depression that freezes you and can kill you.  People die from depression everyday.  Everyone will say something like, "I new he was feeling kind of down, but I didn't know it was that bad."  It is to late because he or she took their own life.

If you feel like depression has completely taken over your life and you feel helpless here are some good resources.  There is nothing shameful about seeking help! 

HOTLINE & HELPLINE INFORMATION
24-hour Hotlines

National Hopeline Network 1-800-784-2433 (1-800-SUICIDE) http://www.hopeline.com/

National Suicide Prevention Helpline 1-800-273-8255 (1-800-273-TALK)
Helplines & Resources

Includes many local 24-hour hotlines along with support for suicide survivors, suicide prevention and suicide statistics

American Association of Suicidology http://www.suicidology.org/

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention http://www.afsp.org/

Befrienders International with The Samaritans:


Search for support worldwide at http://www.befrienders.org/

Search resources in the United States at http://www.befrienders.org/helplines/helplines.asp?c2=USA

Families for Depression Awareness http://www.familyaware.org/

Prevent Suicide Now http://www.preventsuicidenow.com/

Psycom.net


Suicide prevention resources, worldwide hotline links http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.suicide.html

Suicide Hotline Listing by State http://www.suicidehotlines.com/

Suicide Prevention Action Network USA http://www.spanusa.org/

UCLA School Mental Health Project:


Hotlines for suicide prevention and other crisis resources http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/hotline.htm

ULifeLine College network http://www.ulifeline.org/

How would you describe Bipolar Disorder

How does pot affect depression, bipolar

Studies that have looked closely at whether marijuana use is associated with major depression suggest, in general, that any such association is either weak or nonexistent. Remember, too, that association does not prove causality -- meaning in this case that it is at least as likely that depressed people use pot, as that pot causes depression.

Indeed, studies that have attempted to clarify what causes what generally do not find that pot causes depression, even when used regularly. On the other hand, a number of studies do associate regular marijuana use with depression and anxiety in both adolescents and young adults.

Although there have been recent studies in animals suggesting that compounds that affect cannabinoid receptors in the brain may offer promise for the treatment of depression, I couldn't find any studies suggesting that regular marijuana use was associated with less depression. So I think we'd have to say that on the whole, marijuana is best avoided if one is concerned about -- or struggling with -- depression.

Interestingly, evidence is stronger that regular marijuana use is a risk factor for young people to develop psychosis (defined as loss of touch with reality, i.e. insanity). It also appears to increase the risk for mania, a disastrous state that frequently includes psychotic symptoms. Marijuana is also famous for giving a minority of people panic attacks. These attacks are so miserable that they usually end a person's marijuana use.

On the plus side, marijuana (or more technically cannabis) appears to be beneficial for nausea and a number of chronic pain conditions -- and has a medical indication for these uses in several states.

There is no hard-and-fast definition of chronic use, but most professionals would probably set the line somewhere in the neighborhood of daily use.

Cannabis dependence is more exactly defined and includes 1) developing tolerance so that over time more drug is needed to get the same effect; 2) withdrawal symptoms occur when the drug is discontinued (this has been demonstrated to occur with marijuana when used heavily); 3) using more or for longer periods than intended; 4) unsuccessful attempts to cut down on use; 5) a pattern of life centered around obtaining and using the drug; 6) the abandonment of important occupational or social facets of life to use the drug; and 7) continued use despite knowledge of significant problems caused by the drug.

More than whether use is chronic, the presence of these signs and symptoms of dependence clearly signal that one's marijuana use has become problematic.

Michigan Prison Kills Inmate With Bipolar Disorder

You wouldn't imagine these days that a mental patient could be chained to a concrete slab by prison guards until he died of thirst, but that's how Timothy Souders died and he is not alone. 


Souders suffered from manic depression. And like a lot of mental patients in this country, he got into trouble and ended up not in a hospital, but in jail. It was a shoplifting case and he paid with his life. 


As correspondent Scott Pelley reports, no one would have been the wiser, but a medical investigator working for a federal judge caught wind of Souders' death and discovered his torturous end was recorded on videotape. The tapes, which are hard to watch, open a horrifying window on mental illness behind bars.  This story was on "60 Minutes" Read the rest of this shocking story here.

The U.S. Is the Most Bipolar Country in a New Survey

Are Americans more prone to bipolar disorder? You might get that idea looking at the data from a new survey on the condition from the World Health Organization. The survey, which examined nearly 62,000 people in 11 countries, found that the illness occurs in roughly 2.4% of the population worldwide. But in the US, that figure was at 4.4%, the highest of any of the 11 nations, the LA Times reports.


The survey also reached some disturbing conclusions about the disorder, finding, for example, that 1 in every 4 or 5 persons with bipolar I or II disorder had attempted suicide. “Bipolar disorder is responsible for the loss of more disability-adjusted life-years than all forms of cancer or major neurological conditions such as epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease,” the researchers said.


Putting it all together:
When we look for the cause of bipolar disorder, the best explanation according to the research available at this time is what is termed the "Diathesis-Stress Model." The worddiathesis means, in simplified terms, a physical condition that make a person more than usually susceptible to certain diseases. Thus the Diathesis-Stress Model says that each person inherits certain physical vulnerabilities to problems that may or may not appear depending on what stresses occur in his or her life. Durand and Barlow define this model as a theory "that both an inherited tendency and specific stressful conditions are required to produce a disorder."

So the bottom line, according to today's thinking, is that if you are manic depressive, you were born with the possibility of developing this disorder, and something in your life set it off. But scientists could refine that theory tomorrow. The one sure thing is, they won't give up looking for answers.

Is there a connection between alcohol or drug abuse and bipolar disorder?

Yes, definitely. A significant number of teenagers who abuse these substances are really suffering from an underlying mood disorder such as depression or bipolar disorder. Without realizing it, they may be trying to "self medicate" their symptoms of clinical depression or manic depressive illness.
Teens with mood disorders who abuse alcohol or drugs may seek these substances because they temporarily offer relaxation, or help them feel more confident or energetic. Unfortunately, this is temporary and can cause the depression to worsen, resulting in two serious conditions rather than one.

Celexa And Bipolar Disorder

There are many treatment options for bipolar disorder. Most patients with bipolar disorder require a combination of medication and therapy or counseling for successful treatment of symptoms. However, minor cases of bipolar disorder may not require medication, but may require instead cognitive behavioral therapy. There are some cases, such as in patients with a history of drug abuse, where medication may be recommended but is not a viable treatment option. These cases typically also use cognitive behavioral therapy to assist patients in coping with their illness.

Celexa is an anti-depressant, commonly used with bipolar patients. Celexa, or citalopram, is a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, or SSRI. This family of medications has the effect of balancing serotonin levels in the brain, which are thought to be responsible for mood stabilization.

Celexa is most successful as a treatment for unipolar depression and bipolar disorder type two patients. This is because it is an anti-depressant. Serotonin, the chemical in the brain that balances moods and particularly controls strong emotions, often presents imbalances in the form of depression. Celexa corrects these imbalances, giving the patient relief from depression.

Celexa is most successful as a treatment for bipolar disorder type one patients when used in combination with a mood stabilizer. As an anti-depressant, Celexa alone causes bipolar disorder type one patients to swing into a manic episode. Used in combination with a mood stabilizer or anti-psychotic, however, can allow for a balance of moods to take place, ending rapid or raging mood cycling.

Celexa has several possible minor side effects when used for treatment of bipolar disorder. Common side effects include drowsiness, cotton mouth, nausea, and trouble sleeping. Less common side effects include abdominal pain, anxiety, gas, headache, heartburn, increased sweating, pain in muscles or joints, increases or decreases in weight, weakness, and vomiting. If these side effects persist or become unbearable, you should contact your doctor.

Celexa can also have several possible major side effects when used for treatment of bipolar disorder. Common major side effects include a decrease in sexual desire or ability. Less common major side effects include agitation, confusion, blurred vision, fever, increase in urinal frequency, lack of emotion, decreased memory, skin rashes, and trouble breathing. If you experience any of these side effects you should contact your doctor immediately.

Friends, family and patients with bipolar disorder should keep in mind that even when using anti-depressants such as Celexa, suicide, suicide threats, and suicide attempts can still occur. Always be aware of the signs that can lead to suicide so that medical treatment can be found before an attempt is made.

Bipolar disorder should, in all cases, be treated with a combination of Celexa, or other medications, in conjunction with therapy or counseling. Bipolar disorder patients are encouraged to take active part in their treatment plans. Additionally bipolar patients should not attempt to self medicate or treat symptoms with medication alone. If you show symptoms of bipolar disorder, you should contact your doctor about Celexa and other treatment options.
By: Tarnow2008

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Overspending, Adhd And Bipolar Disorder

A lot of people with ADHD and bipolar disorder have trouble controlling their spending. This is attributed to their dysfunctional inhibitory control, which means that their urge to spend is greater than their capacity to inhibit this behavior.

The deficit in this impulse control may be a result of various aspects such as:

One's own life story: This happens when, somehow, the person learns to spend. The spending behavior may function as pleasure inducing or as a way to reduce discomfort. To some people overspending may come without ill side-effects (debt, property loss...), while others may even had pleasure outcomes (feelings of power, self-reward, getting rid of a bad feeling and such...).

There are still situations where the person is stimulated into overspending because of her environmental models (including fathers, grandparents, friends...). On this situations, it is important for the sufferer of ADHD and bipolar disorder to learn to assign new roles to the spending behavior, substituting the pleasure a relief roles for other more adequate ones.

- Changes in brain functioning: This situation includes people showing a brain injury compromising the proper functioning of her cognitive abilities. This injury may come as a result of a brain trauma or disease.

Brain functioning may also be modified by a neurochemical imbalance, in other words, a deficiency in some neurotransmitters may cause difficulty in controlling some behaviors, such as buying impulses. If this is the case, it is recommended for the bearer of ADHD and bipolar disorder to make use of medications that aid in regulating these brain disorders.

A quick tip to decrease overspending is to NOT USE CREDIT CARDS or CHECKS. In other words, only shop with cash, the reasoning being your control over the amount of money you have is amplified. A credit card of check are payment methods where the consequence of your money decrease only occurs some time after the purchase act, so buying seems to not lead to money decrease. As our behaviors are reinforced by their immediate consequences, when we spend with a credit card or check the consequence is only that of purchasing the goods, and not the immediate decrease of money, so the spending behavior increases in frequency, being associated only with the positive aspects, for example, the acquisition of goods.

Following these apparently innocuous tips may help a lot in controlling the urge to spend and keeping some of the ill side effects of ADHD and bipolar disorder at bay.
By: Marina Merlin

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Marina Merlin holds a bachelor degree on Psychology by PUC Campinas, and a masters degree by UNIFESP. She currently practices on her clinic in Campinas, São Paulo, where her main focus is on ADHD ( TDAH ) and Bipolar Disorder ( THB ) in children and adults.

Why do some people avoid treatment for Bipolar Disorder

There are many reasons why people avoid getting treatment for mood disorders. Unfortunately, there is still shame or stigma surrounding these disorders, even though they have a biological cause just as in diabetes or asthma. Although the public is gradually becoming more educated about clinical depression and bipolar disorder, fear, prejudice and misconceptions still exist and make some individuals reluctant to admit that they have a mood disorder. They fear that people will discriminate against them. They may even believe that if they seek treatment they are weak-willed, defective, or even "crazy." Sadly, many people with these incorrect beliefs would rather suffer than seek treatment. Some people think that they deserve to feel bad, another sign of impaired judgement. They also may feel guilty about issues for which they are not responsible. Another reason that people avoid treatment has to do with the feelings and beliefs that are part of the disorder. Those who feel awful, who are always tired and believe that they are always going to feel bad may not have the energy to push themselves to get help.

DMX Speaks On His Bipolar Disorder, Drug Addiction & More

The 40-year-old rapper has admitted to suffering from bipolar disorder. He claims he doesn't really know how to separate Earl Simmons from "X." "X, X is the bad guy," DMX argues. "I used to be really clear about who was what and what each characteristics each personality had, but at this point I'm not even sure there is a difference." "I'm Earl when I'm with my children," DMX replied with sad emotion. "I miss my children, I miss my children, I miss my children." Instead of drugs, DMX said music is his fix now. Each day a new beginning. (ABC 15 News)

How to cope manage and control Bipolar Disorder

Dear Friend,

Either you or a loved one is living with bipolar disorder. You know what a roller coaster ride it is, and you've witnessed first hand, how traumatic the high's and low's can be.

But there's something that you may not know.

Regardless how severe or the actual type of bipolar that you or your loved one is suffering from, there ARE things you can do to take control of your lifeand regain that confidence, happiness and put you on the path towards living the life you were truly meant to live.

Bipolar disorder is a difficult diagnosis for many. From social stigma to limited information on the topic, it's easy to become frustrated, confused and ashamed of your condition, or that of a loved one.

Society associates bipolar with "controlled behavior", many believing that it's something that can be easily 'cured' just by calming down and being rational in stressful situations.But you and I both know that is far from reality.

When a high hits, you feel like you can take on the world. There is nothing you can do, in fact, you can operate on less sleep and still be incredibly productive.

You're happy, you feel a rush of inner peace, and you hang onto it for as long as you can because you know that the next day might bring on a low.

The low's.. this is the hard part about living with bipolar. You can go from walking on clouds to feeling as though you can barely get out of bed. Nothing seems to get you out of this depression but time.

You feel as though the world is crashing around you and that you ultimately are the cause of that - somehow.. yet you don't know why you feel so down.. you just know the only way out of it is by waiting for it to pass.

And it does.. and the high's and low's keep on coming.

Living with bipolar is like being on an energized, intensive and unstoppable roller coaster ride. You cling to the moments where you feel at your best because you know they seldom last too long, and you're back in the rigorous, intensive and outright heartbreaking cycle again and again.

But it doesn't have to be that way.. You CAN regain control of your life..

Don't give up.. Don't believe for one minute that you simply need to resign to feeling the way you do. You don't have to live this way.

When I was first diagnosed with having bipolar disorder, I was told that I would live a life being feed a dozen different prescription drugs, while attending regular "sessions" where someone had me talking into their ear about how I felt, why I believed I felt that way.. it was absolutely ridiculous and I felt ashamed, incompetant and worthless.

For one, the way I felt at that very moment, talking to a therapist wasn't the same way I felt later that day! Sure, a support group can be a tremendous help but you need to learn how to handle and control your disorder on your own - and on your own terms.

And you can.
There are ways to avoid a lifetime of preventative medication and in being able to control your massive mood swings, and I'm here to tell you that if I can do it - there is NO reason you can't do it just the same.
I've managed a five-kid family, a full time career, a strong and happy marriage EVEN despite the high's and low's simply because I learned how to "detect" - "prevent" and "control" my disorder, and you can use this information to dramatically improve the quality of your life.

You deserve to live the life you were meant to. Don't let anything take that away from you. 

 

Can someone with bipolar become a pilot?

Unfortunately, you are medically disqualified

Code of Federal Regulations
Title 14: Aeronautics and Space
PART 67—MEDICAL STANDARDS AND CERTIFICATION

§ 67.107
Mental standards for a third-class airman medical certificate are:
(a) No established medical history or clinical diagnosis of any of the following:
(3) A bipolar disorder.

Mental standards for a second-class airman medical certificate are:

(a) No established medical history or clinical diagnosis of any of the following:
(3) A bipolar disorder.

Mental standards for a first-class airman medical certificate are:

(a) No established medical history or clinical diagnosis of any of the following:
(3) A bipolar disorder.

Source(s):

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/tex…

What are the signs that a bipolar child might need hospitalization?

My son is bipolar and the school has recomended that I put him into an inpatient psychiatric program at a hospital for an evaluation and med change. I am wondering what is the criteria for hospitalizing a child with bipolar because he is not suicidal although he does do some unsafe behaviors and is aggressive with adults, peers, and animals. He rages and is not stable on his meds.

 

Answer:

 

There are 3 different ways a child can be hospitalized. One way is involuntary (by involuntary i mean involuntary to you, not him.) this is a 72 hour hold that when a child is a danger to himself or others. This is the way most people are familiar with. When the child is being admitted this way the hospital has to take him regardless of insurance.

The other way is simply calling up the childs psychiatrist, explaining that the childs out of control behaviours and the schools reccomendations,and the psichiatrist can then call and find an open bed at the psych hospital and arrange for the child to be admitted. When a child is admitted this way the hospital will talk to you about insurance and payment options.

The 3rd way is for you to call the psych hospital yoourself and speak to admissions. Ask them if they have any male pediatric beds available, if they do they will ask you insurance info to see if his stay would be covered. If they determine it wouldn't be covered they will talk to you about payment options. If insurance works out and bed is available you have only to drive him there and admit him.

I have done all 3 of these durring my sons bipolar treatment. The first time was the 72 hour hold that happened at school, and it turned into a 10 day stay. The second time I did it the 3rd way I described and he stayed a week. The 3rd time he was admitted I had his psychiatrist arrange for a bed because I couldn't find one available. All the hospitals were full.

How do bipolar people make new relationships with all the stigma in society?

There is no hiding the fact that I am bipolar. I take meds regularly whether I am at home or away. Seeing as bipolar disorder and social isolation go hand in hand I would invite a way to experience social inclusion.

What sort of people would steer clear of us and what sort would accept us.

Do you think using mental health groups, facebook, chat sites, or possible voluntary work are good options or not?

 

Answer

 

I don't think it's helpful to have a "them" and "us" attitude. Those with mental health problems and those who don't have far more in common with each other than things that seperate them. People who don't want to get close to people with mental health problems like bi-polar are ignorant and the best way to find out if you can trust someone enough to disclose to them is by getting to know the person. Don't be in any hurry to tell people about your diagnosis, I believe mental health problems don't or shouldn't define who you are. Getting to know your personality, like, dislikes is what a person should be seeing when they first meet you. At times I've taken 3/4 medications daily related to my mental health problems-it's done in private and no one needs to be aware of this if you don't want them to be!

I know several people with bi-polar with brilliant social skills and social lives, don't think you're doomed! I think voluntary work is a great way to meet new people while doing something constructive, and the positive thing is that your employer will likely to be understanding if you need to take time off due to mental ill health.

Mental health social support groups can be great and a good way to socialise and become more confident in an environment that isn't daunting and has support from staff. I've made some good friends in this way but I've met much more people at groups who have or could have caused me a lot of stress. Other people's problems can bring you down, especially if they are not managing their illness and people in these settings can be very clingy. I've found at groups lots of people can have a long history of living in hostels, hospital admissions or substance misuse and their instinct can be to take what they can get from others and use them, especially if they see you as an "easy target" so just be aware of this.

If you want to use chat sites then go for it. Just don't replace the real life with a virtual world. I've been scared off mental health problems because I've been freaked out by users who view a forum as their world. That's not helpful and just makes functioning in society seem more daunting as the person avoids it, and can hold back progression and recovery.

 

 

Bipolar Disorder Triggers - 5 Things You Need to Avoid to Help Keep Your Moods Stable

1. Imbibing too much caffeine. Ah yes, coffee, tea, Mountain Dew, energy drinks and super dark chocolate. They all sure either taste good or give you so called 'energy.' The facts are that they don't give real energy- they pump you up for a while and then either lead to the shakes or a crash. They then cause sleep problems. If you have more than one regular coffee a day, simply ask yourself if it affects your sleep. If it doesn't, then have it! If, like me, only one iced coffee literally keeps me up all night, then you have to think if it's worth it. I write about this a lot as I love coffee. I stick to decaf now- well, as much as possible!

2. Staying in relationships that are argumentative. There is nothing worse for bipolar disorder than fighting. When I used to allow fights to happen in my family, I would have an immediate suicidal thought such as, "I just want to die." In order to stop the thoughts and the pain that comes with them, I stopped arguing. This meant that certain people had to go. It also meant that my contact with some family members had to change. Yes, it was me or them. I chose me. I'm the one who gets sick and has to live with the psychosis and the depression. Interestingly, many people understand this and know that I have to leave contentious situations no matter what. That helps.

3. Letting irritation take over. Bipolar disorder can lead to a lot of irritation and anger. This can even lead to violence. I wasn't having a very smooth day yesterday. I could feel that I was irritated and that I needed to just calm down and make sure I didn't take it out on anyone. Yes, I did have a coffee! That is going to stop! A man pulled out in front of me on a busy road and literally drove across two lanes to get to a side street. I honked my horn and thought- 'my god, what a stupid driver.' Then he flipped me off. I was already irritated enough and this sent me a bit over the edge. I actually had the thought that I needed to chase him down and show him he can't flip me off when he is the one who is stupid! It's hard to explain to others that this feeling is different than just normal anger. When it's bipolar disorder related, if feels like a need to hurt others. As though it would be the right thing to do. Reasoning leaves and it's all emotion. I've learned to fight this and you can too. Because I was already aware that I was irritated for no reason, I kept myself from chasing down the car. I then realized that I needed to change direction in my own day and see what was really going on. I did and the irritation left by the afternoon.

4. Traveling without planning for bipolar disorder mood swings. Traveling is a microcosm of bipolar disorder triggers. Time changes affect sleep that can then cause mood swings. You may be stuck with people you don't really want to be around. You may have to go places that are too overstimulating. Or maybe, if you're a family member or friend, the person with bipolar disorder ruins your travel!

No matter what, just as you have to make travel plans with plane tickets, hotels and all of the other things that come with travel, you have to have a bipolar plan as well.

5. Getting trapped in the bipolar conversation. This one is for family members. This conversation happens when you try to talk to someone in a mood swing. For example, if you try to talk normally to a depressed person, you will be frustrated. Everything you say will be clouded by their depression When you say, "But your life is fine! Why are you so upset?" they can't answer that question.
They will say, "You don't understand. My life has no purpose. I can't find a reason to keep on living like this!" If you keep trying to reason with them, the bipolar conversation starts and no one wins. You have to learn what it looks like when the person you love is in a mood swing- those are the days you have to talk directly about the illness instead of trying to have a normal conversation.
You may know the above are things you definitely need to avoid! But knowledge is one thing, practice is another. We all get caught unaware by triggers and we all think, "Oh, I can do this. It will be fine!" and we are blindsided by a mood swing once again. Managing this illness never ends. We can get a lot better at it, but we have to be vigilant all of the time! No fair, but true. And if you care about someone with bipolar disorder, read all that you can and take care of yourself first. Then you'll have the skill and the energy to help the other person.

Julie A. Fast, best selling author of Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder, Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder and Get it Done When You're Depressed is a critically acclaimed six-time author, national speaker, and sought after expert in the fields of bipolar disorder and depression. Julie was diagnosed with rapid cycling bipolar disorder in 1995 at the age of thirty-one, after she had unknowingly lived with the disorder for over fourteen challenging and chaotic years. She regularly experiences mood swings, especially depression and uses the same treatment strategies she writes about in her books in order to continue her outstanding success as an author- even while struggling with bipolar disorder daily. Julie thrives on helping people with bipolar disorder (and those who love them) manage mood disorders so that they can live well in spite of the illness. To learn more about effectively managing bipolar disorder visit: http://www.bipolarhappens.com

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Bipolar Disorder and Diabetes - What's the Connection?

Diabetes and bipolar disorder are co-morbid conditions. This means they often coexist, with many people having both bipolar disorder and diabetes.

Research indicates that this is more than an unfortunate coincidence. Some studies have shown people with bipolar disorder are up to three times more likely to have diabetes than members of the general population.

Also, there is evidence that people with bipolar disorder and diabetes are more likely to face other health challenges such as being more prone to rapid cycling, and more likely to have chronic, as opposed to milder, mood episodes. There may be other negative lifestyle consequences as well. One Canadian study found that 81% of bipolar people with diabetes were receiving disability payments, versus 30% of bipolar patients without diabetes.

In diabetes, because of either a shortage of insulin, or an inability by the body to make use of insulin, sugar and other food can no longer be correctly metabolized and turned into energy. Sugar simply continues to accumulate in the blood, causing a variety of health problems.

The diabetic mood swings resulting from excess sugar and carbohydrates in the body are extremely similar to the mood swings experienced in bipolar disorder. A person with diabetes may seem depressed, or manic, or both.

There is also pre-diabetes, some experts consider America's largest healthcare epidemic. Also known as Syndrome X or metabolic syndrome, this condition occurs when a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes. As of 2009 there are 57 million Americans who have pre-diabetes.

To make matters worse, several of the leading medications used to treat bipolar disorder can cause significant weight gain, insulin resistance, and hyperglycemia.

Diabetes is usually treated by changes in diet and through medication, for example regular injections of insulin.

The most important dietary changes are to opt for foods high in nutrition but low in calories, sugar and fat. As stabilizing blood sugar is so important, it is ideal if you can eat your meals at the same time every day, and consume a healthy proportion of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, with little variation to the ratio from day to day.

Increased physical activity such as the kind of exercise program that also protects against mood swings and depression is also important in both treating and preventing metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes.

Why do diabetes and bipolar co-occur? This question has yet to be answered definitively. However, there are several theories, including the following:

• The stress hormone cortisol tends to be elevated in both bipolar patients and diabetics. In particular, very high level levels of cortisol have been observed in people suffering from bipolar depression. Too much cortisol leads to insulin resistance so it is possible that the elevated cortisol in people with bipolar disorder leads to diabetes.
• People with bipolar disorder often self-medicate with food, including the "comfort foods" high in sugar and saturated fats that contribute to both metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes. All people diagnosed with bipolar disorder should immediately have a comprehensive physical exam to check for the presence of common co-morbid conditions, especially diabetes.

All people diagnosed with bipolar disorder should immediately have a comprehensive physical exam to check for the presence of common co-morbid conditions, especially diabetes.

Sarah Freeman is an attorney with manic-depressive illness, author of the best-selling e-Book The Bipolar Diet, and webmaster of Bipolar-Lives.com - one of the Internet's leading sites on bipolar disorder.

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MY WIFE IS BIPOLAR

When you say to yourself "my wife is bipolar" what are the first thoughts that come to mind? Possibly this is nothing new, possibly your wife was diagnosed years ago. Maybe your wife was diagnosed just last week, or even earlier today. So what are the thoughts that go through your head? Are you angry, scared, frustrated, sad, relieved, or possibly a mix of these emotions and a thousand others? Sometimes it is a lot to swallow, being the husband of a bipolar wife. Bipolar disorder is so complex and has so many levels. If you have known about your wife's illness for a while I'm sure you are very aware of what a roller coaster Bipolar disorder can be, not just for her, but for everyone involved. If you have just received the news that your wife is Bipolar this can be a very scary time as well. We will visit both Husbands looking for new coping mechanism and Husbands that are new to the diagnosis and seeking help.

We are going to learn about Bipolar disorder, and then take active participation in coping skills for yourself, to help YOU. When your wife, best friend, lover, mother... the list goes on and on is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, she no longer is the only person who needs help.

The First step is to learn about your wife's disorder. I am going to briefly explain a few different types of Bipolar disorder and there common traits. I am going to review these as a refresher for husbands who have already studied the disorder of their wife, and as a great introduction to the disorder itself for the husbands that are new to the disorder. I am not going to go into great detail about bipolar disorder there is tons and tons of information regarding bipolar disorder if you would like to research it more. I am here to show YOU coping and hoping strategies to help YOU the husband.

First and foremost I strongly hope that your wife has been diagnosed by a licensed psychiatrist, who has the skills and are qualified to diagnose and treat the disorder. If this has not yet been done I encourage you to help your wife be properly diagnosed. This is the first step in any situation of getting treatment.

Chapter One Section One: THE DIFFERENT FORMS AND SEVERITY OF BIPOLAR DISORDER
BIPOLAR DISORDER I
Approximately 1% of the general population has Bipolar 1. Bipolar 1 patients usually experience severe depression, and long full-blown manic episodes. Bipolar 1 patients are often also know as having episodes without any obvious mood problems, this can last for months on end of feeling like your wife is totally fine, fixed so to speak, and or normal. Physicians will call these long-lasting episodes of normalcy Euthymia.

BIPOLAR DISORDER II
This is the most common type of Bipolar Disorder. Recent research has shown that 4 to 5 percent of the general population has Bipolar II. People who suffer with bipolar II have a tendency to have very majorly depressive episodes. In fact a lot of bipolar patients are misdiagnosed as being depressed for many years before being properly evaluated as Bipolar II. Another diagnosis tool that differentiates from Bipolar I is that most Bipolar II patients do not ever have full-blown mania episodes. Physicians usually call Bipolar II mania episodes as Hypomania. Hypomania does not have the same intensity as full-blown mania. There is usually periods of time with increased energy, a decreased need for sleep without any fatigue, and a slight euphoric sensation. A lot of patients when in this Phase of Bipolar II can be extremely productive. Extreme caution must be taken when in hypomania state. Your wife can easily start abusing substances and have spending issues. More times than not the patient does not realize something is wrong, in fact sometimes welcoming the feeling after a long depression. Most hypomania episodes do not last longer than a week or two.

CYCLOTHYMIA
Cyclothymiacs are a mild form of bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness) in which a person has mood swings over a period of years that go from mild depression to euphoria and excitement. It has been recently discovered that patients with cyclothymia will usually evolve into Bipolar 1 or Bipolar II throughout their lifetime.

As you can see a lot of the Bipolar Symptoms can and are very similar sometimes more often than not overlapping and fitting the criteria of not only one but both forms of Bipolar disorder. Often that is why it is not usually heard of as Bipolar 1 or Bipolar II outside of the professional medical field. In standard terms we simply use Bipolar Disorder. Now that we have learned a very brief description and knowledge for bipolar we must start getting more specific in accessing your partners specific bipolar symptoms.

Author: Kurt Aungst
Website: bipolar-spouse.com

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