All About Bipolar: More of Kurt Wenner’s 3D Chalk Art
May 14th, 2009 
admin All About Bipolar: Taking a proactive stance in treatment
May 13th, 2009 admin 
Courtesy of Freefoto.com
How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb? None. The light bulb has to want to change. It’s supposed to be a joke (a lame one, I know) but doesn’t this also apply to people? A lot of people who have bipolar disorder think that medication is all they need. They expect to simply take a pill (or two or three or four) every day. Behavioral therapy is often overlooked during the treatment of bipolar disorder, but it is a very important step towards achieving stability. Maintaining a regular schedule and getting enough rest can help increase the length of time between episodes. It is equally important to avoid alcohol and drugs because they can interfere with how the medications work. Read more »
All About Bipolar: Dealing with sadness?
May 12th, 2009 admin I am experiencing an emotion that I don’t quite know how to deal with. Ever since the doctor upped my dosage of Lamictal, I have had a lot of anger and rage. Yesterday that changed. I have to figure out how to handle this emotion before it converts to anger.
For a long time now, all of my emotions have been replaced by rage. It’s a coping mechanism. If I can’t handle it, it turns to anger because I can deal with that. Lately I have begun to feel other emotions and I haven’t quite figured out how to deal with it and that scares me.
Sad movies make me want to cry. This hasn’t happened to me in years. It’s something I am not used to because sadness usually manifests itself as rage. It is something I don’t want. In the past, it has caused me to become suicidal and brought on a psychotic episode. I know this sounds stupid and I know it’s an emotion that everyone deals with but I haven’t in so long that it terrifies me. I associate it with major depressive episodes and I can’t go back to that. I can deal with “having the blues”, but wanting to cry over such silly things is too much for me.
Rage and anger is something I can handle, but those around me can’t. I know it makes them miserable when I am constantly lashing out. This is why I have to sort things out. I don’t really know how, but I am going to figure this out.
All About Bipolar: The Eye and psychosis
May 11th, 2009 admin 
I was reminded of psychosis this weekend and it frightened me beyond belief. Have you seen the movie The Eye with Jessica Alba? If you have and you have experienced psychosis, then you understand what I am talking about. If not, then this movie should give you a good idea of what it is like.
Seeing shadow people is a very common symptom of psychosis. This movie showed so many of the shadow-like figures that it was really hard to watch. For those of you who haven’t experienced it, this is about as close as you can get to seeing what it is like without actually experiencing it.
When she first started seeing the scenery change around her, I cringed because I have experienced it. Conversations with people who aren’t there, things that scare you to death, believing that you can see things before they happen—I have experienced all of that.
All About Bipolar: Amazing Sidewalk Art by Kurt Wenner
May 7th, 2009 admin I have two sick kids at home today so I cannot spend much time writing. I have been promising to post more of Julian Beever’s artwork, but I have decided to share the works of Kurt Wenner instead. I received special permission to post these. His website is http://www.kurtwenner.com.
All About Bipolar: My son has depression.
May 6th, 2009 admin 
I had a very busy afternoon yesterday and it has been a long morning. Where shall I begin?
My 17-year-old son told me a few weeks ago that he was having issues with anxiety and depression. We waited a little while to see if it would pass but he recently began having panic attacks and things were getting much worse. He came to me and asked me for help so I made him an appointment with my doctor. Unfortunately, he was out because of a death in the family so we ended up seeing his stand in yesterday afternoon. I cannot stand the woman at all.
Anyway, he explained to her what he had been dealing with. Let me say that my son smokes cigarettes. I am not thrilled about it but he lives with his grandmother so the most I can do is try to nudge him towards quitting. I do not buy them for him. Having said that, this woman had some nerve. She told him that smoking caused his anxiety, loss of appetite and insomnia. She went on to say that all of his symptoms could be explained by smoking and she suggested that he take 30 minute walks each day…to help his depression. Are you kidding me? I understand explaining to him that smoking is harmful to your health. I really do. My son was afraid and ashamed to go to the doctor and I stressed to him that it was important to be completely honest so they would know exactly what was going on and how to treat it. This is why he was honest and told them that he smokes. Again, I am not happy he smokes but I was proud of him for being honest. How can I expect him to be honest with the doctor if she threatens, belittles and makes light of his issues? Oh yes. She belittled him and then threatened him with legal repercussions for smoking. She made light of his concerns by telling him everything was caused by him smoking. This poor kid is trying to reach out for help because he can no longer deal with the depression and the doctor basically tells him that it is all his fault. He already feels like he is worthless and can’t do anything right so let’s just tell him that he caused his depression. Lovely, doc.
All About Bipolar: Side effects of Lamictal?
May 5th, 2009 admin I am having some issues that I think may be side effects of my medication. Are you currently taking or have you taken Lamictal in the past? If so, have you experienced the same side effects?
For several weeks now, I have had very vivid dreams. Most of them feel very real. I am thankful that none of them have been nightmares. The problem with them is that I always wake up immediately after having one of these dreams and can never go right back to sleep. It’s cutting in to what little sleep I get.
Speaking of sleep, I am also having night sweats. I have done this with another medication (although I cannot remember which one at this moment) so I assume that is what it is. It is a minor annoyance but waking up in a puddle of sweat for the last week is getting old.
All About Bipolar: Minor setback
May 4th, 2009 admin It has been some time since I had my last episode. I’ve been very near stabilization for awhile, but I had a complete meltdown Friday afternoon. I think part of it was caused by the recent change in the dosage of my medication and part of it was agoraphobia and panic.
My husband had decided that we would take a (very) last minute camping trip. I have to have time to prepare myself mentally before we leave the house and my husband wasn’t listening to anything I said. After a short while, I became very frustrated and started crying. I don’t cry. This should have tipped him off that things were going to get bad. Apparently, it didn’t.
All About Bipolar: Effective and Ineffective Management
May 1st, 2009 admin 
If you have bipolar disorder, there are a few things that you should know to manage your treatment and make it more effective. Likewise, there are things that you should not do.
The use of alcohol or drugs can and will affect the success of your treatment. Alcohol and drugs affects your judgement and your ability to think and reason. Bipolar disorder also affects judgement and reason and these substances will amplify the effect. Think of it this way: medications used to treat bipolar disorder work in the brain. If you use a substance that affects the brain, it also tampers with how your medication works. It can render it completely ineffective. It doesn’t matter how many medications your doctor gives you. If you drink or use drugs the medicines just won’t help you. Get serious about your treatment. Don’t drink or use drugs. I can’t say it enough. If you have a problem with drugs or alcohol, seek treatment.
Want proof? “Using drugs or alcohol is usually a complicating problem because it reduces medication compliance,” says Bryan K. Tolliver, MD, PhD, an addiction psychiatrist at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. “Bipolar patients who use [alcohol or drugs] have more frequent mood swings, more hospitalizations, longer hospitalizations, and higher rates of suicide attempts.” (http://www.health.com/health/condition-article/0,,20235288,00.html) Need more proof? “Reduce or discontinue the use of alcohol. Alcohol is a depressant and makes recovery even more difficult. It can also interfere with the way your medication works.” (http://www.helpguide.org/mental/bipolar_disorder_medications.htm, cited from the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance)
All About Bipolar: More of Julian Beever’s 3D Chalk Art
April 30th, 2009 admin 
