Strong, stable personal relationships are of great importance to people struggling with moods. Take a minute to reflect on your own experience in this area. Do the people you have important, intimate relationships with help or hinder your mood stability? Two recent conversations with patients helped us drive this point home. On the same day we met with two men in their 30's with bipolar who each spoke to relationship changes as key to mood changes. One of them said he had never had a manic episode when he was in a relationship with a woman. The other said that he always had depressive episodes when he was in a divorce with a spouse (he had been married three times) ...
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Fish oil supplementation for major depression continues to garner positive reviews from scientists and clinicians. A recent review of the past few years of data shows significant positive effects without negative side effects for a variety of patients with differing diagnoses. Some recent findings: Systemic inflammation is increasingly recognized as an associated factor in many mental illnesses. MoodSurfing has investigated the importance of dealing with inflammation as part of a comprehensive approach to depression and physical health. Omega 3 fatty acids, usually taken as a fish oil supplement, have been found helpful, particularly when the symptoms of depression are physical (change in appetite, loss of energy, sleep problems). Omega 3 fatty acids, especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) have been shown to ...
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A newly released documentary Faye, about the actress Faye Dunaway has been screened at the recent Cannes Film Festival. According to a review published on the website Deadline, the film “gets to it right away” with questions early on about why she was such a “difficult” person to work with on a movie set. Dunaway herself believes that her bipolar disorder, including manic episodes is the explanation for her reputation as a “difficult” or “complicated” professional, but as the reviewer points out, the the results of her work are all up on screen. Some of her more famous movies include Mommie Dearest, Bonnie and Clyde, Chinatown, and Network. Watching the documentary reportedly makes you want to go back and rewatch ...
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Exercise is widely recommended as a first-line treatment for depression of all types. Many people have personal experience of feeling better and healthier when they integrate an exercise routine into their lives, and there are many studies showing measurable effects of exercise on clinical depression. However, most of these studies are small, and there are few solid conclusions that can be drawn about whether some types of exercise are better than others, and the importance of specific duration and intensity of exercise for depression. A recent systemic review published in BMJ attempted to extract concrete conclusions from the wide variety of studies available. The systemic review process collects published studies and looks for ways to make their results comparable in ...
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Divorce is almost always a wrenching and emotionally challenging life experience. When one of the spouses has a disability, such as a diagnosis of major depression or bipolar, the questions to be addressed can be complex and difficult to settle. We are not attorneys and this post should not be understood as legal advice, but we do want to suggest a few areas that folks with bipolar and depression need to be aware of. Consult an attorney for specifics of your situation in your state. Spousal support If your diagnosis occurred during the marriage, your spouse may have greater responsibility for your support after the divorce. This will vary depending on your employment history before the marriage and before the ...
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MoodSurfing celebrated the passage of the Mental Health Parity and Addictions Equity Act (MHPAEA) of 2008, when it was first passed. We again celebrated in 2013 when the Obama administration issued guidelines for the implementation of the legislation, including parity in payments made to mental and physical health practitioners; parity in limitations in coverage (for example the number of days of treatment that may be covered); and parity of in-network access for mental health conditions compared to physical conditions. Now, a report by the non-partisan Research Triangle Institute shows that severe disparities in access to mental health care are found across almost all states, and many major insurers continue to find and exploit loopholes in the legislation to deny coverage ...
Read More About MoodSurfing
Welcome to MoodSurfing.com, the site that highlights strategies for living creatively with moods and coping with depression. This site is for people with bipolar, depression, cyclothymia, and others who experience powerful moods and want to figure out how to integrate these experiences into successful lives.
Although most of us are mental health clinicians of one kind or another, this site is not about providing people with medical or clinical advice (see below). We hope that we can help you cope with depression, maybe even allow you to live well with moods.
If you like what you see here, be sure to sign up to get updated with new posts.
We have done a series of interviews with people who have interesting things to say about different aspects of living creatively with moods. You can find those under the heading “Conversations.”
DISCLAIMER
This site is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. Through this site and linkages to other sites, Moodsurfing provides general information for educational purposes only. The information provided in this site, or through linkages to other sites, is not a substitute for medical or professional care, and you should not use the information in place of a visit, call consultation or the advice of your physician or other healthcare provider. Moodsurfing is not liable or responsible for any advice, course of treatment, diagnosis or any other information, services or product you obtain through this site.
IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY, YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CALL 911 OR YOUR PHYSICIAN. If you believe you have any other health problem, or if you have any questions regarding your health or a medical condition, you should promptly consult your physician or other healthcare provider. Never disregard medical or professional advice, or delay seeking it, because of something you read on this site or a linked website. Never rely on information on this website in place of seeking professional medical advice. You should also ask your physician or other healthcare provider to assist you in interpreting any information in this site or in the linked websites, or in applying the information to your individual case.
Medical information changes constantly. Therefore the information on this site or on the linked websites should not be considered current, complete or exhaustive, nor should you rely on such information to recommend a course of treatment for you or any other individual. Reliance on any information provided on this site or any linked websites is solely at your own risk.
Moodsurfing does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, products, procedures, opinions or other information that may be provided on the linked websites. The linked websites may contain text, graphics, images or information that you find offensive (e.g., sexually explicit), Moodsurfing has no control over and accepts no responsibility for such materials.
