First Things First The process of gaining or regaining a greater sense of confidence and control over your life can seem overwhelming to almost anyone. That is part of the reason why having someone who can be a guide or facilitator (a therapist or coach) can be so helpful. Having someone who can look at your situation with a greater …
Bipolar Disorder and Leadership Potential
Is bipolar disorder associated with greater leadership potential? A Swedish study suggests that people with bipolar have both the highest and lowest rates of leadership potential. What does this mean? Many anecdotes and a few studies have suggested that people in leadership positions have higher rates of bipolar disorder than might be expected by chance. Think of the book The Hypomanic Edge by John Gartner, …
Memory and Cognitive Problems
Memory and/or cognitive problems are the rule rather than the exception in people with mood disorders1. There are a number of reasons for this and figuring out the best approach to these problems is tricky. Mood episodes (episodes of mania, hypomania or depression) appear to be harmful to the brain. Studies find that those with the largest number of episodes …
Mood Charting Part 1
“My medications work for a while and then they just stop working…” “I have tried everything and nothing works…” “I have been in treatment forever but I just never seem to get better…” In our experience these very common concerns are often symptoms of an everyday problem in psychiatric treatment of mood disorders: it is very hard in a traditional …
Many Voices
We’re very happy that there are now many more voices expressing themselves on this site. We have new authors who approach the issue of living creatively with moods from different perspectives: a professional woman with bi-polar, a psychologist expert in working with bi-polar individuals, another psychologist who is studying and fascinated by moods and their relationship to health and healthy …
Exercise affects Genes – Increased BDNF
Today we look at how exercise affects genes (previous article on neurotransmitters and exercise can be read here), in particular we focus on the effects of exercise on the gene that codes for BDNF. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)— or “the fertilizer of the brain” as Dr. Mohammad Alsuwaidan nicknames it— is a protein fundamental for the growth and protection of neurons …
Friends and Family Don’t Understand – Bipolar Communication Problems
Sometimes those without the challenges of bipolar neurochemistry simply “don’t get it” – how moods can shift abruptly and dramatically, and often without warning, or with subtle hints of the mood shift about to confront you – and at what might be the slightest trigger a sudden onslaught of overwhelming sensations due to hypersensitivity to stimuli, someone chewing can sound thunderous; a repetitive noise, such …
Self-Esteem: A Key Aspect of Mental Health
Much has been written about the topic of “self-esteem.” Sometimes the idea almost seems like one of those “buzz” words that doesn’t really mean anything. A significant amount of research points to the development of self-esteem as a key aspect of mental health. Self-esteem builds slowly and its foundation is the sense that we are loved and valued by others. …
The Problem of Denial: How to Help Loved Ones with Substance Use and Other Destructive Habits
“What can we do to help our daughter, who is a young adult, living at home, and who is not compliant with treatment recommendations from mental health professionals and appears to be using substances and behaving in other self destructive ways?” We are often asked what can parents and family of young adults or seriously affected adults with mental illness …
Bipolar Disorders and Exercise: Working Out Can Tone Up Your Neurotransmitters – Arnrow
Neurotransmitters are the chemicals that your brain cells (neurons) use to transmit information, without them we cannot think or act. It is no wonder that too much or too little of any one particular neurotransmitter can have substantial effects on how our body and brain functions. For example, people with mood disorders tend to have low levels of the four major …
Cognitive Therapy versus Medications for Depression
There is often a debate about the effectiveness of cognitive therapy versus medication for depression. Below are the findings from some studies that help us the role of cognitive therapy and medications in the treatment of depression. 1. Robert J. Derubeis in the Archives of General Psychiatry did a study with random assignment of 240 patients to 16 weeks of medications, 16 weeks of cognitive …
Natural Supplements and Insomnia
There are two herbs or supplements that have the best data supporting their effectiveness. Both appear to be safe but have modest effectiveness. Melatonin Valerian (Alone or Combined with Hops or Melissa) Melatonin: Rapid Effect on Sleep The body uses melatonin as part of the way it regulates the sleep-wake cycle. Levels of melatonin increase as light decreases (at …
Let There Be Light
Those who experience depression regularly at certain times of the year (in San Francisco, a winter depression usually begins in late October or early November and, depending on where you live, there may be a summer depression linked to heavy fog in July and August) should definitely know about the importance of light exposure in treating depression. In fact, regular exposure …
Mindfulness and Impermanency: The Practice of Acknowledging the Temporary – Arnrow
After reading this article by TV producer-turned-mindful meditation enthusiast, Mark Koberg, I have been reflecting on how my awareness of permanency, or rather, lack thereof, in my life affects my overall day-to-day experiences. In his account, Koberg shares how a medical diagnosis and a newfound indifference to the career he had been building all of his adulthood ensued a journey …
How Mood Can Influence Events
What I do for a living often involves asking dumb questions. For example, we all know our moods are usually affected by events. In fact, if we happen to notice we’re in a bad mood, the first thing we start to do, often unconsciously, is try to figure out what caused that bad mood. It’s not that it’s a bad …
Mood Disorders and Summer Nutrition – Arnrow
We recently wrote about healthy eating for people with mood disorders (original post can be viewed here). Today, we bring you some delicious and easy ideas to enjoy in this summer weather—well rather, July in San Francisco that so happens to be co-occurring with the hot and sunny climate in other places. Infused water Drinking infused water is a great and …
Be Mindful of Keeping Your Mind Full of Good – Arnrow
Experience-dependent neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to learn, adapt, and evolve to not only our experiences, but also, and perhaps more significantly, our reactions to those experiences. It is almost as if our brains can form habits, and the types of behaviors and patterns that it develops are dependent on how we choose to be. This suggests that the …
Wholeness: Overcoming the War Within – Arnrow
I feel like there is a war within us– an internal battle between the different parts of us, tugging and pulling for control and dominance. On one side is the brain— a soldier of logic and reason, commanded to evaluate all it comes in contact with, and to calculate corresponding plans of actions. It is enemy to, well, the other …
Hello!
Hello! My name is Arnrow and I am very much excited to be the new summer intern at Gateway Psychiatric Services. I am an incoming junior pursuing psychology at the undergraduate level at Hofstra University in Long Island, New York. My first encounter with psychology was almost completely accidental, having just taken a psychology class in high school to simply …
Summer Intern 2014: Arnrow
Long time readers of this blog will recall that last year we had a wonderful contributor, Emma, who helped enliven our forum as well as creating a number of posts on the blog itself. She also set up the topics pages. This summer we have another college intern, Arnrow, who will be helping in the same way that Emma did …