I ran across this slide in the Psychiatric Times Bipolar Disorder Information Center. I think it neatly illustrates why so many of the people I talk with, particularly people with bipolar 2, find it hard to understand the diagnosis. On average, patients with bipolar disorder spent roughly 70% of their time in a depression when they were having mood symptoms. Patients …
Stress and the Holidays
Stress and the Holidays– A successful businesswoman, who is herself a mother, is returning to her family’s home to have Christmas with her grandparents and her brother and wonders how she might improve the quality of that holiday experience. Her mother is someone who obsesses about all of the details involved in the holidays, she takes hours wrapping presents, and …
Suicide – But Not Death By Your Own Hand – Dr. Suzanne Black
Suicide: from the Latin “sui” – “of one s self,” “-cidium” – “a killing” – “suicidium.” “I cannot stand feeling this way anymore. Please let IT end.” Let the pain end. We embody the pain, therefore as the source of pain, we feel compelled to end ourselves in the desperate moments. But is it not the pain we want to …
Welcome to the Jungle
Welcome to the Jungle is a nice addition to the large list of bipolar self help books. Hillary Smith has written a book for the young person dealing with a new diagnosis. The information is up to date, but the tone is informal, and respectful of the mix of feelings that many people have facing a new diagnosis of bipolar …
A bipolar UK election
You have had in the US I believe your mid term elections and now the long grind starts towards the selection of a president and er the other guys. Over here in the UK we are starting our ‘well I guess we best get going then’ pre-election build up which is generating a vast amounts of indifference despite the recent …
Stigma and Depression
Robin William’s death seemed to unleash a new level of openness to discussing depression and the ways that it affects the lives of so many of us. A Nature editorial (Nature is perhaps the premier scientific journal in the world) got me thinking about next steps… What would it take to eliminate the impact of stigma, and shame, and therefore …
Art Therapy – Lyndsey
When I was in the hospital, one of the activities they provided for patients was art therapy. I sat in a room, silent and bewildered as I was, and methodically glued tiny pieces of glass mosaic tiles on a black wrought iron trivet frame. I called it my Crazy Trivet ever after, and it was remarkable only because it was …
Joshua Walters Performance
I am happy to let you know about an upcoming performance from Joshua Walters. Several years ago, Josh was a facilitator for the Depressive and Bipolar Support Association of San Francisco (DBSASF) Young Adults Group. Josh was one of a handful of finalists in a TED Talks search for new talent with his talk “On Being Just Crazy Enough” which has …
Bipolar Education Program
Doctors often do a poor job of educating their patients about their health problems. That is particularly troubling when you are talking about a condition as complicated as bipolar. We have been working on an educational program for this site based on the Barcelona psycho-education program for bipolar, to be called Bipolar 101. The Barcelona program has clearly been shown, …
I Can’t Stand It! (ACT)
This week began with me spending three or four hours writing up a summary of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for one of the people I saw two days ago. For those of you who haven’t heard the term, ACT is the “hot” new approach to therapy (although much of it dates back thousands of years to Buddhist practice). I enjoyed the …
Mind Body Dualism
A wonderful woman who has been meeting with me off and on for a couple of years, and who initially came in to see me for some fairly classic symptoms of bipolar type 2, just sent me a “goodbye” e-mail. In it, she noted that she has uncovered the strong likelihood that she has Lupus. Lupus is one of those rare medical conditions that …
Bipolar Books – Marbles
Bipolar books are coming out with greater frequency. I’m hoping to focus on some of the more creative examples in this site. I’m happy, once again, to post a sample of a wonderful book by Ellen Forney called Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me. This is a delightful cartoon book that was a New York Times bestseller. I’m hoping that …
Bipolar Suicide Film – Here One Day
I just attended the screening of a remarkable documentary at the Institute for Psychiatric Services meeting in San Francisco. The film is called Here One Day. It is an incredibly personal story by documentary film maker Kathy Leichter, about her mother, and her mother’s struggle with bipolar. The film is a tribute to a remarkable woman, who’s bipolar disorder both …
Digital noise – don’t you just love it?
Digital noise: phone chatter, loud music cross-talk, the incessant tip-tapping of keyboards, the beeps, bongs and rings of text messages and horrible mobiles ring tones that expose you to things like Wagner played on what sounds like a xylophone – I’m stuck on a bus in the middle of nowhere. It’s hell. Coping with noisy, busy places for many bipolars is often stressful. …
Sleeping at the Right Time
Sleeping can become a major preoccupation at times of stress, or when one is depressed, or when the seasons change, as they are doing now. We tend to think about sleep as being something that is good for you. The more sleep and the better the quality of that sleep the better off you are. Elsewhere in this blog I’ve …
New Forum
New Forum Ask and you shall receive. A couple of our favorite subscribers finally convinced us that the former forum (hosted by Bublaa.com) was inadequate. They wanted better ability to search for posts. They wanted a better “look and feel.” After all, the forum becomes a place where people who are facing the challenges of bipolar or depression can “hangout.” It needed …
Depression and the Tech Industry
It is no secret to us that depression and bipolar are extremely common among those who work in the tech industry. In fact, that is why we opened our Mountain View office. However this issue is not often discussed publicly. We were excited when we were given a link to a wonderful video on the topic. Check it out!
Law of Attraction – Creating a Hostile World
The law of attraction is the belief that “like attracts like.” Focusing on positive or negative thoughts can bring about positive or negative results. If you are angry or hostile your world responds with anger or hostility. Wikipedia has this to say about the philosophy that is called the Law of Attraction – “This belief is based upon the idea that people …
Risk Factors for Depression are Different for Men and Women
Risk Factors for Development of Major Depression Differ Among Genders, Study Reports Kenneth Kendler, M.D., a professor in the departments of Psychiatry and Human and Molecular Genetics at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, led a study identifying factors that distinguish the onset of major depression between men and women. The study, “Sex Differences in the Pathways to Major …
Bipolar or Unipolar Depression?
Bipolar or unipolar depression: How to distinguish between these two conditions, which can have very different treatment response remains a difficult question without really satisfying answers. As noted in the picture to the right, misdiagnosis is common and can have serious consequences. An article in European Psychiatry adds to the literature pointing to certain features that increase the odds that someone …