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 …
Dr. Black – Bipolar Specialist
Hello there. I’d like to introduce myself as a new contributor to the MoodSurfing ™ blog. My name is Suzanne A. Black and I am a Clinical Psychologist with a focus on medical and health psychology. I was born and raised on the Upper West Side of New York City . My intent is to inform, inspire, impact and effect …
Mental health in the UK
A little flaw in the UK’s ‘socialist’ medical service is poor provision for mental health. We have some of the leading surgeons in the world, some of our A&E departments are regarded as world-beaters too. To my knowledge hardly any of the staff were trained in Cuba or Russia and none of them is related to Che Guevara. But don’t you think …
Exercise and Stress – How Exercise Prevents Depression
Exercise seems to reduce stress. But how does this work? And what about exercise effects on depression? An article in the New York Times summarizes a recent publication in the journal Cell which may explain how exercise prevents depression. A wealth of research shows that regular exercise reduces the risk of depression. A very large study in Britain, for example, suggested that …
Suicide in Young Adults
Suicide in young adults and adolescents is one of the most troubling issues facing any of us dealing with depression. This post, provided by Yellowbrick, speaks specifically to parents; however, we find that it is a useful resource for all of us who have adolescents and young adults in our lives. Of particular importance is point number 8; it can be …
My Bipolar 2 Diagnosis
My name is Elisabeth Berger. I am 41 years old and I am from the Tyrolean mountains in Austria. I am going to write occasionally for this blog. I received a bipolar II diagnosis relatively late, just a little more than two years ago and I was treated for depression before. I am planning to apply for admission to graduate …
Forum Progress
Forum progress has been made. Fingers crossed that it is all working now. Many thanks to our beta users and their feedback. As of now, if you clear the cache of your browser, you will no longer see a link to the Bublaa forum on the site. When you click on the “FORUM” heading on the main menu you will see …
Stop Smoking – Antidepressant Effects
Stop smoking – antidepressant effects? Smoking cessation is associated with improved mental health, even among patients with psychiatric conditions, according to a BMJ meta-analysis. Researchers reviewed 26 longitudinal studies that measured mental health immediately before smoking cessation and at least 6 weeks afterward. Average follow-up periods in these studies ranged from 6 to 12 months. Compared with those who continued to smoke, those who …