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 …
Breathing Practices for Stress Relief
Breathing Techniques One of the oldest “self help” movements is based on breathing, helping us to use our breath, and how we breathe in order to reduce stress and to achieve a sense of connection with the world around us: Prana Yoga. Prana is the Sanskrit word for “breath” and also means “life.” Therefore, prana can be translated as “the …
Seasonal Affective Disorder – Fall Reminder
Seasonal affective disorder affects many of us to some degree. Once again, it is nearing the Autumnal Equinox. This is the so-called “beginning of fall.” And for many people, it is around this time that they notice the shift from summer towards fall and winter and begin to experience a sense of fatigue or lethargy that can be the precursor …
New Forum is Coming
One of our long-time forum regulars posted a number of requests that I change the forum to make it easier to use. As a result, in a moment of enthusiasm, I created a Buddy Press forum for this site. Quick background: our forum is currently hosted by a separate website, bublaa.com. That site handles the registration of users and defines …
Lithium Health Benefits – Link to GPS
Several members of this forum sent me an e-mail with a link to an article that appeared in the New York Times on lithium that was provocatively titled “Should We All Take a Bit of Lithium.” We ended up publishing a blog post on this topic on our Gateway Psychiatric website. This might be a good opportunity to introduce readers …
Diagnosed Bipolar in a Crazy World – Lyndsey
I saw a production of Hamlet last month, performed by the Shakespeare-by-the-Sea ensemble. Having not seen it since my diagnosis, I felt as if I was watching the play for the first time. Do you remember the story? “To be or not to be?” – And all that. Hamlet, the young intense Danish Prince, is distraught over the sudden death …
Mental Health Parity Victory in California
On September 10th the California Supreme Court let stand a California Appeals Court decision that the California mental health parity law requires coverage of treatment that may have no equivalent in other medical specialties. Specifically, the Appeals Court held that Blue Shield of California must cover residential treatment for eating disorders. The Court noted that residential treatment was among the …
Are Negative Ions Antidepressants?
Are negative ions antidepressants? This has been the topic of an extensive discussion among a group of psychiatrists with an interested in pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment of depression recently. Negative ions can be generated by negative ion machines, but they are formed naturally where water mixes with air, such as at the seaside (waves), near waterfalls, and after a rainstorm. And …
Treating Anxiety – An Update by Kelsey
Treating anxiety is an important part of working with people with depression or bipolar. This update focuses on changes that have taken place in the field in the last five years that might be relevant to many people dealing with depression and anxiety. Imagine that you are taking a nice, peaceful walk in the woods. It is a lovely, warm, clear …
A Master Storyteller Writes About Homeless People
Silent Voices: People with Mental Disorders on the Street Dr. Okin is a master story teller. Still, when I decided to read the book I was ambivalent. I thought to myself, this is a book that I should read, and reluctantly put it in my bag for the holiday weekend. It turned out to be a series of stories as …
The Power of Daily Rituals: A Morning Walk
What is the power of a morning walk? Even such a simple daily ritual can have profound effects on mood. After two years working with a young woman who is now heading off to graduate school and bright future, we were reflecting on lessons learned. “I can be a bit dense about cause and effect. I am surprised when something …
Controversy is Good
Controversy is good. We’ve been talking with several people this past week about blog posts that have evoked strong reactions from one reader or another.One of the things that we’ve said a number of times over the course of these various communication threads is that we like people to offer dissenting opinions on this site.The easiest way to do this is by …
Robin Williams: Preparing for Depression – Lyndsey
Much has been made of Robin Williams’ ongoing struggle with darkness culminating with his suicide after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. People have commented mostly on how confusing it seems that someone who gave so much laughter could be visited by such exquisite pain. But we bipolars know all about this. It’s almost like living with two distinct personalities in …
Working with a Psychiatrist Effectively
If you are a psychiatrist, sometimes you have an opportunity to experience a response to treatment that seems like a miracle. But when miracles don’t happen, what are strategies for working with a psychiatrist effectively? Early in my career, the serotonin re-uptake inhibitors SSRIs) were released, and I had a chance to see a number of people who had given up hope …