Rick Hanson’s Foundations of Wellbeing online seminar has helped many people enjoy better, richer, happier lives. As regular readers of this blog know, we very much like Rick Hanson’s books and other writings, and now he has created a wonderful online seminar. We don’t usually make such a big deal about programs, but we think this is going to be …
It Is That Time… See Ya Later Friends! – Arnrow
There is nothing that surprises me as much, and as often, as time—its swiftness, stealth. My last day at Gateway Psychiatric Services was on Thursday, and now, as I pack for another year at university, it is strange to acknowledge that three months have come, and gone. I guess it is true what they say about time, and how it sure …
Rick Hanson – Trust in Love
It has been a while since we mentioned Rick Hanson’s wonderful website and listserve – Just One Thing. Along comes not only a wonderful blog post from him (see below) but also an exciting online seminar series that he will be leading this coming year. The post below will give you a sense of Rick’s work, I encourage readers to …
Blowing Things Up: Self-Destructive Responses to Frustration
Why do we sometimes come up with self-destructive responses to the unpleasant feeling of being trapped or the anxiety of an unhappy life situation? I talked about this a little bit in an earlier post that was based on an article in the New York Times. In that article, it was noted that many people may find it so hard to deal with the stress …
Bipolar Benefits: More Social and Verbal Abilities?
Why does bipolar disorder persist at a constant level across generations and around the world if it can be associated with depression, psychosis, despair and even suicide? Are there bipolar benefits associated with the same genes that can lead to the disorder? In August 2014, in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a very careful and detailed research study identified a …
Accepting Uncertainty
We are often trapped more by what we think about how things should be, or “have to be,” than by the reality of the challenges we face. This week I have been noticing how often the phrase “I can’t stand.XX” precedes a statement that is quite obviously not true. Someone who has been living with the uncertainty of multiple sclerosis for …
In Memoriam of My Favorite Neighbor – Arnrow
“That you are here – that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?” – Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society Having grown up in San Francisco in the 90s, I was always proud of …
Mindfulness and Bipolar
Mindfulness and Bipolar. I just posted a timely conversation with Bob, someone I have known for several years, about how integrating a mindfulness practice into your daily routine can help you live creatively with bipolar. I encourage you to read the article and post your comments. Have you had experience with a mindfulness practice? What has worked, and what has …
Being Busy is an Antidote to the Terror of Being Alone
My attention was captured when I read an article that suggested that there was a common human experience that many people in our busy worlds find so disturbing that they voluntarily give themselves electric shocks in order to distract themselves from feeling it. No Time to Think. Nowadays, people can keep negative thoughts at bay with a frenzy of activity. …
Getting Things Done: Four Quadrants and Setting Priorities
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 …