One of the main purposes of this website is helping to remove stigma and shame and allowing people who wrestle with depression and mood swings to deal with their problems in a direct way. Shame and stigma make it hard to cope with depression because they make every thought about the topic painful and this makes positive coping and planning …
Brain Training
Brain training seems like an appealing solution to a common problem that people have with depression: a loss of cognitive function which can make you wonder if your becoming demented. Does brain training work? A number of our patients say that they have had some positive results from it. But a new study raises questions about how effectively it works …
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 …
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 …
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. …
Skill Building for Psychosis
One of the very hard things about many psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, is that they often begin at a time that is critical to the development of many skills and abilities needed for successful adult life. Many years ago we visited a wonderful program in Atlanta developed for young people with schizophrenia called STARS. The program was …
Befriending Stress
A colleague recommended this fantastic TED talk by Kelly McGonigal on the cardiovascular and social benefits of befriending stress (and potentially other negative emotions) as opposed to fearing these types of feelings. Kelly offers a fascinating perspective on oxytocin as a stress hormone that serves as a mechanism for resilience, helping people connect with others in times of challenge. Kelly …
Something Better Change
Occasionally, I realize that this business of helping people change their moods is a bit like the false pride that proceeds a fall. It’s easy to have an overweening sense of power. A woman who I’ve been seeing for a couple of years has been in an increasingly flat, depressed state. She has taken care of most of her obligations, …
Get Ready for Fall
As August winds itself up, it is time to start thinking about the fall and then winter coming up. A little bit like the squirrels, who are already putting away food for the winter, it may make sense to make sure that you have what you need to have a happy and energetic fall and winter. The first thing is …
Postpartum Episodes
Summary and Comment Perinatal Mood Episodes Common in Women with Bipolar Disorder Women with bipolar I disorder had higher risk for episodes within 6 weeks of delivery than those with bipolar II disorder or recurrent major depression. All mood disorders tend to recur during pregnancy or the postpartum period, but does the frequency and timing of recurrences vary by …