Destructive choices can yield destructive people.
Some Americans may be fascinated with the implosion of Charlie Sheen. These nobs pay $100 to see a terrible show in person. Not because they watn to be part of something unique or memorable. but because they enjoy watching the fall of another human being. They want to see the car accident unravel before their eyes.
Who's sicker? Sheen or the people who go and see him in studio. Well they certainly aren't smarter. Giving money to Sheen is like having a 4 year old trick an investment banker for 100K. Just pl ain silly.
Stop the madness. There's actually a segment of the population that suffers from legitimate diseases that are now being made a mockery out of. By the way, I'm sure Sheen suffers from the same issues in his head as the same group he's deriding.
He's sick. Why else does he attempt to 'raise money' for local bi-polar charities. Just playing the part? Or is he sick? And no, it's not Fringe, he didn't cure himself with Lobster venom or whatever concoction is hilarious today.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Radiation scare
Check out this chart at this link. It shows the daily limits/ radiation exposure of common elements.
Really puts things in perspective. http://xkcd.com/radiation/
Also really shows us how much radiation your partner gives up at night.....
Pray for Japan too, incredible carnage there....
Really puts things in perspective. http://xkcd.com/radiation/
Also really shows us how much radiation your partner gives up at night.....
Pray for Japan too, incredible carnage there....
Saturday, January 29, 2011
ADHD v Bipolar Diagnosis in Kids
Diagnosis of, bipolar disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder cases being diagnosed increase as treatments and knowledge improve. Some parents still overlook typical symptoms, especially in ADHD cases.
Everything, as we know, exists on a spectrum. You can have too much diagnosis or not enough.
Lately, since we're looking, certain warning signs have been released by the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry to help parents detect ADHD symptoms early and to assist in providing treatment options before potential mental disorders become overbearing.
The symptoms include inability to pay attention, inability to sleep, lack of attention to detail, quickly or easily distracted, trouble completing simple tasks or assignments, talkative, and showing difficulty in playing quietly.
Other factors that may influence a child’s attitude and behavior include stress from family or school issues, or recent drastic lifestyle changes.
Here's what a bad mom would do: ignore the symptoms.
Here's what a bad parent would do, give the kid pills for ADHD.
Symptoms don't lead to a diagnosis of ADHD. Hyper kids may be cracked out on sugar, additives, MSG, etc. Try things like a GOOD DIET before labeling ADHD.
I wonder how much diet has to do with crazy kids. Or maybe it's teaching style! :P
Everything, as we know, exists on a spectrum. You can have too much diagnosis or not enough.
Lately, since we're looking, certain warning signs have been released by the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry to help parents detect ADHD symptoms early and to assist in providing treatment options before potential mental disorders become overbearing.
The symptoms include inability to pay attention, inability to sleep, lack of attention to detail, quickly or easily distracted, trouble completing simple tasks or assignments, talkative, and showing difficulty in playing quietly.
Other factors that may influence a child’s attitude and behavior include stress from family or school issues, or recent drastic lifestyle changes.
Here's what a bad mom would do: ignore the symptoms.
Here's what a bad parent would do, give the kid pills for ADHD.
Symptoms don't lead to a diagnosis of ADHD. Hyper kids may be cracked out on sugar, additives, MSG, etc. Try things like a GOOD DIET before labeling ADHD.
I wonder how much diet has to do with crazy kids. Or maybe it's teaching style! :P
Friday, January 14, 2011
Depression Apps
Anybody use any apps to health their coping/recovery? Curious to know what's out there, but also what your'e doing.....
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Faith and Recovery for Bipolar
A number of bi-polar bloggers in the blogosphere have a very deep faith. Most for good, although the odd one has found more trouble than good with his/her faith journey.
I think that fundamentally the recovery, coping, living, is based on a support network. Sure, that sounds pretty self-explanatory and obvious, but here's my question: what about atheists?
I can't really speak for an atheist with bi-polar, and I could never put my shoes in that frame of mind (unless we had a parallel universe :P), but I want to know for atheists how do you cope?
Let me frame that question a bit better so it deosn't seem so patronizing.
Do you find adequate support networks? How do you balance questions (if you ever have them) that involve non-belief in a 'higher being' or a 'greater purpose'?
Does that make sense? Any thoughts?
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
A Parent’s BSD Challenge
Raising children is a rewarding journey with a most steep learning curve. Any new parent’s notion that since they are older than their child means they are wiser soon learns that it is the child who teaches the parent many things.
Think of the journey of a parent of a child who for no apparent reason engages in aggressive anti social behavior, angry unending tantrums, or a child who is ultra sensitive to all stimuli and overreacts to ordinary things in life, or a child who acts out in school seeking to always be the center of attention.
This is the life of a parent whose child has possible BSD disorder. The word possible is included in the sentence because BSD in children and teens is very difficult to diagnose, and before the 1980s was rarely described in children. Symptoms include rage, hyperactivity, sleep disturbances/night terrors, risk taking and giftedness.
BSD is manifested differently in children and teens than adults. Diagnosis is based on behavioral observation over a period of time and family history. Very often children suffer several depressive episodes before a manic episode. Depressive symptoms are not typical and include increased appetite and carbohydrate cravings, and extreme fatigue despite excessive sleeping. BSD in children and teens is often accompanied by other behavioral issues, such as behaviors that are like ADHD. The manic phase is often overlooked and attributed to normal development stages. Cycling of episodes in children and teens is more rapid and less clearly defined as manic and depressive. 20-30% of adult patients report that they had their first episode before 20 years of age.
Yet correcting behavioral issues is crucial to the child’s social, academic, and emotional development. There are no FDA approved drugs for children and antidepressants are not recommended for them. Yet despite this they are in widespread use.
Lithium has been proven to be less effective in children. Even a widely prescribed drug such as Ritalin for ADHD slows production of the human growth hormone because of how it affects the pituitary gland. This has detrimental irreversible consequences for children.
Studies have shown that drugs do not work for 50% of patients who have a mental illness, and the remaining 50% discontinue use because of side effects.(2).For children this statistic is alarming because they have less choice as to whether they will or won’t take the medication and they are less able to articulate the impact of side effects.
Questions have been asked about the effects of decades of drug use on brain damage. This gives even more credible urgency to such alternative therapies such as psychoeducation, cognitive behavior therapy, family focused therapy, and diet. Psychosocial factors such as life events, cognitive style, family dynamics, and social support influence the extent of BSD. It is these factors that psychotherapy addresses in the hope that a patient will have a brighter future.
(2) Healing Depression and Bipolar Disorder Without Drugs. G. Guyol Walker Press 2006 p14
Bipolar 101 A Practical Guide to Identifying Triggers, Managing Medications, Coping with Symptoms and More. R. White J. Preston New Harbinger Publications Inc. 2009
New Hope for People with Bipolar Disorder. J. Fawcett, B. Golden, N. Rosenfeld. Three Rivers Press 2007
Consumer’s Guide to Psychiatric Drugs. J Preston J. O’Neal, M. Talaga Pocket Books 2009
Break the Bipolar Cycle E. Brondolo, X. Amador McGraw Hill 2008
http://publications.cpa-apc.org/media.php?mid=343
Think of the journey of a parent of a child who for no apparent reason engages in aggressive anti social behavior, angry unending tantrums, or a child who is ultra sensitive to all stimuli and overreacts to ordinary things in life, or a child who acts out in school seeking to always be the center of attention.
This is the life of a parent whose child has possible BSD disorder. The word possible is included in the sentence because BSD in children and teens is very difficult to diagnose, and before the 1980s was rarely described in children. Symptoms include rage, hyperactivity, sleep disturbances/night terrors, risk taking and giftedness.
BSD is manifested differently in children and teens than adults. Diagnosis is based on behavioral observation over a period of time and family history. Very often children suffer several depressive episodes before a manic episode. Depressive symptoms are not typical and include increased appetite and carbohydrate cravings, and extreme fatigue despite excessive sleeping. BSD in children and teens is often accompanied by other behavioral issues, such as behaviors that are like ADHD. The manic phase is often overlooked and attributed to normal development stages. Cycling of episodes in children and teens is more rapid and less clearly defined as manic and depressive. 20-30% of adult patients report that they had their first episode before 20 years of age.
Yet correcting behavioral issues is crucial to the child’s social, academic, and emotional development. There are no FDA approved drugs for children and antidepressants are not recommended for them. Yet despite this they are in widespread use.
Lithium has been proven to be less effective in children. Even a widely prescribed drug such as Ritalin for ADHD slows production of the human growth hormone because of how it affects the pituitary gland. This has detrimental irreversible consequences for children.
Studies have shown that drugs do not work for 50% of patients who have a mental illness, and the remaining 50% discontinue use because of side effects.(2).For children this statistic is alarming because they have less choice as to whether they will or won’t take the medication and they are less able to articulate the impact of side effects.
Questions have been asked about the effects of decades of drug use on brain damage. This gives even more credible urgency to such alternative therapies such as psychoeducation, cognitive behavior therapy, family focused therapy, and diet. Psychosocial factors such as life events, cognitive style, family dynamics, and social support influence the extent of BSD. It is these factors that psychotherapy addresses in the hope that a patient will have a brighter future.
(2) Healing Depression and Bipolar Disorder Without Drugs. G. Guyol Walker Press 2006 p14
Bipolar 101 A Practical Guide to Identifying Triggers, Managing Medications, Coping with Symptoms and More. R. White J. Preston New Harbinger Publications Inc. 2009
New Hope for People with Bipolar Disorder. J. Fawcett, B. Golden, N. Rosenfeld. Three Rivers Press 2007
Consumer’s Guide to Psychiatric Drugs. J Preston J. O’Neal, M. Talaga Pocket Books 2009
Break the Bipolar Cycle E. Brondolo, X. Amador McGraw Hill 2008
http://publications.cpa-apc.org/media.php?mid=343
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Healing Instead of Dealing With: Getting Back in the Driver’s seat With Mental Illness Part 2
Part 1 of this intro article on bipolar disorder is here.
To carry on with the exploration of some treatments....
Lifestyle changes are more about addressing the root cause of BSD, which are chemical imbalances. The biochemistry of the brain is very complex and not well understood which is why drugs cause side effects.. Positive emission tomography is able to show images of the living brain. Glucose metabolic rates indicate brain activity. Images of a bipolar patient’s brain during manic and depressive stages show marked differences in brain activity with cooler colors showing less activity during depression and brighter colors during the manic stage.
Addressing the root cause will bring a permanent benefit that allows body to function at maximum potential. All changes are interrelated and influence each other that can produce an additive negative or positive change in the body. For instance, assisting and optimizing digestion is crucial to allow the brain to function at top capacity both in controlling emotions and cognitive reasoning. Improving thyroid function allows for better regulation of many body functions though its release of hormones. Many BSD patients have impaired thyroid function. Yet often these connections are ignored by both doctors and patients.
In the diet lack of certain minerals and nutrients impair brain abilities. Excess consumption of sugar, fat, caffeine, alcohol, and illegal drugs affects moods and the ability to control them. The role of supplements such as omega 3 fatty acids in offsetting depression are being examined and tested in more detail.
Exercise increases blood circulation which aids and creates hormones that assist moods and prevents depression. Exercise and weight loss also helps patients cope with medication side effects.
All of the above helps BSD patients recognize avoid or cope with stress and triggers that could set off an episode of mania or depression. It helps them regain control of their life and condition.
To carry on with the exploration of some treatments....
Lifestyle changes are more about addressing the root cause of BSD, which are chemical imbalances. The biochemistry of the brain is very complex and not well understood which is why drugs cause side effects.. Positive emission tomography is able to show images of the living brain. Glucose metabolic rates indicate brain activity. Images of a bipolar patient’s brain during manic and depressive stages show marked differences in brain activity with cooler colors showing less activity during depression and brighter colors during the manic stage.
Addressing the root cause will bring a permanent benefit that allows body to function at maximum potential. All changes are interrelated and influence each other that can produce an additive negative or positive change in the body. For instance, assisting and optimizing digestion is crucial to allow the brain to function at top capacity both in controlling emotions and cognitive reasoning. Improving thyroid function allows for better regulation of many body functions though its release of hormones. Many BSD patients have impaired thyroid function. Yet often these connections are ignored by both doctors and patients.
In the diet lack of certain minerals and nutrients impair brain abilities. Excess consumption of sugar, fat, caffeine, alcohol, and illegal drugs affects moods and the ability to control them. The role of supplements such as omega 3 fatty acids in offsetting depression are being examined and tested in more detail.
Exercise increases blood circulation which aids and creates hormones that assist moods and prevents depression. Exercise and weight loss also helps patients cope with medication side effects.
All of the above helps BSD patients recognize avoid or cope with stress and triggers that could set off an episode of mania or depression. It helps them regain control of their life and condition.
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