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A quick and easy reference to help understand Bipolar Disorder James Witschner and Marcia Rose
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SCHIZO AFFECTIVE DISORDER This is a relatively
rare disorder. It is diagnosed when a person with a mood disorder
changes those symptoms for psychotic ones that last at least
two weeks. Treatment consists of adding an anti-psychotic
medication while continuing with the original mood stabilizer.
SELF
HELP If you've been diagnosed with a form of bipolar
disorder, you'll probably find no shortage of people (doctors,
family members, members of support groups) offering advice,
whether you ask for it or not. The most important general
guideline for self-care is to establish a sound therapeutic
relationship with one or more doctors: a psychiatrist or psycho
pharmacologist for drug therapy, and, if you prefer not to
use this person for more traditional forms of therapy but
want a professional to talk to, a psychologist, license clinical
social worker, or similar licensed counselor. Bipolar Disorder
is a lifelong, chronic medical condition. It cannot be cured,
but it can in almost all cases be managed to at least some
extent. Take responsibility for your own well-being. You can
have the finest medical team in the world working on "your
case," but if you don't first accept that you have a chronic
medical condition and take responsibility for doing what it
takes to manage it, you're wasting time and money. Obviously,
if you're in the throes of an incapacitating depression or
mania, this can be hard if not impossible to do, and someone
else may (temporarily) need to make these sorts of decisions
for you; also, people respond in different ways to various
kinds of medication and therapy. But in general, remember:
you're the boss; you're the one calling the shots and deciding
which resources to utilize (or not.)The key thing to remember
is that there's a LOT of help out there if you want to get
things under control--but you have to decide to seek it out,
and you have to decide that you will commit to a healthy course
of action. Work with your doctors, not against them and insist
that they work with you. It's vitally important that you be
able to communicate with the doctors and health-care professionals
that you choose to use as resources. If you're not comfortable
talking with your doctor, or you feel they do not acknowledge
you, you have the right to change doctor. It's vital that
you and your doctor listen to and respect each other. Develop
a survival mentality. A survival mentality means, first of
all, deciding that there's life after diagnosis. Getting the
news that you have a medical condition that you'll be dealing
with (in all probability) for the rest of your life can be
a major shock to the system! Recognize that there are literally
millions of people around the world dealing with this disorder;
you're not alone, and there are many resources available to
help you cope. Second of all, it means that when times DO
get tough, you do what it takes to get through it. In extreme
cases, this may involve voluntarily checking yourself in to
a hospital under a doctor's care. This isn't an experience
that most people would seek out for themselves, but when things
get badly out of hand, it can literally be a lifesaver. Remember:
your first goal is to survive to take care of yourself. Your
secondary goal might be to contribute as much as you can to
the lives of your friends, family, loved ones, co-workers,
etc., or it might be something else entirely. But if you don't
take care of the first goal, the other ones are utterly meaningless.
Remember to: 1. Call your doctor before things get out of
hand. 2. Take your medication regularly as prescribed. 3.
Avoid spending money. Give your checkbook and credit cards
to someone you can trust. 4. Do not make any major decisions.
Put them off until you are feeling calmer. 5. Reduce stress
as much as possible. Stay away from stressful people. . 6.
Talk to a support person. Let them know how you are feeling.
7. Avoid over-stimulation. Restrict your activities to soothing,
relaxing ones. 8. Learn and practice relaxation techniques.
9. Avoid sugar, caffeine and alcohol. 10. Eat nutritious well-balanced
meals. 11. Do not take on extra commitments until you are
feeling better. 12. If you are not sleeping, call your doctor
right away. Lack of sleep exacerbates mania.
SELF
MEDICATION There is a high incidence of alcohol and
other substance abuse in people with manic depression. The
use of alcohol and/or street drugs can worsen the symptoms
of mania and depression, create diagnostic difficulties, and
interfere with what might otherwise be effective treatment.
In addition, these substances can have unhealthy interactions
with the medicines used to treat manic depression
SEROQUEL
(Quetiapine) Is an antipsychotic to treat psychotic disorders
and has been found to be effective in bipolar disorder. When
you are taking seroquel, it is especially important that your
health care professional know if you are taking any of the
following: alcohol, barbiturates, carbamaazepine, griseofulvin,
phenylbutazone, phenytoin, primidone, rifampin, saquinavir,
troglitazone, tricyclic antidepressants, erythromycin, fluconazole,
itraconazole, or ketoconazole. Side effects: convulsions,
difficult or unusually fast breathing; fast heartbeat or irregular
pulse; high fever; high or low blood pressure; increased sweating;
loss of bladder control; severe muscle stiffness; unusually
pale skin; unusual tiredness or weakness.
SSRI
(Selective Serotonin Reupatake Inhibitors) These drugs selectively
inhibit uptake of serotonin. (Serotonin helps send electrical
signals from one nerve cell to another) Some of the drugs
in this class are Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, and Celexa.
SUICIDE
“Patients with depressive and manic-depressive illnesses
are far more likely to commit suicide than individuals in
any other psychiatric or medical risk group. The mortality
rate is higher than it is for most types of heart disease
and many types of cancer. Yet this lethality often is under-emphasized,
a tendency that may be traceable to the erroneous but widespread
belief that suicide is “volitional." (Goodwin and Jamison,
Manic Depressive Illness, p. 227)
SUPPORT
GROUPS The word support in and of itself describes
the benefit of a support group. A place to go where you realize
you’re not alone. Whenever there is a struggle of any kind
in ones’ life the immediate feelings are that you are the
only one who feels as you do or is going through this. A support
group helps you to feel a part of something bigger than yourself.
A support group also offers information. The lack of knowledge
tends to create hopelessness. Knowledge opens the doors to
hope. You can find a safe place to share as well as help others.
Support groups can help the individual who is has bipolar
disorder and also friends and family members who also need
to understand and obtain knowledge. A support group provides
the ultimate feeling that you belong.
SYMBYAZ
(olanzapone/fluoxetine) This medication is a combination of
two drugs, olanzapine (an antipsychotic drug) and fluoxetine
(a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor or SSRI). It is
used to treat a certain type of mental/emotional disorder.
It works by helping to restore the balance of certain natural
chemicals in the brain.Side effects are dizziness, drowsiness,
diarrhea, dry mouth, increased appetite, weight gain, trouble
sleeping, or joint pain may occur. Serious side effects black
stools, changes in sexual ability, “coffee ground” vomit,
easy bruising/bleeding, any mental /mood changes. Very serious
side effects fever, muscle stiffness, unusual decrease in
the amount of urine, facial or body muscle twitching, lip
smacking or other uncontrolled movements, tremor, weakness
on one side of body, irregular/fast heartbeat, difficulty
swallowing, seizures. |
