Basic information on bipolar disorder
(This page is dedicated to new stories/research/ideas about mood swings)
Here is a detailed survey asking for your experiences of bipolar disorder. It takes 15 minutes or so to complete, but I and others I have heard from felt it was a worthwhile survey to be involved with. It can make you think too. WARENESS/RECOGNITION FOR BIPOLAR DISORDER SURVEY (March 2008)
Bipolar Quoter www.bipolarquoter.com I haven't signed up to the free offer of quotes as my home page, but have had a look at some of the `random' quotes - looks interesting. Please let me know if you find this kind of inspiration useful. (February 2008)
Here is an email just arrived from California:
Dr. Strandt www.simplyhealingclinic.com is a naturopath. I started his protocol 6 weeks ago. At that time my depression was so severe I could not even walk out of the house. Within 1 week my energy had returned and I was happy and being productive throughout the entire day. I have not felt this stable and motivated in many years. I consider his expertise outstanding particularly since he treated my symptoms successfully over the telephone. ...of interest to you for clients that do not respond to the typical protocols for mental health illnesses? Would readers like to share more about Dr Strandt? (January 2008)
Here is an American site with loads of information about natural remedies, herbal supplements, vitamins and so on. I was surprised to find so much sensible information on all the pages I looked at. www.healthrecovery.com (December 2007)
This month I thought I would simply add a useful site for understanding psychiatric medications. Then I was told of a new document that a member of the Cambridge MDF Bipolar Group has created that includes some of the latest thinking. (November 2007)
The idea that there must be some advantage in having mood swings has been around for a while. This is something that can be covered in courses from Stop Paddling. This book bipolar advantage explores these ideas in depth. If you have read it please let us know what you think. (October 2007)
Link Found Between Depression And Household Mold - This really made me think about the chicken and egg - which comes first! Are they going to prove that the mold increases likelihood of depression or is it as simple as depressed people cannot keep their homes mold free? If you would like to read the whole article I can email it to you. (September 2007)
Have you ever heard of Pete Wentz - well it appears he has joined a lot of other celebrities by admitting to his bipolar diagnosis. Do you think this is a brave thing to do, or simply sensible? Email me (August 2007)
A lot of people are fascinated with the causes of bipolar. There are many articles on this subject. This one is more balanced than most. Personally I am most interested in what the article calls, "set offs". On courses such as WRAP, clients learn that these are triggers and understanding them can go a long way to eliminating future episodes. Probable causes of bipolar disorder (July 2007)
"Students With Symptoms Of Mental Illness Often Don't Seek Help" - not really so surprising. Perhaps more interestingly, the article also talks about, "the incidence of mental illness on college campuses is rising". This is in USA - is this your experience too? Email me (June 2007)
Readers of, "Sailing Ideas" newsletters will already be familiar with the fact that smiling causes people to be happy due to feedback to the brain. Here is a new article on this subject: Smiling (May 2007)
"Traditional drug regimes for people with bipolar disorder could be increasingly replaced with therapies to treat the "triggers" of manic episodes, scientists say. In the future, making "lifestyle changes", as well as learning new ways to cope with stress..." reports Polly Curtis
The Guardian (April 2007)
Mood swings are often related to or even caused by alcohol or illegal drugs. You may wish to try one of these self assessments, but please do not blame me if you find them upsetting:
http://alcoholism.about.com/b/a/096193.htm
(March 2007)
The merits and dangers of taking marijuana / cannabis seems to be debated often by bipolar people. Some have found benefits but the majority will, like me, warn against it. Here is a good article on the subject: Canabis/psychosis (Feb 2007)
Football to beat schizophrenia and depression (about a true story and film from Italy):
http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,1984988,00.html (Jan 2007)
A seasonal discussion:
http://bipolar.about.com/od/support/a/10holidaytips.htm (Dec 2006)
You have probably heard of light therapy, here you can find out about dark therapy: www.psycheducation.org/depression/LightDark.htm (added on 4th Dec 2006)
Same site discussing one way in which Lithium works:
www.psycheducation.org/mechanism/Clock.htm (added on 4th Dec 2006)
Nov 2006: If you ever wondered what Pilates is all about: www.pilatesmethodalliance.org/whatis.html
October 2006: Excellent pages and short videos from the BBC about bipolar disorder (manic depression): BBC
Sept 2006: Symptoms of manic depression: Changes in thoughts
The very impressive work of Mark Hannant: Bipolaraware
Web site run by a local bipolar self-help group: www.mdfcambridge.org.uk
Dr Haupt: Blog
One person's views on: Lithium side effects
Some medical stuff: Massachusetts
Julie Fast's site in USA: www.bipolarhappens.com
Publisher of books written by people with mental health diagnosis: www.chipmunkapublishing.co.uk
Andy Behrman's website: www.electroboy.com
Return to overview Links on stoppaddling.com
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