bipolar depression treatment
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Q: Is there alternative treatment 4 bipolar depression other than antipsychotics as they dibilitate me?
A: there are different way of treating EVERYTHING. you should talk to your dr. about alternative types of healing.
Q: Bipolar/Depression/Psychosis treatment and weight gain?
I am seeing the doctor on Monday for what I believe is going to be diagnosed as bipolar disorder, depression, or psychosis. I’ve been doing a lot of reading about the medications used to treat these illnesses and they all talk about weight gain. I’m freaked out by this, so much that I’m thinking of not going to the doctor at all. Isn’t there another way to treat my awful mental problems without gaining weight?!
A: some of these do cause weight gain. not all.
my anti-depressive drug made me LOSE 45 pounds in 2 months. seriously.
talk to your doc about this fear – he or she does have several drugs to choose from.
Q: What does seeking treatment for depression/bipolar disorder disqualify you for?
I am pretty sure I have moderate depression and/or bipolar disorder, and would seek treatment ASAP except that my father told me if i did, i would instantly be restricted from alot of things by the government. For me, this would be handgun purchasing and ownership, and getting a private pilot’s license. I wonder if, after stuff like the Virginia Tech shooting, the systems will see my mental health issue (which has never presented outwardly or inwardly dangerous) being treated, and now the system will give red flags that prevent me from purchasing another handgun next month, and i hate to feel like i should wait to seek treatment until after i get that next handgun (which i have been wanting to get for a year). I also am considering getting a private pilot’s license this spring, as my father has an airplane. I do not feel my set of mental health issues should affect these things, but if i go into treatment for them, will they? If so, i can seek OTC treatments and self-help stuff.
A: The only handicap you have is the flying. Certain medications are forbidden to be taken and be a pilot at the same time. You can beat this problem by talking with your Pshrink when you start to take pilot training. He can change your medications to something you can fly with. I was an Air Force pilot with bipolar disorder.
Q: treatment resistant depression/bipolar?
what is the solution?? has anyone had any kind of unconventional treatment such as ECT, vagal nerve stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, etc?? do these treatments work? or is it just meds that help??
A: Consult with a psychiatrist.
TMS is in the experimental stages. ECT has limited results and I know nothing of vagal nerve stimulation but your doctor might.
There are plenty of helpful natural remedies such as the B vitamins, exercise to release endorphins and dopamine, healthy diet.
Q: what happens when depression/bipolar goes on without treatment?
A: My sister is bipolar and border line schitzo, and when she goes off her medication she is so different. She becomes severly depressed and irritable. We can be at the store and if she thinks someone looked at her the wrong way she’s all over them. With the schitzo part she starts to hear voices and sees her nightmares living around her. It’s really tough. When she gets off her meds we have to put her in the hospital until her medications have stabalized her enough to be on her own again, which is usually at least 4 weeks.
A person with any type of mental illness should continue with treatment unless a doctor tells them to stop.
Q: Is there increasing evidence that treatment-resistant depression is actually type 2 bipolar disorder, because?
. . . the mania phase of type 2 bipolar disorder is much less severe (called hypomania, not full-blown mania), and a phase of hypomania may not even be seen as any type of disorder but rather be simply seen as the person being more “active”, “energetic”, or “hyper” than other people.
A: No, that is not a widely recognized theory I have ever heard about. I am not familiar with any evidence that treatment resistant depression would necessarily be bipolar disorder either. If such evidence exists, it is very obscure and not well supported.
You are right that type 2 Bipolar Affective Disorder involves hypomania rather than mania, but the critical piece is that the hypomania is still a clinical impairment. If there was depression, but no clinically significant mania or hypomania issues, the diagnosis would be depression, not bipolar. Remember that depression is not usually constant, but present in depressive episodes, which wax and wane over time. It also does not always manifest in the same way in the same people, so some could appear “high energy” while still being depressed (although this would not be the more stereotypical presentation, of course).
Q: How is mental illness such as bipolar/manic depression + depression in general treated in egypt?
According to someone w/ a psychology degree in egypt, acceptance and understanding of mental disorders is a fairly new phenomenon. I’d like to know what kind of treatment people w/ bipolar receive in egypt since I find those w/ the “disease” fascinating individuals (tend to be musicians and artists…and to the potential uninformed person who wants to go off on multiple personalities and schizophrenia, it’s medically not the same as manic depression/bipolar. You’ll find that fact pointed out in a beginning psychology text book). Also, if recognition of mental illness isn’t as prevalent since the acceptance of mental sicknesses are kind of new, is there a severely high rate of suicide or other destructive behaviors? And with the lack of availability of jobs preventing ppl. from marrying at the time they would like to marry (and probably being a major factor in ppl. feeling sexually repressed and possibly upset often because of it), are depression rates high? If so, what is done4 it
A: I agree, it is really only just being acknowledged as a treatable condition in many countries, including Egypt.
Regarding Egypt,one problem faced is the difficulty of obtaining a correct diagnosis.
Most Egyptian people can not afford to seek a medical referral to a consulting specialist diagnostician in this area.
Many in fact cannot afford basic medical care,so this type of condition if recognised, becomes a low priority for committing money to.
There are among some, cultural issues to be considered.
More pronounced conditions also go untreated, not just because of the families financial situation and lack of treatment centres.
But also because any “illness” that is considered to weaken a person’s character, such as bipolar /manic depression, would be a form of discredit to the whole family.
Especially if the patient was male.
Up until very recently this was also the attitude of Western cultures,including America ,Europe and Australia.
Many would send the affected family member away to distant relatives to be cared for.
Or have them institutionalised.
It was a relatively common practice to lock the individual away from the eyes of even close friends and neighbours.
Denial by the individual is likely to play a very big part in the lack of those diagnosed and treated .
If at all possible, a normal “front” is played out with excuses made for the severe episodes.
This is still prevalent in the West,and is unlikely to change much at all in Egypt and other countries whose public health care system is deficiant in so many areas,such as education and availability by all to treatment.
Until education enlightens the inherent fear of any problem affecting our way of behaviours, those with these types of conditions will sadly continue to go untreated .
Q: Does any one know anything about lithium in bipolar treatment?
I have my precription but for some reason I’m so afraud to take it. I have been treated for depression but after years without succcess I’ve been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Why an I scared? And can anyone relate?
A: Lithium has a long and successful history and a friend of mine used it so I could see the good results. Be careful because the dosage is critical. Don’t ever take too much. I did hear that damping down bipolar does the same thing to creativity so its a choice you need to take.
Q: If I enlist, can the military find out if I have depression?
Ive been recieving treatment for my bipolar/depression disorders for years now, if I join the military and I dont tell them I have these issues is there any way they can find out? Do they test you for these mental conditions?
A: as long as you have no cuts they will never know unless you tell them to be honest the military can cause a lot of depression they will test your stress levels there are quite a few suicides every year if you feel you can over come it Ive seen people with bipolar disorder make it if you seen the guys I worked with you would know there is no test for mental conditions military also gives you a sense of pride too
d. Current mood disorders including, but not limited to, major depression (296.2–3), bipolar (296.4–7), affective
psychoses (296.8–9), depressive not otherwise specified (311), are disqualifying.
(1) History of mood disorders requiring outpatient care for longer than 6 months by a physician or other mental
health professional (V65.40), or inpatient treatment in a hospital or residential facility is disqualifying.
(2) History of symptoms consistent with a mood disorder of a repeated nature that impairs school, social, or work
efficiency is disqualifying.
Q: Strange Mental Discomfort for Bipolar Patients After Treatment?
I have spoken to a doctor…I just want other feedback.
Has anyone out there felt uncomfortable after being treated for bipolar disorder? Like being depressed was getting to be the “normal you” before treatment, and now that you’re being treated you don’t feel like “yourself”. I don’t want to go back to depression, but I noticed this feeling. Anyone out there have anything like this?
A: My best friend is a physician. In fact, she was formerly a pharmacist and in both of these roles she has always lamented that many patients will not remain on a steady regimen of the appropriate medication for a bipolar disorder. The dread of taking pills for treatment even if it is hypertension is just all too common. I am of the understanding that you should expect to stay on the medication for a long period of time. Good luck and I hope you have found the right treatment plan for you.
Q: Is Pot a Medicinal treatment for Bipolar symptoms?
A certain entertainment figure said they used Pot to treat their Bipolar symtoms. Seems to me that it would make the situation worse. And having read what others have defined Bipolar disorder to be (manic depression etc.) I cannot help but wonder.
A: Man, I’ve had friends that smoked pot for a long time. They generally start acting more bipolar.
Q: Help for chronic severe bipolar depression when all the meds and ECT fail?
Asking this question again – I have exhausted all my treatment options for bipolar disorder – have honestly tried over 2 dozen meds, alone and in combinations, and ECT (electroshock) and they have all failed or made me worse or I am allergic to the meds etc. ( this is over a period of 15 years – not short term med trials). I have severe depression in the morning nearly every day, and for the entire day about half the time and I just can’t take it anymore – my situation clearly became hopeless when my last ditch effort, ECT, failed. I rarely get mania anymore, just horrific agitated depression, the anguish so severe I literally want to claw my face off or slash my chest open with a knife, for hours most days, and often, all day. If I still had fingernails, I would have clawed my face off a long time ago. I don’t know what to do anymore – I have been on the edge of death for years. I have hung on and hung on, trying medication after medication, and now there is (realistically, this is not the depression talking) no hope of any significant relief.
So, since medication options aren’t there anymore, I am wondering if ACT (assertive community treatment) can help with this? My county workers have not run into psychiatric cases like mine, they swear up and down that most patients do get at least some relief from meds, but I am in a tiny, rural county, and am hoping that someone here has gone thru this, or has a relative who has, and can give me some advice. I’m thinking about going inpatient at mayo clinic, but I already tried the university of MN and that was a total failure, and my regular psychiatrist thought the university was better for psychiatry than mayo clinic. It would be hard for me to get to mayo clinic anyway, it is a 4 hour drive, and I can’t find any treatment online I haven’t already tried either, other than “out there” treatments that are very unlikely to help and experimental, like vagus nerve stimulation – weird crap.
Anyhow, I have had the finest psychiatric care there is, and it has utterly failed, I lost my faith in God a few years back, just have nothing left for me except a loving husband, 4 great kitties, and a home I love in rural Minnesota with beautiful maple trees and a lovely pond full of wood ducks and chirping frogs in the backyard, in other words, I have a LOT to live for. But I need to die, because I can’t stand the anguish anymore. It is unspeakable pain, and I feel this way for NO REASON, just endlessly live in agony, due to untreatable bipolar disorder. What can I do to live when I hurt so much, with no relief in sight?
background: I don’t have any personality disorders, already see a therapist regularly, have a social worker and a home worker, see a psychiatrist regularly, am not a substance abuser, excercise a lot, have an excellent diet (we have a huge garden and eat a lot of venison), use a light box, keep busy with hobbies, according to my varying energy level – all that healthy stuff. This is just ghastly, severe bipolar disorder that is ( apparently) untreatable. I do also have a severe sexual abuse history, which I have gotten plenty of therapy for. My workers know I have serious problems, but I play them down slightly, since I do not want to be involuntarily committed – it is hard to get help when you have severe mental illness, believe me. An involuntary commitment would not help me – what i need is a medication that would cut down the despair, and apparently, it doesn’t exist – otherwise, if it worked, I would take it. Please no religion stuff – my husband prays for me all the time, but that isn’t going to make me suddenly find my faith again – a person can’t “make” themselves believe. Great for you that your faith helped you, and I sincerely mean that, but it didn’t help me, tried that already. The question is, is there a way to endure daily agony from bipolar depression that is unending, and I will never get relief for it? Anyone been there, endlessly, and still alive? or have a relative like this? I mean, this is EVERY DAY, except for in May and June, pretty much (strong seasonal pattern, there). Thanks for anything that might help!
lamictal was worthless, antidepressants made me worse, so I have been off them for a long time, and I use a light box a lot in the winter, and took a vitamin D supplement, too – all that standard stuff has been tried, and some helps a bit, but only maybe 10%. Not enough to make life bearable.
oh, and I forgot, lithium only helped me with mania, which I very rarely get anymore, so it’s not worth taking it anymore, and I ended up with weirdo, scary side effects after a few years of lithium.
A: i’m pretty much in the same boat; though i refused ect, and my psych docs and even medical docs tried to talk me into it. i take lamictal that keeps me out of deep suicidal depression, though the idea hardly ever leaves my mind. i do know a few of the triggers that push me into despair, and i hide away from them as much as possible. my world is quite small, and as much as i hate it, it’s the only way i can keep half way stable.
the most disappointing thing for me is when i do have a mild manic episode that lasts for a few weeks or more and i want so bad to tell myself it’s over and i can function as a normal person. i’m usually blindsided when i crash, but when someone in my support system reminds me my life doesn’t work that way, i crash hard. too hard sometimes and i find myself hiding from my support system too.
i’m sorry i don’t have an answer for you, just wanted to let you know you are not alone. i just try not to think about how useless i am, and i keep working on the self destructive habits (not doing anything for diabetes, smoking, etc.) so i can go without my people feeling like i deliberately left them.
Q: manic depression/bipolar and anxiety?
I’m fifteen years old. When I was 13 I was under treatment for Depression, I got on Prozac and everything was fine. Then I relapsed and was considered suffering from manic depression and was put on Effexor. Then it turned out I was Bipolar and I was given Lithum. And now I’ve been told that I apparently suffer from anxiety . I’m put again on Prozac. Does this make any sense?
A: NO!!!!
Q: does natural bipolar treatment work ?wait am i even bipolar?
Ok, so heres the deal.
my psyciatrist lets just call him dr.quack cuz thats basically what he is, youll read why.
he says im bipolar when i first come to see him. now my counselor is ending my counseling and she says dr.quack doesnt have me listed as bipolar… if not then why the hell am i on the meds for it?!?! and then shes all like… well ill have to check.
ok this is why he thinks im bipolar… i have a bad attitute problem (i was a very spoiled brat when i was a kid >.> and still am <.< also i have a bad anger problem
Now my dr put my on depression pills at first >.> when you give a bipolar person depression pills they get more depressed. needless to say i had a really really hard day and i cut my self, i went to the hospital. then my dr told me how stupid i am WELL WTF you put me on crap pills for the diagnosis you gave me.. when he first evaluated me he said i had sever social anxiety order as well but like 2 months later i tried to get into a program that would give me hope for an education (homeschooling) he told my mum not do do it because i didnt have S.A.D ok so hes flipping all my diagnosis’s around… if today im supposedly not bipolar, S.A.D why am i on a anti depressent (makes me more depressed) S.A.D meds ANNNND ehm im not sure how to spell this schizophrenia. im not getting this… if i am bipolar what works for it… and i mean NATURAL hearbs and stuff taken on a daily basis, because i do not like having to consult every 6 months with a man who can barely speak english or make a descision about my mental health!! that and i dont like the things man made drugs are doing to me. so if you know any herbal meds or supplements, strange teas or weird bath salt crap. any ways. dont judge me for what ive said the typos ive made..
BOTTOM LINE I WANT ADVICE NOT PEOPLE GOING OFF ON ME BECAUSE OF WHAT I THINK…IF YOU DONT HAVE ANY THING NICE OR SOMETHING NOT RUDE TO SAY KEEP IT TO YOUR DA** SELF I WANT HELP NOT A LECTURE!!!!
thank you… for those you are the helping type dont mind the above message im just sick of people syaing mean judgmental or just plain stupid things in response to my questions…
thank you for reading this, have a nice day and double thank you for those who can help =^.^=
A: Hey buddy, i’m so sorry you’re on this toxic sludge …….. it sounds to me like you are suffering from an intolerant reaction to the meds they have you on mate …….. change physicians ….. get an appointment with a naturopath or nutritionally oriented physician so that you can be fully assessed and the anxiety and stress and brain frizz can be resolved from the source.
In the meantime eat more foods rich in calcium and magnesium such as fresh fish …. not the tinned variety …… fish is surely brilliant for healthy neural and heart functioning and for bolstering your immunity levels ……. leafy and green vegies too ….. i just love the green vegies mate …. way easier to digset too …… leafy and green vegies ….. broccolli, kale, chard, buk choy, collard greens, celery ………… rich in both calcium and magnesium.
Without sufficient calcium you will suffer insomnia, headaches and migraines, irritability and moodiness, terrible terrible mood swings and brain chatter and brain frizz, achy bones, digestive upsets such as bloating and cramping and constipation, even horrible violent dreams …… calcium is essential for healthy bones, teeth and heart health and works in tandem with magnesium (known as the antistress mineral)…… lack of magnesium will give you migraines and headaches, nervous and twitching and muscular issues and will also cause lower back aches and bad digestion ……. and contribute to high blood pressure ….. increasing your daily intake of foods rich in both such as leafy and green vegies, brocolli, kale, spinach, fresh fish such as tuna and salmon and organic nuts and seeds such as almonds, brazil nuts and sunflower seeds will dramatically increase your feeling of well being and peace of mind.
Eat more green vegies mate, another thing they’ll do is encourage the production of hydrochloric acid in your tummy and help resolve any issues you may have with constipation and bloating.
Get 10 – 15 mins daily of safe sun exposure too …….. everything hinges on sufficient supplies of vitamin D in your body …….. if you can’t do that take a homepathic vitamin D3 liquid supplement …… go to your local health food store or herbal dispensary and ask for their guidance as to which vitamin D3 drops would be the easiest for your body to assimilate …… pharmaceutical grade or practitioner only quality are the best you can buy…… calcium relies on vitamin D for effective assimilation.
A little extra effort sure but anything worth having is worth the extra effort ….. i reckon calmness and peace of mind is worth a few bowls of green vegies a day.
believe it mate, i’ve been where you are now ……. they misdiagnosed me with bipolar / schizophrenia years ago and near fried my brain before i had my epiphany …… that i felt the worst i ever had in my life ….. they had me on vast amounts of Effexor, Xyprexia, valium …. gaaah, toxic sludge all of it ….. i got reassessed and detoxed off the meds and went to a naturopath who diagnosed me with coeliac (intolerance to barley oats wheat and rye) and lactose intolerance (intolerance to milk and dairy) and severe soy intolerance and processed sugar ….. i went into denial for about 12 months and then finally i gradually started to sift slowly through eliminating the foods and chemicals that were making me soooo sick ……… please consider getting a reassessment from a naturopath.
oh, drink loads of water too and try to cut right back on the caffeine, sodas, pop and soft drinks and alcohol if you drink any cos they’ll all dehydrate you terribly and rob you of your precious B complex of vitamins …… processed sugar will also rob you of your B complex and deplete calcium stores and stress your system.
take care of you
peace baby
♥
Q: Help with treatment resistant depression?
I have moderate depression that never fully gets better. Some days are worse than others, and lately I feel tearful and sad and lonely. Depression and Bipolar run in my family (both parents). Basically, I have low self esteem, there are very few things that I enjoy and I feel rotten 90% of the time.
I have a wonderful doctor who I have been in long-term therapy with. But somehow, although I can see areas where I have made progress, my MOOD never seems to improve significantly. We’ve tried many different medications but I am very sensitive to side effects. There was one medication, Celexa, that helped me immensely but I can’t stay on it because it makes me gain a lot of weight and causes sexual side effects that I can’t tolerate.
What should I do? I’m scared that I’ll be living with depression forever. I’m interested in trying Lamictal. Could this be helpful? What should my first choice be?
A: Well…maybe it;s the medication…maybe it’s the doctor and maybe, it’s you.
I find it odd that you have moderate depression and with years of counseling and different meds, you see no improvement. I hate that for you.
I will agree with you about Celexa. That made me gain 60 pounds that has been hell taking off.
What about Cymbalta? I have several friends who’ve taken it..they swear by it in terms of mood stabilization AND they say they’ve lost weight on the stuff.
I can only speak from my own personal experience. Sometimes, we put way too much emphasis on the meds. We expect them to chemically turn those emotional corners for us. Sometimes they do and sometimes, we just gain weight. I was once in your shoes…not overly depressed or to the point of needing hospitalization, but I wasn’t happy either…kind of stuck in that miserable middle. I tried all the drugs, too disappointed every day that I woke up despondent.
It was frustrating.
I had a conversation with someone who once asked me why I was depressed. Naturally, my first response was to explain that there was a genetic predisposition in my family. I then explained how life was a struggle and I couldn’t find happiness in anyone or anything–then he asked me the damndest question. He asked if then what was I getting out of being depressed, that kept me depressed. My immediate reaction was to get pissed off because he wasn;t enlightened enough to understand the depth of my malady. Then I thought about it for a while and realized how convenient my depression had become.
It was a great excuse not to deal with much, cope with much, to avoid people and places and things. I had grown dependent on not feeling good and allowed that to become my crutch.
I too had low self esteem and even that became a great excuse not to have friends, a social life…a boyfriend…a great job.
I started working on myself instead of only for the hour I saw my therapist each week. I realized that very often–not always–but sometimes, being happy is a conscious decision. We can change our feelings, by changing our perspective.
I realized after that, that I didn’t need meds. I was coping because I was trying. And it was working.
I’m not implying this is the case with you, but sometimes we perpetuate our own myths. Depression is horrible. It’s claimed lives and it’s certainly claimed quality of life too, but I do think (I am proof) that sometimes we have much more control over our seratonin than we think.
I guess it all has to get to a point where we just get damned tired of being sick and tired.
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