RESOURCES

National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) - Depression and Bipolar Disorder

Dr. Ivan’s Depression Central

Forbe’s Mental Health website reviews

Bipolar Significant Others

Beyond Blue: Australia’s National Depression Initiative

McMan’s Depression and Bipolar Web

Depression or Bipolar Disorder on Medline Plus (Latest Research)

Online Post Partum Depression Support

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Five Predictors of Bipolar Disorder: Assessment Tool
May 25, 2006

Today marked the last day of the 159th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (APA).

A study was presented that identified predictors of bipolar disorder risk for patients who were already diagnosed with depression:

1. anxiety
2. feelings of people being unfriendly
3. family history of bipolar disorder
4. a recent diagnosis of depression
5. legal problems

These predictors were used in an assessment tool that is now available on a drug-company-sponsored website called “Say How You Feel.”

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bp Magazine: “Hope and Harmony for People with Bipolar”
June 21st, 2006

I saw a news article on a magazine on bipolar disorder and was pleasantly surprised that the articles and back issues were available online.

It’s also nice to see some pharmaceutical company sponsors (front page, right hand column) because without these sponsors I’m sure many of the articles would not be available for free on the website.

I especially enjoyed Lizzie Simon’s article in the current issue on “Stigma: talk or walk.” (click to get pdf file) She brings up a good point - what happens when the person with the stigma against mental illness happens to be intellectual (i.e. “smart”)?

Well, to put things in perspective, one can build a whole case around any belief and find supporting evidence against the existence of mental illness as much as the evidence supporting the existence of mental illness. And I suspect there are PhD dissertations in both areas. There are plenty of doctorate level professionals and research scientists who have seen biochemical changes and genetic changes to contradict the woman who built her whole research project on the conspiracy theory that drug companies must have created these illnesses for profit and to strip away the self reliance of an individual.

Disclosure: I used to work in the pharmaceutical industry and may hold more positive views of the industry than others - unless, of course - I’m criticizing some of the ridiculous approaches drug companies use to market and product their products. I also had suffered from depression and therefore am biased to believe that I had a biochemical imbalance that was helped by both medication and psychotherapies.

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NavyCompass.com Talks About Domestic Violence
June 27, 2006

Recently I highlighted the prevalence of domestic violence in military families, and how often victims fear seeking help. NavyCompass.com is a website for members affiliated with the navy, and has published an article urging victims of domestic violence to seek help.

In “Victims of Domestic Violence Shouldn’t Fear Seeking Help“, JO2 Adrian Melendez stated that the naval support is there with victims of domestic violence, and that the biggest challenges in putting a stop to violence is the fear of victims in seeking help. By the time a case is reported, the abuse has been going on for a long time and the situation may have become worse and dangerous.

Other factors that hinder report is fear that reporting an incident will disqualify the spouse from receiving naval support. This is essentially fear stemming from potential financial devastation. The navy describes ways to prevent this from happening so that the victims will come forward to report abuse.

Remember, domestic violence can happen to both men and women.

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Blog Website for Parents of Children Living with Bipolar Disorder
May 12, 2006

G. J. wrote an excellent post on the lessons that he’s learned about parenting children with bipolar disorder.

There are 18 (yes, 18!) points in all, and you would not want to skip any. To give you a flavor, here’s a summary of G. J.’s points:

1. Treat each child individually.
2. Expose them to, and encourage, diverse interests.
3. Encourage spirituality.
4. Encourage giving.
5. Jobs give purpose and self esteem.
6. In our house, we never tolerated our kids being unkind to anyone or each other.
7. Have fun together.
8. If trouble arises, don’t hesitate to help.
9. Open communication is a must.
10. Value your children’s opinions.
11. Go overboard for a good cause.
12. Love your spouse openly.
13. Encourage a vocation and hard work, but don’t put too much importance on career or money.
14. Volunteer for organizations in which your children are involved.
15. Form relationships with your children’s teachers.
16. Become your child’s biggest advocate, and fight for an answer, even for those answers that don’t come easily.
17. Never withhold love as a punishment.
18. Have fun with your children.

Honestly, these are lessons for basic good parenting - period. Thank you, G. J.!