From Facebook - Depression is a flaw in Chemistry - The Stigmas of Suffering

"I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”

~Rabindranath Tagore

Mental illness is tied intimately to suffering.  This is because we live  through our minds and our thoughts. It is one of our most important tools. It is our interface to everything that we experience. It is the battlefield of suffering. It is the veritable, "ground-zero", if you will. It is the epicenter of the struggle for those with a mental illness.

This battle begins with your strongest weapon broken. From the beginning there is a problem something is broken. Why it is broken, really does not matter. Sometimes broken is just simply broken. It is not a moral matter. There is something far more basic and fundamentally practical about the situation. It is something that has to be dealt with no matter why.

The flaws that you that you see may not be motivating the odd behaviors and thoughts. It won't help you put into context what you may see and hear from that person. Research suggests there is usually a lot to it. It is a disease of the mind, body and spirit. There are many things that seem to contribute to what is going on.

It seems that chemistry, genes, and social factors are all likely contributors to the list. Truthfully, in many cases I don't think we really know many of the reasons why. Many of the providers of care are pretty removed from the lives of the people who need the care. It is very hard to provide comprehensive care for people out in the community. While we have some institutional care, we need more care where the people are. Out in the actual community, and not held up and controlled in the institutions. We are not reaching people. If we spent more time out in the community with these people and got to know more about them we would learn more about the real reasons why that people are sick. Maybe then we can head some of the problems off at the pass. It would probably be more cost effective too. Institutions are expensive. Although I will acknowledge some that there are some truly, incredibly talented, and motivated people in some of those institutions.

So while you may find it easy to blame a character flaw; it really has not been easy to find out why people have mental illness. For some people, their level of sickness, some seem to have no reasonable explanations at all. I deal with some of those people. Some are just more sick than we can explain. Perhaps the simple explanation is that life is very hard.

We have come into this world, equipped with the hand we were dealt with. It is all that we can bring to bear. It is what we can use to contend with what gets thrown at us. No matter if we are strong in one, many or few areas of life. We must still try to deal with it all. Because of this  pressure on everyone seems to be intense. If we are wise, we can try to remain conscience and hopefully sane while doing so. The choices we make about how humbly and bravely we face our life, -- that defines our character. Consider this, we are all frail beings. There are many more powerful animals out there.  Yet we have adapted, improvised and overcome most of this planet. There is hope. The same can also be said for mental illness. You can do a lot to adapt, improvise, and overcome. It takes someone of character do anything in this life.

Whether or not someone has a mental illness or cancer, either fight for them or at least get out of their way. The greatest moral and spiritual truth, practice, and social philosophy that I have come to realize is -- don't be a jerk".

I encourage you to this resolve because; you know what your own suffering is like. How much do you really need to know about anyone else's life, to know that it probably sucks for them too? If you know pain sucks for you, then you understand it can for them too right? Don't we all seek hope that things will be okay? This makes us all common. This can and should be the basis for our common pursuit of character.

Finding character can actually happen from having a mental illness. It grants a series of collegiate tests of the spirit and soul. Actually I am finding it to be one of the most important parts of my life's curriculum. It has taught me most of what I consider to be worth knowing. Going out of my mind has been the sanest thing that I have ever done.

I wish you wellness always. Though, if you feel that mental illness is a flawed character, that I take issue with that belief. Mental illness is just that, an illness and not a flaw  Find your path. Don't be a jerk. If you can't help an other find their path, then for your own sake, don't get in their way. Hopefully someone won't get in yours. While life is not easy, mental illness is a not character flaw!

Bipolar Disorder In Children

What Is Bipolar Disorder?

According to the National Institute Of Mental Health (NIMH) Bipolar Disorder is a serious mental illness that can affect the brain. While less diagnosed, Bipolar Disorder in children can have as much impact as adults with Bipolar Disorder. In the past Bipolar Disorder was known as manic-depression. The term manic-depression is less used today. In basic terms a Bipolar person experiences cycles of unusually intense emotional states. These emotional states are typically seen as periods of either intense high or low emotions. These states of mind and emotion are distinctive.

From time to time we all may feel depression. For individuals with Bipolar Disorder, the depressive phase tends to be extreme. This depression if often incapacitating. This may lead to prolonged or frequent absences from work, school, or other important responsibilities. Bipolar depression may impact personal hygiene and physical wellness. Bipolar Disorder in children has been linked to poor school attendance, behavioral problems, and academic failure. 

As we can see the depressive phase can have significant impact. Bipolar mania may be just as troublesome. Bipolar mania is characterized by periods of extreme energy, excessive and fragmented speech, and often wild or intense beliefs. For example a person in a state of intense Bipolar mania may think that they are somehow superhuman in aspects of their lives. For some this manifests as a completely delusional state of mind. At this level Bipolar Disorder can have a significant impact on both the Bipolar person and those around them. Other symptoms of Bipolar mania can include; Extreme happiness or silliness, rapid speech, trouble falling asleep, loss of focus, risky behaviors, sexual extremes. 

Bipolar Disorder should be diagnosed by an experienced physician. Bipolar Disorder in children can often be a complicated diagnosis. Both children and teenagers can show signs of Bipolar Disorder that are actually symptoms of ADHD or other serious medical conditions. This makes it hard to diagnose children with this disease. 

There are generally three types of Bipolar Disorder that are diagnosed. These are; Bipolar type I, type II, and Bipolar effective. Bipolar I & II are generally determined by the speed that the cycles of the depression and mania. 

Bipolar Disorder Associated With Other Medical Conditions

Percent of Youth 4-17 ever diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: National Survey of Children's Health, 2007 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It is likely that persons with Bipolar Disorder may experience other related medical conditions. Doctors refer to these other conditions as being, "co-morbid". These co-morbid aspects may show up as; substance abuse, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Anxiety disorders, Separation Disorder and others. Sometimes the Bipolar Disorder co-morbidity may be due to side effects of the medications that are given to treat the disease. It is quite common to find a Bipolar patient is over-weight, has elevated blood sugars which may lead to diabetes, or in the case of medicines like Lithium it may be toxic in high doses.  In addition to these conditions bipolar medications my cause a condition known as, "Tardive Dyskinesia". Tardive Dyskinesia is a condition that may be permanent. People with Tardive Dyskinesia have problems with repeated movements of the tongue, face, or other

movement issues.

How Does Bipolar Disorder In Children Different From Bipolar Adults?

Currently the treatment of Bipolar Disorder in children may be less effective then treatment of adults. Often children experience more severe behavior problems and symptoms. Children are more likely to suffer from continual symptoms. This can significantly impact the ability for a Bipolar child to see meaningful recovery. It is important to look at a wide range of support for your child. Since Bipolar Disorder is a life-long disease it is important that you work with your child's teachers, doctors and therapists in order to help your child break the cycles of suffering. Good management of Bipolar Disorder must help to mitigate the impact of this illness in every aspect of their lives. While it is important to teach your child good life skills, Bipolar Disorder in children requires that we work with the child to build long lasting and meaningful support systems. For example a child may have a difficult time performing various tasks in life. This may lead to a breakdown in the ability of a child to deal with the basic life responsibilities. 

Although it may be hard for a child to do certain things on their own, it is possible to get everything they need taken care of in a responsible manner. Responsible behavior may be less about what a person can do as compare with what a person can get done. It is important to get an inventory of the life skills that a child possesses. From there a plan must be developed to either improve the life skills that a child has or to develop solutions for getting these needs taken care of. 

Bipolar Disease in children has been shown to impact their ability to participate in education. It is reasonable to understand that children with Bipolar Disorder may not have sufficient attention to successfully complete assignments or retain the information that they receive. It is very important to build a relationship with the educators that work with your child. 

Over time it is possible for children to realize meaningful recovery. When you work with doctors, therapists, and other professionals you will find medications and techniques that work for your child's specific needs. It is important to find a path for your child that directly effects your child's illness. Each person has different experiencess with Bipolar Disorder. Every path to recovery is specific to the person with disease. It is important to treat the person behind the disease. When you develop the person you have a good chance at mitigating the impact of their mental illness. 

How can I help My Bipolar Child?

It can be very hard to deal with the ramifications of Bipolar children. It is important to educate your self and to find support for yourself. The stress that is induced in you must be accounted for. You can find support for yourself from organizations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). NAMI offers education about mental illness, support for families and peer support. The United States government has several organizations that deal with mental health. These organizations like the fore mentioned National Institute Of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offer great information and resources on Bipolar Disorder. Another good resource for dealing with Bipolar Disorder is the Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance.

It is important that you be patient with your child. Please encourage your child to talk about their problems. Be open and listen. Often a Bipolar person will feel isolated and alone. Open support for your child will help them to feel that they are not alone and understood. Help your child to educate themselves about their disease. Hold on to the belief that Bipolar Disorder in children is something that they can recover from. Your children can lead happy and productive lives. Work together closely and you will see lasting change for the better. 

The link between sleep and Bipolar Disorder is becoming more and more clear. A regular and consistent sleep schedule will help your child to deal better with their illness and can have a big impact on the cycles of Bipolar Disorder. 

Threats Of Suicide

It is important that your child receive immediate medical support if they talk about or demonstrate intentions to commit suicide. Every threat or indication must be taken seriously. Do not write off these indications as a need for attention. This could easily lead to the loss of your child. Sometimes these conditions exist because of reactions with medications. This is why it is important to address these issues with a competent medical professional. Another good resource is the toll-free suicide helpline 800-273-Talk (8255) this is run by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

With your help and encouragement the Bipolar Disorder in children is treatable and manageable. With the right tools and resources you can succeed in helping to child with this often troublesome disease.

Bipolar Insomnia

Bipolar Insomnia

Mental illness is often a leading cause for sleeplessness for those who have been diagnosed with a mental illness. For individuals with bipolar disorder sleep can be a major problem. In some cases without medical intervention people who suffer from this disease can be sleepless for days. For general practitioners, diagnosing a sleep disorder may not include consideration of bipolar disorder. This is particularly true in situations where medical history does not include the diagnosis for this disease or when a patient does not self-identify as being bipolar.

Bipolar disorder is estimated to affect from 2% to 7% of the people in the United States. It is further estimated that almost 10,000,000 people will develop the illness at some point during their lives. Bipolar disorder is often misdiagnosed because it can be confused with other diseases. Often people with mental illnesses have more than one diagnosable disease. For instance, if you are bipolar it is highly likely that you will have substance abuse issues, high-risk sexual behaviors, or other symptoms. Sometimes these symptoms can be very hard to differentiate. If you have sleep problems and are bipolar make sure that you tell your doctor. It will help significantly. Keeping your doctor informed can help you to find relief from symptoms sooner. It also becomes easier to find the proper treatment.

Sleep is a major factor in maintaining stability

For all individuals sleep is an important part of maintaining physical and mental well-being. There are various reasons that people have problems sleeping. Research shows that individuals who have bipolar disorder are at high risk for instability without appropriate sleep. Sleep is a basic component in managing the stability of this disease. Without proper cycles of sleep our bodies' basic biorhythms can be significantly disturbed. These biorhythms or "circadian rhythms" manage or contribute to not only our mental well-being but our physical well-being also. Sleeplessness is not the only problem. Too much sleep can also be a major factor of instability. It can contribute significantly to depressive cycles.

If you suffer from bipolar insomnia, it's important to take some basic steps that will help you to manage sleep. The steps can be called sleep hygiene. Sleep hygiene includes several factors:

• 1. Try to avoid napping. If you do need to nap limit napping to the early afternoon and for a short duration.
• 2. Cut down or avoid the use of caffeine entirely.
• 3. Limit your consumption of alcohol.
• 4. Regular exercise is important because it helps to limit factors like adrenaline and quiets the body. The quiet body helps to produce a quiet mind.
• 5. Meditation or relaxation methods can help significantly when patients have sleeplessness. Often this helps to attack the problems that are introduced by hypomania and mania.
• 6. A helpful tool to help you and your doctor understand your sleep situation is to record your sleep cycles and other pertinent information in a log book or journal.
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Treating Bipolar Insomnia

If you're experiencing bipolar insomnia, there are several ways that your doctor may choose to treat your illness. Often this will be through the use of medication. Medications such as Seroquel can help to induce sleep. This class of medicines is called atypical antipsychotics. These medicines can act in a powerful way to induce sleep. For some patients with bipolar insomnia traditional sleep medications like Lunesta or Ambienmay not work. Trazodone may also be used as an off-label treatment for insomnia. Trazodone is an older treatment for depression. Generally with people who have bipolar disorder antidepressants are not used. It can cause the bipolar individual to have a, "bipolar switch". This switch can cause a person to come out of depression and enter mania. Careful consultation with your doctor is recommended. For those with bipolar induced insomnia it is recommended that treatment should come from a properly trained psychiatrist.

Over-the-counter medications for sleep

Over-the-counter medications for sleep are generally formulated from antihistamine medications. Many of these medications are older drugs. These antihistamines tend to make people sleepy. This is a major factor in why antihistamine medications have been changed. Newer antihistamines do not generally stimulate sleep. Other over-the-counter medications or supplements may also contain ingredients such as Valerian root, melatonin, or other herbal central nervous system depressants. Bipolar insomnia may not respond to over-the-counter medications.

Finding solutions for bipolar insomnia

To find the right solution you may have to try several approaches. It also might require the use of more than one of these options at the same time to help the bipolar individual stabilize both their sleep and their lives.

Information for this article is based on research by the National Institute of Mental Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the New England Journal of Medicine, and the Mayo Clinic.