Honestly, I eat terribly. I'm addicted to soda and junk food. It's the burn of the carbonation I enjoy with soda. And half off Easter candy sales the day after Easter are my latest weakness. After any holiday the next day stores go half off on holiday stuff, including candy. It's hard for me to turn down a bargain. Then I have a stockpile of candy, which I then plop down on my love seat and methodically eat.
I recently watched Forks Over Knives, a documentary about the vegan lifestyle. This diet has been proven to reverse and cures different diseases. It was a real eye opener. Here a link to get more details: Forks Over Knives
I'm going to try the diet as best I can. I've switched to vegan burgers and bacon, both of which taste great. I use Morningstar brand. Check out their products here: Morningstar I've cut out red meat so far, I'm finding it really hard to cut out dairy. I developed severe lactose intolerance in college, so I know I can live without dairy. I had a colonoscopy on my 22nd birthday where they found and removed some polyps. After they were removed I could eat normally again. Having dairy eliminated and then return to my diet, I really don't want to let it slip away again, lol.
I've begun to look into diets that may help alleviate and lessen bipolar symptoms. Apparently there is no set recommended diet to follow. However, there are tips and supplements some think may help decrease your bipolar symptoms.
Some research suggests that getting more omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil is linked to greater volume in areas of the brain. In particular, these areas are related to mood and behavior. While research is still ongoing, studies have found that they lessen stress and aid in focusing. If you're a vegetarian or vegan looking for possible benefits of fish oil, go with nuts. Walnuts, flaxseed, and canola oil contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is converted to omega-3 fatty acid in the body.
Source
Getting only moderate amounts of caffeine and not stopping caffeine use abruptly is highly recommended. I know from my personal experience while I was hospitalized and while I was in foster care we were never allowed to have caffeine. Too much can make you overly anxious and counteract any anxiety medications you may be taking. It can also disrupt sleep patterns.
In addition to lowering caffeine, it's important to avoid high-fat meals with some bipolar medications. High-fat meals may delay the time it takes for some bipolar medications to take effect.
What about booze?
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, people with bipolar disorder are five times more likely to develop alcohol misuse and dependence than the rest of the population. The link between bipolar disorder and substance abuse is explosive. Alcohol is a leading trigger of depressive episodes in many people who are genetically vulnerable for depression or bipolar disorder.
Personally, I do enjoy a few drinks when I go out with friends. I have found that it is very difficult for me to handle hard liquor, but I can tolerate a few glasses of wine or a few beers. I try to always keep Advil on me because as soon as I stop drinking I begin to feel the effects of a hangover, including the pounding headache. It sucks.
Most importantly check with your doctor before making any changes to your diet.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Link Between Bipolar and Creativity
There are varying opinions as to whether there is a direct link between bipolar and creativity. It's often thought that Mozart and others in the arts did suffer from bipolar. Evidence to date suggests that a high number of artists and writers, far more than could be expected by chance, meet the diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder. Terence Ketter, MD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine, says studies have found that individuals who can tap into their emotions and find a passion are indeed more creative. “What this suggests is the ability to experience emotions can, in some individuals, provide them with some of the emotional energy that allows them to embark in creative activity,” he says.
Research on the depressive realism hypothesis, “suggests ... some depression allows people to more realistically assess themselves and their environment. In terms of creativity, this increased ability to see the reality of things may give depressed persons the ability to have insights that others who are not depressed may not notice,” says S. Nassir Ghaemi, MD, MPH, director of the Bipolar Disorder Research Program and associate professor of psychiatry and public health at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
Source
It is also thought that medications dampen this creativity which is one main reason us folks with bipolar often do not stay on medications. We want to reach that manic sweet spot. I know when I was manic it was superb. I felt genuinely happy. A state of bliss if you will. I've never been a creative person and all of a sudden I was able to write a complete cohesive 5 verse song in less than 5 minutes. I was recognizing links between things I had never seen before. It was almost like a whole new world. Having suffered with depression for years I did not want to give up this mania. I eventually got so out of my head my father was able to trick me into going to the hospital and getting admitted. I would be admitted a total of 5 times over 2 years. Fun.
I have often toyed with the idea of slowly tapering off my meds, but I am afraid of what I will feel. I have a 50-50 chance of feeling the bliss of mania again, but I could go off my rocker and end back in the psych ward. I think hypomania – mild but not full-blown mania – is the sweet spot, it can involve heightened creative thinking and expansiveness, high mental speed, cognitive flexibility, and ability to make original connections between otherwise disparate ideas, all elements underlying creativity. Kay Redfield Jamison’s studies have established that a number of speech components occur in individuals when hypomanic: they are more likely to use alliteration, to rhyme, to use idiosyncratic words, and engage in a playful use of language. I can most definitely experiencing this while I was waiting to be evaluated in the ER. I was using song lyrics and other things to create links. My father says I was just talking out of my head. I saw connections he did not, period.
Source
Research on the depressive realism hypothesis, “suggests ... some depression allows people to more realistically assess themselves and their environment. In terms of creativity, this increased ability to see the reality of things may give depressed persons the ability to have insights that others who are not depressed may not notice,” says S. Nassir Ghaemi, MD, MPH, director of the Bipolar Disorder Research Program and associate professor of psychiatry and public health at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
Source
It is also thought that medications dampen this creativity which is one main reason us folks with bipolar often do not stay on medications. We want to reach that manic sweet spot. I know when I was manic it was superb. I felt genuinely happy. A state of bliss if you will. I've never been a creative person and all of a sudden I was able to write a complete cohesive 5 verse song in less than 5 minutes. I was recognizing links between things I had never seen before. It was almost like a whole new world. Having suffered with depression for years I did not want to give up this mania. I eventually got so out of my head my father was able to trick me into going to the hospital and getting admitted. I would be admitted a total of 5 times over 2 years. Fun.
I have often toyed with the idea of slowly tapering off my meds, but I am afraid of what I will feel. I have a 50-50 chance of feeling the bliss of mania again, but I could go off my rocker and end back in the psych ward. I think hypomania – mild but not full-blown mania – is the sweet spot, it can involve heightened creative thinking and expansiveness, high mental speed, cognitive flexibility, and ability to make original connections between otherwise disparate ideas, all elements underlying creativity. Kay Redfield Jamison’s studies have established that a number of speech components occur in individuals when hypomanic: they are more likely to use alliteration, to rhyme, to use idiosyncratic words, and engage in a playful use of language. I can most definitely experiencing this while I was waiting to be evaluated in the ER. I was using song lyrics and other things to create links. My father says I was just talking out of my head. I saw connections he did not, period.
Source
Thursday, April 4, 2013
History of Bipolar Disorder
As of late I've been curious about the earliest days of Bipolar. I've found some very interesting information and compiled it here.
From 300 to 500 AD, some people with bipolar disorder were euthanized, according to Cara Gardenswartz, PhD, who is in private practice in Beverly Hills, California, with specific expertise in bipolar disorder and in its history. Those with bipolar were thought to be possessed by demons. They would be chained down, blood let out, or electric eels would be applied to the skull. It's horrific to think what I may have endured in those days.
“Less is known about bipolar disorder from 1000 to 1700 AD, but in the 18th and 19th centuries, we adopted a healthier overall approach to mental disorders,” says Dr. Gardenswartz.
The ancient Greeks and Romans coined the terms “mania” and “melancholia” and used waters of northern Italian spas to treat agitated or euphoric patients. From 300 to 400 BC, the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle had thanked “melancholia” for the gifts of artists, poets, and writers, the creative minds of his time. Conversely, in the Middle Ages, those afflicted with mental illness were thought to be guilty of wrongdoing: their illness was surely a manifestation of bad deeds, it was thought.
German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin (1856–1926) formulated the separate terms “manic-depression” and “dementia praecox,” the latter later named “schizophrenia” by Eugène Bleuler (1857–1940).
Widespread use of the term “manic depression” prevailed until the early 1930s, it was even used until the 1980s and 1990s. Also during the early 1900s, Sigmund Freud broke new ground when he used psychoanalysis with his manic-depressive patients: biology then took a back seat. He implicated childhood trauma and unresolved developmental conflicts in bipolar disorder.
In the early 1950s, German psychiatrist Karl Leonhard and colleagues initiated the classification system that led to the term “bipolar,” differentiating between unipolar and bipolar depression.
The use of sedatives and barbiturates prior to the 1950s was common for bipolar. Patients were also institutionalized to separate them from others. Hot baths continued to be used through the ages, presumed to calm the person down. Electroconvulsive shock therapy and prefrontal lobotomies emerged as two more radical treatment options until new methods evolved and were accepted.
Today there are several specific medications for bipolar itself, myself having tried several of them. My struggle is day to day with bipolar. From the moment I get out of bed till I lay my head on the pillow at night. Hopefully this insight into the history of bipolar has shed some light on your condition and allows you to be grateful for the more humane treatment we receive today. There is still a strong stigma attached to bipolar and mental illness. The more we know the sooner the stigma will fade.
Source: BPHope
From 300 to 500 AD, some people with bipolar disorder were euthanized, according to Cara Gardenswartz, PhD, who is in private practice in Beverly Hills, California, with specific expertise in bipolar disorder and in its history. Those with bipolar were thought to be possessed by demons. They would be chained down, blood let out, or electric eels would be applied to the skull. It's horrific to think what I may have endured in those days.
“Less is known about bipolar disorder from 1000 to 1700 AD, but in the 18th and 19th centuries, we adopted a healthier overall approach to mental disorders,” says Dr. Gardenswartz.
The ancient Greeks and Romans coined the terms “mania” and “melancholia” and used waters of northern Italian spas to treat agitated or euphoric patients. From 300 to 400 BC, the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle had thanked “melancholia” for the gifts of artists, poets, and writers, the creative minds of his time. Conversely, in the Middle Ages, those afflicted with mental illness were thought to be guilty of wrongdoing: their illness was surely a manifestation of bad deeds, it was thought.
German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin (1856–1926) formulated the separate terms “manic-depression” and “dementia praecox,” the latter later named “schizophrenia” by Eugène Bleuler (1857–1940).
Widespread use of the term “manic depression” prevailed until the early 1930s, it was even used until the 1980s and 1990s. Also during the early 1900s, Sigmund Freud broke new ground when he used psychoanalysis with his manic-depressive patients: biology then took a back seat. He implicated childhood trauma and unresolved developmental conflicts in bipolar disorder.
In the early 1950s, German psychiatrist Karl Leonhard and colleagues initiated the classification system that led to the term “bipolar,” differentiating between unipolar and bipolar depression.
The use of sedatives and barbiturates prior to the 1950s was common for bipolar. Patients were also institutionalized to separate them from others. Hot baths continued to be used through the ages, presumed to calm the person down. Electroconvulsive shock therapy and prefrontal lobotomies emerged as two more radical treatment options until new methods evolved and were accepted.
Today there are several specific medications for bipolar itself, myself having tried several of them. My struggle is day to day with bipolar. From the moment I get out of bed till I lay my head on the pillow at night. Hopefully this insight into the history of bipolar has shed some light on your condition and allows you to be grateful for the more humane treatment we receive today. There is still a strong stigma attached to bipolar and mental illness. The more we know the sooner the stigma will fade.
Source: BPHope
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