Music Featuring Bipolar - B.O.B.

Hello everyone! Today I wanted to touch on a song that describes or features bipolar disorder. One of my favorite songs is Out of My Mind by B.O.B., a rap song. It's catchy and I think is lyricaly creative incorporating bipolar disorder. Some of his lyrics read as follows:

I'm, I'm, I'm
Out of my, out of my mind
Out of my fucking mind

[Verse 1: B.o.B]
I'm out of my fucking mind, gee, gee, golly, oh my
I was doing fine, once upon a time
Then my brain left and it didn't say bye
Don't look at me wrong; I'm out of my mind
Like Nostradamus and da Vinci combined
So paranoid of espionage
I'm watching my doors and checking my blinds
My brain is on vacation, they telling me
And I'm bi-polar to the severity
And I need medication, apparently
And some electrocompulsive therapy
I am a rebel, but yes, I'm so militant
Still I'm illegible for disabilities
I am psychotic but there is no remedy
This is not figurative, this is literally
If these niggas go dumb, I go to the mental facility
See, man I'm so out there, I slap fives with ET
I don't need a feature
They don't want me to eat A La Carte when I'm on this beat
If you feel the same as me, then you got to agree
I'm out of my mind

[Interlude: B.o.B]
I'm out of it
I can't seem to come out of it
What's going on inside of my head?
It feels like I'm being John Malkovich
Ladies and gentlemen, please tone it down a bit
There is an announcement, I like to announce (It...)
Wait, how am I suppose to pronounce this shit?

[Verse 3: B.o.B]
I don't need a sub, I don't a speaker
Cause a nigga bring the noise like an onomatopoeia
Leave him in the dust, all he see is my Adidas
Na na na na boo boo, wouldn't want to be ya
Never turning back, how you think I got here?
And I'm never slowing down, fuck was that a deer?
If you got a problem, step to the office
Matter fact, never mind, talk to the Kiosk, bi-atch
You have no idea
That's why they call me B dot; been a maniac ever since I was knee-high
Man, I swear to God, I'mma need help
Someone call Charter; maybe call FEMA
Cause I got to be crazy or outta my mind to have this many stamps on my VISA

 

 

Follow this link to watch the music video and leanr more about B.O.B. and his music. I wish the nurses in the psych ward were really that hot, lol. I'm hoping to continue to feature bipolar songs and lyrics in future blog entries. I hope you enjoyed this song! Stay tuned for more!

Why Does Evil Exist?

For those of you who haven't read my past blogs about Betty J Eadie, years ago she had a very detailed near-death experience where she did in fact die for a matter of minutes. Within those moments she moved on to the afterlife and met Jesus  as well as others who had passed on before her. In her text Embraced by the Light she recalls the experience in as much details as she can remember. I receive Betty's e-newsletter in my inbox and wanted to share an excerpt from one of her texts, The Ripple Effect. Click here if you'd like to sign up for her newsletter. Link to her website.

I just ordered her text The Ripple Effect via the Internet over Amazon. This text has many answers that Betty Eadie has given that others have asked about her Near Death Experience. In it she shows the Ripple Effect we have on other people through our thoughts and actions. Once I receive and read this text I will review it on here as well. Let's now look at an excerpt.

"But why does evil exist at all? The answer is that our spirits grow faster and stronger through adversity. The pain of experiencing wrong doing and loss burns into our souls and encodes itself into our cells and our energy. The lessons we learn from our troubles become part of our very essence. Negative experiences also grant us the power of empathy, to see others as we see ourselves, to comprehend joys and sorrows and all the human impulses. As our eyes are opened and we grow in empathy, our ability to love unconditionally increases. To develop our highest potential, to become like God, we need to gain that love which only opposition allows us to gain. Without an opposing energy, our power to love would never be strengthened sufficiently to allow us to progress in the eternities." –The Ripple Effect, pp 81-82

This, to me, makes complete sense. As a sufferer of bipolar I can assure you that becoming homeless, bouncing in and out of the psych ward, and adult foster care have given me a whole new perspective of people with mental illness. I can now empathize with others in a whole new way. Before I was diagnosed and went manic I was an simply an only child who was raised in a lower middle class family. All my needs were taken care of. I went to college and successfully graduated with a 3.8 GPA. I got a great job straight out of college making 50k my firts year and blew through it as fast as I made it. There was no way I would be able to relate to the random homeless person on the street. Now I can.

Now, seeing things through a whole new set of eyes, I have learned how few resources are available for someone with a mental health issue. I've also learned how quickly and easily our rights can be stripped from us. It's scary. I've learned what a 5150 is and hopefully I've learned how to now avoid them. If you're personally seeking some online support I suggest MDJunction.com. It's a free support group website where you can ask and find many solutions and comfort from others going through exactly what you're going through. If you're looking for a more personal experience try searching for a local DBSA chapter (Depression Bipolar Support Alliance). I use both.

I empathize with celebrities in the news like Amanda Bynes who are struggling as well with mental health issues. My all time favorite celebrity, Britney Spears, had a notorious breakdown in 2007 after her break up with Kevin Federline and shaved her head. In an interview she denies "going crazy" but admits she was dealing with a lot and it was a form of rebellion. She the short snippet of interview here. In 2008 she was put on a 5150, an involuntary 72hr psych evaluation. Read about it here. Her father was granted guardianship, giving him control over all financial and medical decisions. Five years later it is yet to be lifted signaling there is a mental health issue present.

"However, Britney is said to have a psychological condition, such as bipolar disorder, that justifies the continued need for conservatorship. Obviously, there is a great deal about her situation that the general public doesn’t know. But many people have psychological disorders without having their most basic rights stripped away from them. The question is, for how long does her condition and past meltdowns continue to justify this extreme remedy?" Read more here.


What do you think? Why does evil and adversity exist?

Seasonal Affective Disorder and Bipolar

Hello everyone! Happy Hump Day! Today I want to touch on the link between seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and bipolar disorder (BD). I myself have noticed changes in mood and activity with the changing seasons. In the warm summer months I am active and outdoors as much as possible. In the winter I sleep much much more and seldom go outside. My activity levels plummet.

 I found a wonderful article from the National Institute of Health that describes studies between individuals with major depressive disorder seasonal pattern (MDD SP) and those with bipolar disorder seasonal pattern (BD SP). One study found that BD SP patients reported a higher rate of psychiatric hospitalizations than MDD SP patients (28% vs 9.4%).  Manic episodes peaked in early spring, mixed episodes peaked in late summer or fall, and depressive episodes peaked in fall-winter. (This seems to be my pattern) In BD, life events that change social rhythms may disrupt circadian rhythms, triggering mood episodes.

Bright light therapy has been shown to be effective in treating major depressive disorder with seasonal pattern (MDD SP), and initial reports indicate that light also can improve depressive symptoms in bipolar disorder with seasonal pattern (BD SP). In an early case report, a patient with BD SP achieved remission of a depressive episode with a 4-day open trial of 2,000 lux of fluorescent light given daily between 6 and 9 AM and 4 and 7 PM.

Year-round mood-stabilizer treatment is indicated to minimize the risk of mood episodes in BD SP. When treating SAD, mood stabilizers with antidepressant effects—such as lamotrigine or lithium (for maintenance), and quetiapine or aripiprazole (for acute treatment)—are preferable to agents without an antidepressant effect in monotherapy. More-sedating mood stabilizers (such as valproate or carbamazepine) likely would not be as beneficial as less-sedating agents, considering that patients with SAD frequently experience fatigue.

Another article from John Hopkins website noted that some people with seasonal affective disorder can be successfully treated with exposure to bright light. In one study, 57 percent of 191 people with SAD responded to light therapy. In another study, bright-light therapy was comparable in effectiveness to antidepressant therapy but worked faster and caused fewer side effects. And in a major review of 173 published studies, bright-light therapy yielded substantial relief for both SAD and mild to moderate depression that was not linked to seasonal changes.

Bright-light therapy involves sitting in front of a bank of full-spectrum fluorescent lights for 30 to 60 minutes each day. Improvement in symptoms can often be seen within a few days, with symptoms disappearing after two to three weeks. Continued light therapy is needed to prevent a relapse.
 
They note that light therapy should be used only with your doctor's guidance, as it can cause side effects when used improperly. For instance, light therapy may trigger manic symptoms in people who have bipolar disorder. But a small study in the journal Bipolar Disorders found that bright-light therapy can ease symptoms of depression in some patients with bipolar disorder.

You can buy a light box over the counter, or your doctor may recommend a specific light box. Most health insurance plans do not cover the cost. Light boxes, available from stores and Internet retailers, come in different shapes and sizes and have varied features. They also produce different types and intensities of light. Light boxes are designed to be safe and effective, but they aren't approved or regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Personally, I used to go tan in the winter months while in college and that helped my mood greatly. Practically my entire dorm floor of girls would go at once. In fact, my bipolar symptoms didn't peak until years after I graduted from college. Maybe my tanning tamed my symptoms. I think I will look into tanning packages in town. :)  I always found it relaxing. Listening to music while soaking in some rays is a favorite pastime in the summer months.


I hope this blog was informative and helpful. Live everyday like it's your last.