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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by fires on September 1, 2005, at 22:21:11
I've been dxed with BP NOS, yet since it was triggered by Effexor, BP III seems appropriate.
The problem is that I can't find any info. on BP III that talks about the "spectrum" of BP III. There surely has to be a spectrum -- right? mild to severe?
Anyone?
Thanks
Posted by Phillipa on September 2, 2005, at 18:37:04
In reply to BP III question, posted by fires on September 1, 2005, at 22:21:11
I think SLS Scott knows about biplar lll. Hopefully he will see your post. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by fires on September 2, 2005, at 20:53:37
In reply to Re: BP III question » fires, posted by Phillipa on September 2, 2005, at 18:37:04
> I think SLS Scott knows about biplar lll. Hopefully he will see your post. Fondly, Phillipa
Thanks, I read an article about BP in general, including BP III, which included the folowing statement by a patient:
“A doctor said to me, ‘if you don’t have problems with shopping or sex, you’re not bipolar, period,’ ” says Christine, an interior designer.
I don't have problems with either, period.
Posted by Phillipa on September 2, 2005, at 21:58:28
In reply to Re: BP III question » Phillipa, posted by fires on September 2, 2005, at 20:53:37
Not so sure I agree with that. My understanding is a bipolar person doesn't require sleep, can hallucinate like a schizophrenic or have delusional thinking like thinking they are God or hearing voices. When I worked in psych it was often hard to tell the difference between the two. And they also do not eat. Medications to bring a person out of mania are very difficult and take sometimes a week or longer. Then a depression can hit very deep. My ex-father-in law was bipolar and used to stop his meds periodically. He would get very manic, ride a bike all over the city accuse family members of affairs or that they were the crazy ones. But there again I think, just think bipolar three is brought on by a medication sometimes an SSRI. please forgive me if I'm wrong. I'm only speaking what I know. A better idea would be to google bipolar illness and read what the experts say. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by fires on September 2, 2005, at 22:14:40
In reply to Re: BP III question » fires, posted by Phillipa on September 2, 2005, at 21:58:28
I'm aware of the BP type that you describe so well.
I have hypomania only. Talking too much, a little psychomotor hyperactivity, mild racing thoughts, etc... Nothing near being out of control/psychotic.
Thanks
Posted by gardenergirl on September 2, 2005, at 22:17:22
In reply to Re: BP III question » Phillipa, posted by fires on September 2, 2005, at 22:14:40
Hi fires,
Although I don't have any references to back this up, I see no reason why a diagnosis like Biploar III wouldn't have a range of severity just like any other diagnosis.gg
Posted by fires on September 2, 2005, at 22:38:57
In reply to Re: BP III question » fires, posted by gardenergirl on September 2, 2005, at 22:17:22
That's what I was thinking, yet I can't seem to find any info. about the topic.
Here's the link to the article which has a lot of info. and opinions about the whole BP "controversy"(# of types of BP, overdiagnosed?, etc...).
Posted by Phillipa on September 2, 2005, at 23:19:14
In reply to Re: BP III question » gardenergirl, posted by fires on September 2, 2005, at 22:38:57
The article makes a lot of sense to me. But what are you questioning? If you are hypomanic that to me is what of the most successful people are. My father-in-law started out this way. He created an empire and made a lot of money until his 50's when he went over the edge. But that was before SSRI's. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by gardenergirl on September 3, 2005, at 11:03:59
In reply to Re: BP III question » gardenergirl, posted by fires on September 2, 2005, at 22:38:57
Great article, thanks for posting the link.
A couple of quotes struck me.
"....one set of diagnostic criteria had it, “inappropriate punning,” a behavior I hoped I had never exhibited, though I had my fears..."
Oh lordy, that might mean my whole family of inlaws has bipolar! They're incorrible with punning. ;)
“As more and more people are taking antidepressants, more and more bipolarity is being exposed, because anyone who becomes hypomanic on antidepressants is bipolar,” says Ivan Goldberg, a psychiatrist with offices on the Upper East Side.
I'm not sure I agree with this. I still wonder where the line is drawn between hypomania and simply NOT being depressed and returning to your baseline personality. Along the same lines, this quote by Kay Redfield Jamison really struck me. (I missed a couple of chances to hear her speak recently, darn it!)
“The distinctions between hypomania and a state of exuberance can get very blurred,” says Kay Redfield Jamison, a professor of psychiatry and author of several key manic-depressive texts, including a memoir of her own experience with the illness, An Unquiet Mind. “Exuberance—high energy, high mood, ebullience—is very understudied and extremely underappreciated as a vital emotion. It’s tied up with curiosity, adventure, and scientific discovery; it’s getting reignited when you would otherwise fall over; it’s adaptive. But hypomania, when it’s associated with depression, the worsening course of a disease, increased alcohol and drug use, financial ruin, or constant emotional turmoil—none of those things are adaptive. It’s easy to romanticize a pathological state, to say this is the result of a very romantic temperament. Certainly, in my own life, I spent a long time saying ‘This isn’t so bad,’ and nearly died because of it.’”
I think it's the adaptive exuberance that some folks also call hypomania. You know, there's nothing wrong with a good mood and a sense of humor in general. It's the maladaptive behaviors that might be more hypomanic in nature, as she says above.
Still, it's a difficult thing to parse out.
regards,
gg
Posted by fires on September 3, 2005, at 11:42:42
In reply to Re: BP III question » fires, posted by gardenergirl on September 3, 2005, at 11:03:59
To Phillipa and gg:
Sorry, I'm feeling horrible. Will get back to this thread later (hopefully). I've got to post about Klonopin now.
Posted by Smith562 on September 4, 2005, at 9:05:15
In reply to BP III question, posted by fires on September 1, 2005, at 22:21:11
Hey Everyone,
It seem like many doctors are realizing "Mood Disorders" are like any other medical disease. For example asthma .... it is not a question of whether you have asthma or don't have asthma. People can have mild, moderate or severe asthma. Some people just need a couple of puff of an inhaler before exercise with mild asthma, while other may need 3 inhalers and oral medications just to breath normally in severe asthma.
Same with bipolar (and depression, anxiety, psychosis). It turns out many individual failing numerous antidepressant many have mild bipolar and many just need a touch of a mood stablizer (like 450 lithium, or lamictal, or 500 depakote) to feel better. Obviously severe bipolar patient have severe mood swings and need 2,3,4 or more med combos to stablize them. But many of us could use a touch of a ms to feel better.
So every medical disease can vary from mild to severe, and mood disorders are probably no different ... some of us need a touch of a benzo for mild anxiety, or many a touch of antipsychotic for mild psychosis, or a touch of mood stablizer for mild bipolar.
Smith
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