 |
| Surfing with Bi-polar bears |
Managing anything that has to do with the human
spectrum of feelings and emotions is a tall order. Managing is almost the same as controlling
something. Kindness and integration work most effectively with this more gentle way of managing. To me it might mean being person-centered with yourself and almost a
quiet observer to most of those roller coaster moments. Don't seek hospitalization unless you or a loved one become so out of
control that it is dangerous. Rather, let the emotions take their ride and then process
it later when all is well.
There are alternatives to medications. As you may know there are many class action
tort cases regarding the damaging effects of psycho-pharmaceutic drugs. Many of
these drugs are toxic to the nervous system and cause permanent damage.
They (Robert and Peter) speak of eliminating the toxic
drugs and using other therapies instead.
I call mental health in America maddening indeed from the mistreatment
of the mentally ill to the three ring circus of providers and disability
adjudication. It is beyond stigmatizing
to be escorted to a mental health facility where people are strapped down,
drugged, barked orders to, and awaken to 5 AM blood draws after a sleepless
night listening to others scream, talk to themselves, or just shuffle about. It
is far from therapeutic for many. There
are times when loved ones have no choice it seems. That is because the right choices were not
considered long ago before all the monkeying around with drugs and brain
chemistry. Choices diminish greatly if
someone is court ordered to take medication.
So should someone be forced to be on medication? I don’t have that answer because I can think
of times when it might be necessary but not the ideal.
When we think of invasive treatment, medication can be
one of the most horrible ones. People
report many adverse side effects. They
can feel anxiety, burning brain, lethargy, fatigued, thirsty, headaches,
insomnia, muscle spasms, diarrhea, weight gain, loss of sex drive or libido,
men grow breast tissue, and involuntary tremors. Dr. Breggin also mentions the chemical
lobotomy that goes on for many making life a dreary thing and many people
become reproductively sterile. I wonder
if that was intentional?
I have witness many nightmares with family members and
I have gone through a few myself. Some
strategies have emerged. When I say
strategies I think of the Silver Lining Playbook movie. That movie was ground breaking in that it
brought robust discussion of mental health diagnoses to the forefront. It is
easier to have a more robust, less shameful conversation about these types of
problems. Sweeping mental health issues under the carpet has led to many social
problems and myths.
Some alternatives to consider and to bring to the
prescribing doctors are the following:
First a disclaimer:
Never withdraw from medication on your own. Dr. Breggin has a book that advises providers
how to help others titrate off these very powerful medications. The
body has become accustomed to not producing serotonin or dopamine or both as
the neuro receptors are blocked from absorbing these natural neuro
chemicals. You might have heard of serotonin
re-uptake inhibitors. It is quite
dangerous to then stop and flood the brain with these naturally occurring chemicals
after a period of not having them. It
can create psychosis. Also mood stabilizers were often developed from research
for epilepsy and they might create a disturbance as well. As I understand it, some chemicals and
naturally occurring salts can cross the cerebrum's hemispheric division
and some cannot. When one starts using layman’s terms it really demystifies
what is being done to your brain chemistry via drugs. Don’t DIY on any of this. There are some strategies for lowering
psycho-pharmaceuticals and safe ways to come off of these drugs.
 |
| Bi-Polar Bears on stage |
OK and up to now…there are been few therapies offered
except for medication and perhaps some (CBT)groups. Managed Health Care is really cutting back on individual therapy. It depends on the type of insurance one has. There is an odd partnership between the huge pharmaceutical companies
and psychiatry. Anything else seems to
be dismissed. Big Pharma and mental
health providers have been in bed together for quite a while. I wonder if there is any breaking up of that
relationship?
These are some things to research and I will have to
speak about each one to some degree in future blog postings.
Vitamins and nutrition: There is so much leading edge research
saying that hospital stays where patients were receiving intravenous vitamins
and minerals helped a great deal.
Exercise helps stimulate serotonin and dopamine and really those are
your “calming and uplifting” friends. So
to combine these two is extremely effective.
Get the vitamins and minerals, eat well with the leafy greens, and rice
and beans and raw fruits and vegetables, go for a walk or swim, and within a
few days, these patients are not delusional, not depressed, and not anxious. It is incredible that all this happens
without sedating and strapping people down.
Full acceptance of the person having mental health
issues. I like to call it person centered
therapy. Having respect and
unconditional positive regard (love) for patients is the basic idea of person
centered treatment. I worked with
children in schools and we used child-centered play therapy. The children were able to balance emotions,
discover solutions, and re-direct themselves through play therapy. There is adult play therapy as well. Imagine
combining, nutrition, exercise, and supplements with a playful
environment. Water volley ball, non-competitive
soccer, bicycle polo, dancing, and hiking are all great ways to get a sunshine
bath, socialize, and enjoy the day.
Sunshine encourages certain vitamins to work better. And certain minerals encourage other minerals
to be absorbed.
When it comes to processing feelings I love art
therapy and music therapy as well as narrative therapy. Narrative therapy works beautifully with
bipolar diagnosed individuals. They are
the creative people who love expressing themselves through various mediums. I think of Jim Carey, Vincent Van Gogh, Isabella
Duncan, Ernest Hemingway, Brian Wilson (Beach Boys) and thousands of others who have conveyed so much
through their humor, dancing, writing, and art and admittedly they have had mental
health issues. Many of these artist have
taken us to new levels of human expression.
Even some of the brilliant inventors like Steve Jobs and Nicola Tesla were
in that eccentric genius rare zone of the bipolar person. I was surprised to hear Joan Baez speak of her
own mental health issues and that it was hard to go on stage at times due to
the fear she had She seemed so confident. Transitioning the topic to the absence of fear...
 |
| finding balance with all life |
Mania might be the most dangerous phase for many. My uncle loved to fly planes, but we think he
might have been doing risky things like barn storming when he crashed. There are many who will drive fast and take
risks during mania. I will have to come back to that one because any sage
advice eludes me. I would recommend Yoga
and meditation for relaxation during energy overloads. It would be good to up the exercise part too, but there is probably a
bit more that could help.
Environment is very important in managing bipolar swings. Having people who understand and accept you is so important. Seek help in managing finances and paying bills if needed. Bipolar diagnosed people can wind up homeless when they are unable to manage the rent payment and paying other bills. Often time picking up someone when they get their food stamps and then going shopping with him is a great service. They can buy big quantities that will hopefully last a month or near that. There are some things like produce that will not. However, getting some canned goods and other staples will be very important.
Safety is also part of environment. Bipolar mood episodes make some people very vulnerable. They are easy prey at times. Some are more likely to be robbed or molested. They might not be able to tell what is reality and then they are susceptible to the trickery of others. Creating a safe life style is so important. As much as safety is a huge factor, some institutions are very prison like and do not even allow patients to go outside. That is not the quality of life that works for this highly creative group. I think there might be a bracelet that would track people who wonder away in a delusional state so that someone might check up on them. Check up, not like a parent, but like a friend who wants to reach out.
 |
| reaching out is magical |
As far as tending to first person, second person and
my voice, this writing is not stellar. I
felt the need to spill all my thoughts.
I hope it will spawn further exploration. There are vast amounts of new therapies coming
down the road. Honestly, it cannot
arrive soon enough. Too many horror
stories exist in this mental health field.
If you are dealing with thoughts of suicide, you can speak to someone immediately here or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which you can reach at 1-800-273-8255.
