Susan Asks…

Hi, I have just recently been diagnosed with BPD. I have been on an antidepressant for years because I have suffered from depression (or what I was told was just depression) many years ago. Well recently I left my husband for the 2nd time and bought a car (that I couldn’t afford) and then of course had the depression really set in hard. Worse than ever.

I just read a press release entitled “Patients With Bipolar Disorder at Increased Risk for Wide Range of Health Problems.” The study, conducted Thomson Reuters, found that “patients with bipolar disorder were at greater risk for a wide range of medical conditions than a control group of patients with no mental health diagnoses.” I’m not surprised. I think two factors are at work here:

• Bipolar disorder: Everyone knows that stress is a major contributing factor for a host of illnesses, and what’s more stressful than living with bipolar disorder? Bipolar is not just a mental illness. It is a physical illness, too. A single episode of full mania completely exhausts the person who had the misfortune of experiencing it. Likewise, depression can make the entire body ache.
• Poor treatment options: Many of the medications used to treat bipolar cause other health health-related problems, including weight gain, nausea, dizzyness, impaired thinking, and fatigue, to name only a few. It’s no surprise, then, that people taking these medications are more likely to head to their doctors for a “wide range of health problems.”

How do the results of this report stack up to your experience with bipolar? Other than seeing your psychiatrist for issues directed related to bipolar, do you feel that you tend to visit your doctor more often than the average person for other health-related issues? Do you attribute these other health related issues to bipolar or the medications you’re taking to treat bipolar? Do you find the results of the report surprising?

I just read an article on eMax Health entitled “Bipolar Disorder Linked to Genes of Biological Clock.” The article cites a study presented at the Eighth International Conference on bipolar disorder, suggesting that “abnormalities in the genes that control circadian rhythms (rhythms of approximately 24 hours, also called biological clock) contribute to the development of bipolar disorder (manic depression).”

With this post, we continue our sort-of-biweekly series on medications used to treat bipolar disorder and related symptoms. A few weeks ago, we wrapped up our coverage of SSNRI antidepressants with Cymbalta (Duloxetine). This week, we turn our attention to an antidepressant that’s in a class of its own – Wellbutrin (bupropion), also marketed as Zyban for smoking cessation.

Folk singer-songwriter Cathy-Anne McClintock has just released her self-titled debut album, which includes a track entitled “Up” based on her personal experience growing up with her mother who has bipolar disorder.

I wrote the song because for as long as I can remember my mom has suffered with Bipolar Disorder. It wasn’t until I was about 16 that it was given a “label.” We just always thought she was beautiful, smart, flamboyant, spontaneous, spiritual, very energetic and productive until suddenly she wasn’t. That’s when she’d spend weeks alone in her room crying.

“Up” talks a little about my mom’s childhood and the euphoric “escape” that the manic side of the disorder can bring. It also talks about how we wish we knew more so we could have handled some things better.

If anyone has heard the song, please share your insights.

As many people have discovered, regulating sleep is often one of the best ways to regulate mood. Unfortunately, maintaining a regular sleep schedule is not always as easy as it sounds, especially if your neighbors, your family or roommates, your schedule, your lifestyle, or your sleeping arrangements do not cooperate.

I was talking to my doctor the other day about the possibility of antidepressants being overprescribed. Her reply was that people often go to the doctor when they’re feeling depressed, rarely report ever experiencing manic symptoms (probably because they were feeling pretty good at the time), and may even hide the truth about any mania they have experienced in the past because they are afraid of being labeled bipolar and having to be treated for it.