In Bipolar Disorder For Dummies, I point out that a key self-help strategy for living well with bipolar disorder is to monitor your moods, and I provide a Mood/Sleep Chart to facilitate the process. I also point out that those who prefer to track...
Tune Out the Bad News
I was recently interviewed by Meredith Carroll for her article in Redbook, "My 6-Year-Old Is Obsessed with National Tragedies — and I Doubt She's Alone," which is based on the author's experience that "it's practically impossible to go outside, online, open a newspaper, or turn on the TV and not have to pick your jaw up off the floor over an international crisis, natural disaster, or a national tragedy." The article specifically discusses how to talk to young children about tragedy or disaster...
Shifting Perspective on Bipolar Medication Weight Gain
Jake and his parents arrive early for their appointment with a list of concerns to review in our limited time together. I encourage patients and families to bring lists; a list keeps all of us focused. Their number one concern is Jake's weight, which...
Bipolar, Schizophrenia, and the Microbes Inside You
Can the bacterial community that lives in your gut actually be related to psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder? Research on the human microbiome and its effects on health and illness has exploded into the worlds of medicine and research. It is...
Manic or Hyperactive: What’s the Difference?
Helen, a 22 year old young lady, leans forward toward me — she is sitting in the chair I usually occupy during our sessions — and spills out details of an interaction with a customer she helped at her retail job. She speaks quickly...
Beating the Homework Blues
Is your child, tween, or teen struggling with homework in addition to other challenges, such as bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, or ADHD? If so, then maybe it's time to say, "Enough is enough." In my practice, I often see frazzled children and their frazzled...
Overcoming the Inertia of Depression with the Tiniest of Steps
A common refrain I hear from my patients' loved ones — and especially from parents of teenagers with depression — is that if their child or spouse would just get up and work out they could stop being depressed. "Dr. Fink, please tell my...
Bipolar Medication Mindfulness
Living with bipolar disorder often means taking medications regularly. That alone is a tough pill to swallow. Finding the right medicine "cocktail" often involves a month (or longer) journey of trials and adjustments. But once you find the right medicine and dose(s), taking your medication every day, as prescribed, drives the recovery and mood maintenance engines. Missing medicine or taking it at wildly different times each day makes it hard for the medicine to do its job and for you and your doctor to get a clear picture of what's working, what's not, and which medication may be causing undesirable side effects.
Sleeping Better with Bipolar Disorder
Sleep is restorative. It heals us. It grants our brains and bodies needed downtime for recovery from the stress and demands of our waking hours. Our circadian rhythms (our sleep/wake cycles) regulate core components of our human selves. And beyond all of sleep's mechanical importance to our bodies, a good night's sleep feels amazing; it is a gift to drift off to sleep easily and to awaken refreshed.
Manic episodes disrupt sleep/wake cycles — our internal clocks. When you experience a manic episode, you typically need little to no sleep for days at a time. These sustained sleepless periods rob you of the healing and peaceful benefits of sleep. Bodies, brains, and lives suffer as a result.
Childhood Bipolar? Parenting Advice
When you have a child with bipolar, parenting advice is never in short supply and is understandably not very welcome. However, in my practice, I spend far more time undiagnosing “the bipolar child” than I do diagnosing bipolar in children (see my previous post, "Childhood Bipolar or Something Else?"). The fact is that many children have a variety of challenges that share some characteristics with bipolar disorder, including anxiety, depression, and plain old frustration and anger. And while standard effective parenting techniques alone may not be an effective intervention with a child who may or may not be experiencing a clinical brain disorder, such techniques can certainly help.
