Living Bipolar Read Online Free Page A
Author: Landon Sessions
Tags: nonfiction, Psychology, Self-Help, Mental Health
lose my job at any moment and I believed other people were out to get me. And when I got a phone call from a number I didn't know, or when I checked the mail, I was scared that something bad had happened. Anxiety and fear of other people ruled my life and my emotions.
PSYCHIATRIC COMORBIDITY
The most common psychiatric comorbidities are substance related, anxiety, personality, and eating disorders…Illness prevalence and comorbidity with Bipolar disorder are:
1. Substance Use/Abuse -- 44 to 61 percent
2. Anxiety Disorders -- 24 to 42 percent.
3. Personality Disorders -- 30 percent general prevalence (comorbidity is debated due to symptom overlap)
4. Eating Disorders -- 0.5 percent to 3 percent
-Keck and Suppes 2005: 5-14
Paranoia in my life lasted for years. But I never realized any of this paranoid thinking was abnormal, so I never discussed it with my doctor. I thought if I worked harder on myself I could combat my negative thinking. As a result of my thinking I believed I was defective as a person. For two or three years I had suicidal thoughts on a consistent basis, but I was scared to share this fact with my doctor because I thought I would be committed.
However, it’s extremely important to understand that I was never suicidal, and I never had a plan of killing myself .
For me, I was ashamed of talking about the suicidal thoughts. I believed I had the thoughts because of what happened in my past from being sexual abused as a child and from the brain injury. I never made the connection to the thoughts being a part of the Bipolar illness. I would beat myself up every day telling myself I was inferior, and inadequate, compared to others because of the suicidal thoughts. I believed myself to be broken and if anyone found out the truth about who I was they wouldn't like me. These thoughts lead me to not sharing them with anyone, and I kept most of how I was feeling to myself. Today I’ve learned that keeping thoughts and feelings bottled up inside is extremely ruinous to my health and mental and emotional state.
SUICIDE AND HOMICIDE RISK
Patients with Bipolar disorder have 10 to 15 percent lifetime suicide rates. Every patient who may have Bipolar disorder or describes depressive symptoms should be asked about suicidal ideation, plans or preparations for suicide, and intent to act on those plans. They should also be asked about access to medications or firearms that may be used to commit suicide. In most instances, suicide attempts are associated with depressive manifestations, either during a major depressive or mixed episode.
While homicidal behavior uncommon, clinicians should also query a patient as to aggressive impulses towards others. A past history of aggressive behavior or legal difficulties as well as aggressive behavior associated with alcohol or other substance used should be explored.
-Keck and Suppes 2005: 4-19 and 20
FAMILY HISTORY
I have often thought about the potential impact of passing the Bipolar illness on to a child. If I have a genetic predisposition for the illness I do not want to have kids, as I would not wish this illness upon anyone. Therefore, I have researched my family history to learn if anyone in my family has ever had the illness. In my family history, there is no one known on my mom or dad’s side who had the Bipolar illness. I was told by a neurologist that the brain injury caused the Bipolar illness. In fact, my therapist’s sister was in a car accident, and suffered head trauma, and as a result her sister developed the Bipolar illness.
Past history of head injury should always be part of a medical assessment for the possibility of Bipolar disorder because head injury in and of itself can be either a causal or an aggravating factor for bipolar symptoms. Given that many untreated patients with Bipolar disorder have low impulse control and a tendency to engage in risky behavior, the possibility for head injury becomes particularly pertinent.
-Keck and Suppes 2005:
PSYCHIATRIC COMORBIDITY
The most common psychiatric comorbidities are substance related, anxiety, personality, and eating disorders…Illness prevalence and comorbidity with Bipolar disorder are:
1. Substance Use/Abuse -- 44 to 61 percent
2. Anxiety Disorders -- 24 to 42 percent.
3. Personality Disorders -- 30 percent general prevalence (comorbidity is debated due to symptom overlap)
4. Eating Disorders -- 0.5 percent to 3 percent
-Keck and Suppes 2005: 5-14
Paranoia in my life lasted for years. But I never realized any of this paranoid thinking was abnormal, so I never discussed it with my doctor. I thought if I worked harder on myself I could combat my negative thinking. As a result of my thinking I believed I was defective as a person. For two or three years I had suicidal thoughts on a consistent basis, but I was scared to share this fact with my doctor because I thought I would be committed.
However, it’s extremely important to understand that I was never suicidal, and I never had a plan of killing myself .
For me, I was ashamed of talking about the suicidal thoughts. I believed I had the thoughts because of what happened in my past from being sexual abused as a child and from the brain injury. I never made the connection to the thoughts being a part of the Bipolar illness. I would beat myself up every day telling myself I was inferior, and inadequate, compared to others because of the suicidal thoughts. I believed myself to be broken and if anyone found out the truth about who I was they wouldn't like me. These thoughts lead me to not sharing them with anyone, and I kept most of how I was feeling to myself. Today I’ve learned that keeping thoughts and feelings bottled up inside is extremely ruinous to my health and mental and emotional state.
SUICIDE AND HOMICIDE RISK
Patients with Bipolar disorder have 10 to 15 percent lifetime suicide rates. Every patient who may have Bipolar disorder or describes depressive symptoms should be asked about suicidal ideation, plans or preparations for suicide, and intent to act on those plans. They should also be asked about access to medications or firearms that may be used to commit suicide. In most instances, suicide attempts are associated with depressive manifestations, either during a major depressive or mixed episode.
While homicidal behavior uncommon, clinicians should also query a patient as to aggressive impulses towards others. A past history of aggressive behavior or legal difficulties as well as aggressive behavior associated with alcohol or other substance used should be explored.
-Keck and Suppes 2005: 4-19 and 20
FAMILY HISTORY
I have often thought about the potential impact of passing the Bipolar illness on to a child. If I have a genetic predisposition for the illness I do not want to have kids, as I would not wish this illness upon anyone. Therefore, I have researched my family history to learn if anyone in my family has ever had the illness. In my family history, there is no one known on my mom or dad’s side who had the Bipolar illness. I was told by a neurologist that the brain injury caused the Bipolar illness. In fact, my therapist’s sister was in a car accident, and suffered head trauma, and as a result her sister developed the Bipolar illness.
Past history of head injury should always be part of a medical assessment for the possibility of Bipolar disorder because head injury in and of itself can be either a causal or an aggravating factor for bipolar symptoms. Given that many untreated patients with Bipolar disorder have low impulse control and a tendency to engage in risky behavior, the possibility for head injury becomes particularly pertinent.
-Keck and Suppes 2005:
Readers choose
Shana Burton
Judy Blume
Nicholas Edwards
Jill Sorenson
John Lehmann
Candice Millard
Thomas Wolfe