I try not to give medical advice here because I am not a doctor. But so many people ask me about this I felt I had to address getting off antidepressants without withdrawal. So many people with bipolar disorder (depression and others) need information about getting off psych meds and they are not getting it from their doctors.
This is the first in a three-part series:
When to Stop Antidepressants in Bipolar Disorder
How to Stop Antidepressants in Bipolar Disorder While Minimizing Withdrawal
How to Stop Taking venlafaxine (Effexor) and Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq) – as they are particularly nasty to get off
In my line of work I come across the most obscure information, which is why I love sharing it with you. This week’s three new things about mental illness include:
A weekly mental health link-party
How scientists want to drug children who might get a mental illness
How hat makers used to experience social phobia
How could you not want to know the details about that?
Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to give me your opinion, but there’s more to do. Only about half of the people who have clicked on the survey have filled it out. We can do better than that!
In the final installation of my mixed moods series, I talk about how to treat mixed moods in bipolar disorder. If you need a refresher on mixed moods in bipolar 1 or bipolar 2, see the first three articles in this series:
Nevertheless, St. John’s wort is the most well-known alternative treatment for depression and many people take it. However, there are absolutely some dangers in taking St. John’s wort that you should know about, especially if you’re bipolar.
As I’ve said, mental illness treatments often don’t work. And you have to keep trying treatment anyway. Because without doing anything new, you are condemned to being stuck in the same mental illness mire you are currently in.
But in all honesty, mental illness treatment requires faith. Trying psych med after failed psych med requires a belief that something will work in spite of the evidence to the contrary. It requires a belief that is not based on proof.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the manual that defines all mental illness in the US, is being revised and a new version is due out in 2013. One of the proposed changes to the DSM is to the diagnosis of mixed moods. This change is being proposed by a mood disorders workgroup. It aims to reflect clinical practice where doctors already refer to a “mixed” mood that doesn’t officially meet the DSM criteria. (As I noted, mixed moods are only technically recognized in bipolar type 1.)
Changes to the mixed mood diagnosis will help people with bipolar 1, bipolar 2 and unipolar depression get better treatment.
I want to provide you with information you find useful and helpful.
Because without those two things, this site turns into me just talking to myself, and well, I do that a lot already. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned about readers it’s that they surprise you. Actually asking you what you want is infinitely better than me guessing.
Today I’m launching a 60-second survey to get a bit more information about you. This survey is completely optional, but I would appreciate one minute of your time so I can learn a bit more about you.
I’m running this survey through a site called WEGO Health. WEGO Health focuses on finding people who are leaders in health communities. These are people who:
Engage on health topics
Answer questions
Ask questions
Share information on health topics
Basically, they’re looking for many of you. I know many readers here fit their profile and would possibly benefit from their services.
Um, What Kind of Services
WEGO Health runs webinars, chats and whatnot on health topics. You never have to attend if you don’t want to.
I Don’t Want to Sign Up for Services
That’s perfectly fine. There’s a checkbox at the bottom of the survey that will opt you out of all emails.
Your Feedback Will Be Anonymous
One of the good things about running it through a third party is you’ll be anonymous to me so you can be completely honest. If there are things you don’t like here, it’s OK – be honest about them.
What You Will Get
By taking this survey you will get customized social media tips provided by WEGO Health.
And as a bonus, two lucky survey responders will receive my new ebook, currently in production: Electroconvulsive Therapy – Everything You Need to Know Before You Go Under the Electrode (it’s a working title, I know, inflammatory).
(Note: I have no direct or financial ties to WEGO Health. If anyone has any questions about the survey, feel free to leave a comment here or contact me directly.)
3 Things I’ve Learned About Mental Health This Week
In a continuation of the 3 New Things series, this week follows up on the British Psychological Society’s critique of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, version 5 (DSM-V), talks about irritable mood in bipolar disorder and expresses my general disdain for people who can’t report about mental health accurately.
So, in part II of this series on mixed moods in bipolar disorder, I look at mixed moods in bipolar type II.
Mixed Moods in Bipolar Type II
Now that we’ve wandered into Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-free territory, definitions on mixed states get a bit looser.
Mixed mood states may be, in fact, the most common way of experiencing bipolar type II. I find most people have a hard time distinctly separating “depression” from “hypomania” from “normal” moods. There is just too much crossover.
Two Types of Mixed Moods in Bipolar Disorder
Additionally, considering mixed moods to be part of the manic phase of bipolar disorder becomes useless when looking at bipolar II. As an article in Psychiatric Times suggests, there are really two types of mixed moods in bipolar disorder:
Mixed mood with depression as the primary mood (meeting the criteria for depression with some hypomania symptoms present)
Mixed mood with hypomania as the primary mood (meeting the criteria for hypomania with some depression symptoms present)
Those two mood types better reflect my own experience and I think the clinical experience of other patients and doctors.
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