Bipolar Blog Feedback – Update

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Aug 24, 2011

Hi all.

You might recall, I’m taking part in a reader engagement and feedback program through WEGO Health.

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!

So, Please Take One Minute to Fill Out This Survey

The goal is to find out more about you, my reader.

The more information I can gather, the better this blog can be for you because I want this to be a place that you find useful and engaging.

: Click Me!

Hate something? Love something?

That’s what I want to know.

A Bribe

Two of you will be the first to receive my new ebook – for free!

Please take 60 seconds and fill out the survey. I appreciate it.

– Natasha Tracy

PS: And not to worry, this is the last nag article :)

Mixed Bipolar Disorder – How to Treat Mixed Mood Episodes

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Aug 23, 2011

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:

Safety Warnings for St. John’s Wort

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Aug 21, 2011

Including the Dangers of Using St. John’s Wort to Treat Bipolar Depression

I mentioned last week that St. John’s wort has been shown ineffective at treating mild depression as well as moderately severe depression (major depression).

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.

Alternative Medicine Resource, Fad Diagnoses, St. John’s Wort – 3 New Things

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Aug 19, 2011

In today’s 3 New Things series I talk about:

A great resource for alternative medicine information
A New St. John’s Wort and depression study
A new “fad” diagnosis up for consideration in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Version V (DSM-V)

Polypharmacy Treatment Requires As Much Faith As Science

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Aug 18, 2011

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.

I hate that.

Mixed Moods in Bipolar Disorder and Depression in the DSM-V

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Aug 16, 2011

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.

Bipolar Burble Feedback – Help Me Make this Blog Better!

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Aug 15, 2011

You might have notice I’ve been soliciting more reader feedback lately. This is for two reasons:

I want readers to fully-engage with the site.
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.

Thanks to My Readers

I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to share their thoughts with me. You’ve provided me with great topics to write about, and of course, your questions inspired the posts on mood tracking and the series on mixed moods in bipolar disorder, which is currently underway.

60-Second Feedback

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).

Go Answer the Survey

OK, go spend 60-seconds for me. I appreciate it.

(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.)

British Psychology, Irritability, Mental Health Reporting – 3 New Things

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Aug 11, 2011

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.

Mixed Bipolar Disorder – Mixed Mood Episodes in Bipolar 2

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Aug 10, 2011

As I mentioned, mixed moods are technically considered part of the manic phase of bipolar disorder and thus, by definition, are only a part of bipolar disorder type 1. However, those of us with bipolar type 2 can tell you we mix it up with the best of them.

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.