Brain Power – New Techniques in Brain Surgery Mix Hope With Risk – Series – NYTimes.com.

Medical News Today: Counselors Address Mental Health Crisis In Developing Countries.

More than 450 million people around the globe live with unmet mental health care needs. Wake Forest University Counseling Professor Donna Henderson co-developed a training course called the Mental Health Facilitators (MHF) program, with easy-to-follow lessons that helps nonprofessional community volunteers in developing countries respond to mental health issues. MHF was formed by the National Board of Certified Counselors International (NBCC) in response to a request by the World Health Organization to help people in developing countries who have never had access to mental health care. The program sends a team of counselors to towns and villages in other countries to train local people how to recognize mental health issues and make references for professional care. What’s especially neat about this program is that it actually takes into account the cultural differences of the countries. The curriculum can be modified according to the culture of the targeted country.

–Source: Medical News Today

I hate to admit it, but I guess I’m going to have to. I haven’t been feeling as well as I’d like to be feeling.

That sounds so ambiguous, and my attempt to explain the above statement will only make things sound more confusing and whiny. But this state is not where I want to be only a week after the ECT. Hell, this damn treatment should last me a whole month! But perhaps it’s beyond the little spark’s control. Am I just scared about the fact that I have a huge paper due in two weeks that I’ve really yet to do much work on? I think I’ve gained back some weight, and I can’t be fat when I see my parents in a few weeks. Or have I caused all of this because I, well, haven’t been quite meticulous about taking all the drugs each and every day? I’ve used up my prescription drug coverage for the year, so for a single drug (out of five or six that I take), it costs around $500….per month. I’m trying to stretch my stash out by breaking them into half or not take them at all on some days. Such a stupid move, I know, but I’m just not looking forward to paying nearly $1,000 for a one-month supply of my medication.

It’s not that I’ve crawled back into my depression cave or something. I’ve just found myself slower to get up in the morning and eager to have the day end (with Ambien, of course). I kind of feel like I’m in some emotional lockdown, except that I seem to be tearing up and I am making a futile attempt for the tears to not ruin the mascara I decided to wear today.

Sometimes you may be able to forget that you have this mental illness that has crippled you in the past. Other times, like now, something just jerks you right back into making sure that you remember you have bipolar disorder. It’s such a humbling feeling, to be pushed back down to recognizing that you’re really not all better, not just yet, and that I have to work at it constantly to gain and maintain a sense of normalcy. And even if I achieve that, I can’t forget that an illness exists at my core.

Hello. I have bipolar disorder, and frankly, right now I’m pissed about it.

…to be continued.

This is a continuation of my previous post, ‘desperate housewives.’

Meprospan is chemically similar to Miltown.

I love that this ad suggests we give Ritalin to “the apathetic.”

image credit: www.decodog.com

Phys Ed: Why Exercise Makes You Less Anxious – Well Blog – NYTimes.com.

Tennessee’s First Proclamation Supporting Mental Health Initiative.

New Safe ’til Stable Program, is a preventative care measure for bipolar disorder

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Nov. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — On November 9, 2009, Honorable Speaker of the Senate Ron Ramsey, and Honorable Senator Mark Norris issued the first proclamation in support of a Mental Health initiative in the state of Tennessee. This is a major breakthrough to benefit people living with bipolar disorder in the State of Tennessee, and support The Brilliance in Bipolar Initiative.

The National Bipolar Foundation (NBPF) was founded, in 2007 by Marc Kullman, in order to reduce stigma, educate, and seek affordable healthcare for those people living with bipolar disorder. A National Awareness Initiative has been launched to spread awareness through press releases, press conferences, proclamations, influential people, and its online campaign through social media networking. The MedicAlert Foundation, founded in 1956, is the leader in providing identification and emergency medical information. Together both foundations have developed a program that will prevent the misdirection, misdiagnosis, and mistreatments of people living with bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder is said to affect at least 1 in 100 people, including their family and friends, and some say as many as 1 in 25, including undiagnosed cases. This cooperative effort between NBPF and the MedicAlert Foundation will have widespread impact on our society. Children, adolescents and adults living with bipolar disorder who are involved in accidents and unable to speak for themselves, will have the MedicAlert Emergency Services speaking for them; informing hospital staff and medical providers of their diagnoses and current medications in order to avoid potential dangerous withdrawal and the acute onset of instability in regards to any symptoms of bipolar disorder. Another major benefit of the program is that when a person living with bipolar disorder finds themselves in an unforeseen incident, responders will react in an appropriate manner, thus given the opportunity to defuse the situation or transport the person to an appropriate facility. The implementation of this program immediately creates jail diversion benefiting all of society. The “Safe ’til” Stable program will benefit individuals wearing the identification jewelry, reduce stress on their families and friends, and ultimately reduce the cost of their care for all taxpayers.

The National Bipolar Foundation is encouraging people to support their National Awareness Initiative to help start the conversation on bipolar disorder. For more information please call or visit the website at www.nationalbipolarfoundation.org.

SOURCE National Bipolar Foundation

In a blog post on mayoclinic.com–Being grateful: Giving thanks helps with depression, Dr. Melin suggests “that you write down three things each day that you’re thankful for. This can be three sentences or three words, the simpler the better. Keep paper or a journal by your bedside and jot in it daily. This can be at bedtime or in the morning, whichever works best for you.”

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Since I’m posting this tip, I should actually write down three things I’m thankful for right now.
Today, I’m thankful for….
1) My friend/professor Robin. She brought over some lunch today, and we got to chat for a while. I feel a lot more rejuvenated after our conversation, and I now feel like I can get through the rest of this month.

2) My cat Simon. I am so glad he is my buddy. It’s been about a month since his surgery, and he seems to be doing well.

3) NFL. Without it, I wouldn’t have a paper topic. And I also love watching the game (when I should be researching for that paper).

Smoking Tied to Suicide Risk in Bipolar Disorder – ABC News.

People with bipolar disorder who smoke appear to have a heightened risk of suicidal behavior — possibly because they are generally prone to impulsive acts, a new study suggests. The new findings suggest that high levels of impulsivity — one of the symptoms of bipolar disorder — may draw some patients to both smoking and suicidal behavior.

Patient Money – How to Find Mental Health Care When Money Is Tight – NYTimes.com.

I totally forgot about the following account til today, but I thought it was still interesting enough to write it down. When you think of places that play soothing sounds in the background, people usually think of salons and spas. Well, add ECT treatment room to that list. As I was getting situated for ECT, I noticed the sound of the ocean that seem to fill the room. Since the last time I had my treatment, they had decided to install a bunch of sound machines in the room. Someone asked me if I wanted to hear something else, but I stuck with the rolling waves. I could hear from the other beds the sounds of chirping birds, though. I can’t quite remember what all was said about this machine since it was right before my ECT.

As strange as it may seem to install something like a sound machine to the ECT room, I think it’s a pretty good idea. I often have to lie there having to listen to my own thoughts, and it was nice to be distracted by these tides crashing to the shore. This is yet another reason why I appreciate Parthenon Pavilion.