Family Support Groups

The following websites might help patients cope with family members who have mental illness:

P The Crooked House

P National Family Caregivers Association

P American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

P Family Connections: Coordinated by the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder

P Families for Depression Awareness

P Families Together

P Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance

P Mental Health America

P The Children’s Society’s Include Project

P The National Alliance on Mental Illness Family-to-Family Education Program

P Support and Education Program for Families

P Network of Care

P Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

P Active Minds

P Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Resources for Military Families

P Compeer

P National PLAN (Planned Lifetime Assistance Network) Alliance

For full article entitled Family Support Groups: An Integral Part of Patient Care, visit the Families in Psychiatry Section of Clinical Psychiatry News.

Medication Tips!

Having bipolar disorder means that you probably have to take medications every day, which can be hard to remember and stay on top of!

Those day-of-the-week medication boxes from the drugstore are really useful! If you take more than one medication per day, it's much easier to fill the box once a week than to open several bottles every day. And if you're prone to forgetting your medications, it's easy to look back later in the day to see if you missed a dose! Remember to discuss with your doctor how often you remember to take your medication, even if you tend to forget! It's important for your doctor to know.

If you take medications from doctors other than your psychiatrist, it's really important to let your psychiatrist know!  

Medications can interact with each other in your body and change how effective they are - you could take your medication as prescribed, and it could be less effective, or too much for you!

Avoid those situations by keeping a list with you, in your wallet or purse, with your medication names, doses and how often you take them, something like this:

Lisa Smith
Aspirin, 81mg, one tablet daily

Those medication names can be hard to remember off the top of your head, so avoid all of that by keeping a list!

Want to start feeling better? Start doing!

Ever feel down and depressed? Lack motivation? What about feeling so depressed that you just feel like you can't do anything? Rest and sleep are important, but not when it means doing nothing else during your day. If you want to start feeling better, I find that it helps to start doing things. You can start small with simple things like going for a walk or getting up at the same time each day.  
 
Did you know that research has shown that waking up each day at the same time and experiencing sunlight when you first wake up has been shown to help people feel better and sleep better?

You can also plan out a few set times during the day to do some healthy activities that you enjoy. Building structure to your day can help you stay organized and feel a sense of accomplishment when you get things done, which can help you to feel better!

Maybe going to the library, contact an old friend to meet for coffee, volunteer, or engage in a little exercise. It doesn't have to be complicated. You can ask your family or talk to your doctor as well to get other ideas.  

The important thing is to start doing so you can start feeling better!

Reality check, please!

When we get sick, sometimes it is difficult for us to make good decisions. As a result, it is important when you are feeling well to establish people that you can trust to help you when you may not be feeling well. Our brain is the center for determining our sense of reality. Because Bipolar Disorder impacts brain functioning, it can be particularly difficult for people with bipolar disorder to make good decisions when they are sick.  
 Take a moment to write down a list of people that you can trust to help you in case your sense of reality is distorted when you get sick.

You may also want to write down some "reality checks" to help you in the moment. You can carry these with you and can pull them out if you find yourself in situations that are confusing to you or are situations that you have identified as potential triggers of your bipolar disorder getting worse (such as if you are about to spend a lot of money or if you have gone several hours without sleeping).

These "reality check cards" may look something like this: "When I feel like my thoughts are racing or I feel on top of the world, I should not make major life decisions (such as spend over a certain amount of money or book travel) without taking time to discuss these things with others (people on your list) before going through with them."

You may feel pressure to decide things, but for important decisions there is always time for a "reality check!"

Please keep your appointments!

When you have bipolar disorder, it is very important to see your doctor on a regular basis, which means being sure to keep all your appointments.

It can be hard to stay motivated to see your doctor when you feel well, but this may actually be the most important time you have together. If your doctor gets to know you when you are well, they will have an easier time noticing when you don't seem yourself, perhaps indicating a change in mood or behavior that needs to be addressed.

In addition, if you take the time to get to know your doctor when you are well, then you will feel more comfortable acknowledging when you don't feel quite right, giving you the best chance of treating an episode of mania or depression before it gets out of hand.

Can A Picture of Your Mother Diagnose Depression?

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to diagnose psychiatric disorders, such as unipolar or bipolar depression, by looking at an MRI scan just like you would a bone fracture or a muscle tear? Unfortunately, at present there are no radiological tools available to help us with such diagnoses.

The Family Center for Bipolar team, in collaboration with an imaging team from Columbia University, conducted an fMRI imaging study which allows to correctly diagnose unipolar from bipolar depression in 25 out 28 young women. This is 90% accuracy!

Depression was diagnosed by the brain activity when women were looking at their mother's face compared to those of a stranger and a female friend.
 

When people get depressed, the glass always seems half-full and the whole world seems dark. It seems that this effect is very pronounced when you look at your mother.

The report is very complicated and technical -- for those interested in technical details you can read the original paper here. However, there is a much simpler article about our report in the Wired Science Blog on-line magazine that you can read here.

Enjoy!

Dr. G.

Be prepared!

Getting sick is bad, but getting sick and not having a safety plan can be even worse! Take a moment to build a plan with your loved ones that indicates what to do should you get sick and make sure everyone has a copy of the plan!

Here are some ideas for what to include in your plan:

1. List the names and contact information for all your doctors, case workers, or any other professional involved in your care
2. Make a list of all your medications you take and the reason you take each medication! Be sure to include any over-the-counter medications or supplements you take, as well as the doses of each medication and when you take them. You may want to note some possible side effects of the medications. This way you and your support network can be mindful of any side effects you could experience.
3. Write out any allergies that you have! Note any adverse reactions to medications or medications that you do not want to take and why!
4. Write down a list of people you trust who know about your disease and are willing to help you. Be sure to include their names and phone numbers! This can help you when you aren't feeling well. You may want to include a list of signs that you experience when you are starting to feel manic or depressive. Knowing these early signs that you might be getting sick can allow people to help you get care early.
5. Write down the names and numbers of any family members or employers that may need to be contacted if you experience an emergency or need to stay in the hospital for a period of time for treatment.
6. Write out your insurance plan information
7. Include in your safety plan any other directions that you have for your care. Be sure to include what kinds of medical interventions you do and do not want. You can include any "Advanced Directive" or "Living Will" documents with the plan!
8. Finally, you may want to indicate any instructions regarding the care of any pets or plants you have or regarding bills or other household matters should you need to be in the hospital.

Maybe some items above aren't for you. That's okay. This list is just to get you started on putting your plan together. You don't have to build your plan alone either. Talk with your doctor, your case manager, your family, or the other people you trust to help you build a plan that works for you. Make sure your doctor and the people on your support list have a copy of the plan so they can know how to best help you!