Julie A. Fast is the bestselling author of Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder: Understanding and Helping Your Partner, Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder: A Four Step Plan to Help You and Your Loved Ones Manage the Illness and Find Lasting Stability and Get it Done When You’re Depressed: 50 Strategies for Keeping Your Life on Track. Julie won the Mental Health America Journalism Award for her columnist work in BP Magazine and the Eli Lilly Reintegration Award for her work in the bipolar disorder management field. Julie is a regular speaker for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the Depression Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA). Julie’s frequent coauthor, Dr. John Preston specializes in the medications used to treat adult onset bipolar disorder as well as pediatric bipolar disorder and guides Julie in all of her writing and advice regarding medications. Julie is a coach for partners and family members of people with bipolar disorder and has one of the top bipolar disorder blogs on the web at www.BipolarHappens.com/bhblog. For more information about Julie’s work, please visit www.JulieFast.com
Lithium is a salt, so it’s very inexpensive. But..... Lithium is just one of many treatment options for people with bipolar disorder. It’s often the first choice as it’s especially effective for full blown mania. But it’s usually combined with other drugs in order to manage depression, psychos
Good question and luckily an easy one to answer. The main difference is mania. A person absolutely can’t have bipolar disorder unless they have had a manic episode. There are no exceptions. I’ve heard people say their doctor thinks they might have bipolar. I say, “What is your ma
Bipolar Disorder Mania Quiz Are you ready to test your mania knowledge? Good luck! Answers are below. 1.Mania has two levels of intensity. What are they? a. Euphoria and dysphoria. b. Awake all night and feeling groggy the next day. c. Full blown mania and hypomania. d. Talkative and non talka
YES! But it goes both ways. I drank more before I was diagnosed. I drank because of being manic, depressed or anxious. Mania can make a person want to drink A LOT. We lose our inner stable voice when we’re manic and it can lead to excessive drinking that can then lead to sex with strangers, drunk.
Bipolar disorder is triggered by life events. Preparing for symptoms is the #1 way to help a young child manage the illness. Birthday parties, for example, offer a perfect environment to help your child handle average bipolar symptoms. When your child is well, she has a certain way
Hello! I believe that bipolar is 100% genetic. This doesn't mean it isn't triggered by many things. For example, anti-depressants can bring out latent bipolar and relationship troubles can lead to serious mood swings. Drug and alcohol abuse, work troubles and travel, just to name a few can also
The first step is for you to recognize your son’s mania. It’s such a tricky mood swing. I write about mania and know all of my symptoms and it still catches me by surprise! Mania Facts: Mania comes on quickly. Depression can slowly creep up on a person. Mania can show up in just a few hours.
I've had bipolar disorder mood swings since the age of 17. For many, many years I didn't know what was wrong. When I was finally diagnosed, I thought the medications would just take care of my problems! It wasn't that simple. I didn't respond well to medications, so I knew I had to come up with my o
I recently met my friend Diana for happy hour. It was very noisy and bright outside. It felt good. My friend is a lot of fun and we are in the same publishing field. When she sat down, I tried so hard to be a good listener. But I started talking and talking. I could feel myself going on and on....
I will answer this with a quiz. The following is a yes/ no quiz to check on your current mood stability. It's pretty fascinating to see where you're doing well or not doing so well. If you care about someone with the illness, you can answer from your observations. Yes or No? I feel in control of..
A dual diagnosis means a person has a bipolar disorder diagnosis along with a drug or alcohol dependency. One of the top reasons a person with bipolar disorder has a poor treatment outcome is due to drug and alcohol abuse. Three Reasons for the Abuse 1. When a person lacks the insight that t
