Re: [PanicZone] Trigger siI'm bipolar
I replied to the OP in another group, but I feel that I should reply to you
here. I have not found that Bipolar is either a "blanket diagnosis" or used
with "a lot of people", nor do I feel that it is "in vogue".
My personal experience has been that there is a strong tendency to diagnose
Major Depression or a form of psychotic episode before any diagnosis of Bipolar
disorder is made, if one ever is made.
My own history is that I have been diagnosed undergoing a "psychotic break"
when I encountered the mental health profession while manic, and with major
depression, which has, at times turned into some form of psychotic disorder
(especially when the depressive episode is very deep). I finally found a
therapist who saw the patterns of Bipolar I Disorder in my past (this is rare
since most therapists don't want to talk about the past). This diagnosis has
been confirmed by two psychiatrists.
Historically, Bipolar Disorders have been greatly Under-diagnosed in outpatient
settings due to the time constraints on psychiatrists for diagnostic interviews
in those settings and the focus of psychotherapy being some form of behavioral
therapy. That form of therapy results from a conclusion that a patient's past
in not relevant ("unhelpful", in the words of one of my therapists), and that
the only focus of therapy is to change current behavior (and possibly thought)
patterns.
For inpatient hospitalizations, there are indeed more diagnoses of Bipolar
Disorders. Lacking reliable statistics, I cannot offer an informed opinion of
whether these diagnoses are correct or not. I can, however, point out that
psychiatrists and therapists in a hospital setting have both more time to
collect information for a diagnosis and a somewhat different focus. The
different focus is that a person who is hospitalized is there for an acute
problem, and the focus is to diagnose that problem and start treatment. In
outpatient settings, the focus is more on a chronic problem (or set of them),
that the patient seems to be able to deal with without hospital treatment.
My main concern lies in the "wonder drug" mentality. Abilify, and its cousins
are atypical anti-psychotic drugs and many are still under patent. They carry
all of the same side effects, long term side effects, and adverse reactions as
the older phenothiazines and other anti-psychotics (e.g. Thorazine, Mellaril,
Haldol, etc.), and additionally are linked to the development of diabetes. Now
they are being advertised for depression, and marketed to doctors for a host of
other problems. The interesting thing is that, last time I checked, out the
the atypical anti-psychotic drugs, only Zyprexa was approved by the FDA as a
"mood stabilizer" for Bipolar Disorder, and NONE of them were approved as
antidepressants.
Looking at the history of the "wonder drug" idea, many questions and problems
can be raised. One of the earlier "wonders" was Valium, a benzodiazepine that
causes dose tolerance and physical dependence (and a whole host of even more
powerful benzodiazepines were designed and marketed as a "safe" way to deal
with anxiety, sleep problems, and more).
The next major one I will talk about are the Selective Serotonin Reuptake
Inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants, like: Prozac, Paxil, Celexa, Lexapro, and so
on. There were others developed that worked on norepinephrine as well as
serotonin (aka SSNRI) or that only work on norepinephrine (SNRI). These
"wonder drugs" were supposed to have fewer side effects and be safer than
earlier antidepressants. Many groups have reported otherwise, and many of the
manufacturers of these drugs have multiple class action lawsuits against them
for different reasons concerning these drugs.
So, in closing, I am *Not* concerned about a *possible* over-diagnosis of
Bipolar Disorders. I *AM* concerned that every few years to a decade, we have
a new class of "wonder drug" that is prescribed for a wide range of ailments
(very often, "off label"); that doctors are being rewarded, in many cases for
prescribing these drugs; that these drugs hit the market without adequate
testing, and in many cases, the drug companies fail to report certain adverse
reactions (including death).
Chris
On 11/21/2011 11:14 PM, Dave, Walking Escher's Staircase wrote:
> In my opinion, and I am not a doctor or anything like that, bipolar is a
> blanket diagnosis they use with a lot of people. I do not know you,
> obviously, but I have to wonder how your behavior changed from
> prehospitalazation to post hospitalization. Cutting is a way of dealing with
> pain and that could initiate a major depressive disorder and then if you
> radically stop and perk up mood wise they may call that bipolar. I don't
> know. It seems like everyone has bipolar and especially women have border
> line personality disorder. That is what is in vogue now. I would take a
> serious introspective assessment of your behavior patterns, through a
> cognitive-behavior mood chart or simply a dairy so that you can track your
> moods and stressors and how you handle them and also just day to day life
> and bring this to your doctor and/or therapist to discuss with them.
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have a panic attack is that it will pass
whether it passes quickly or slowly
depends whether I drop the idea of it
being dangerous or not.
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