Monday, January 16, 2006

Part II

The responses to my questionnaire provided a wealth of information. My sincere thanks to each & every one of you who took the time to answer. I'd like to answer a few of the questions that were asked & also ask a few more myself. If you'll be so gracious to read the questions & answer; I'll be extremely grateful. I'll be more than happy to make another post with more questions & answers if it would benefit anyone.
As before, the anonymous comments feature has been allowed for your privacy. Please remember, I'm no authority on this & some answers are my personal experiences. If anybody has a correction, please feel free to do so.

Questions:
For Bipolar people:
Anti-Depressants
1) Which anti-depressants are you now taking?
2) Have you tried any that have had adverse effects? If so, which ones?

Abstaining from medications:
3) Has your condition benefited from diet and/or vitamins? If so, specifically what?
4) What has been the most helpful to find balance?
5) Do you self-medicate?

For non-bipolar people:
6) Have you ever been seriously depressed for more than a week? By depressed, I don't mean due to any specific reason, but that you're depressed about life in general. (that's usually how I can tell it's depression; its just everything.
7) Have you ever been so depressed that you contemplated suicide?

Q & A:
Fuzzbox asks: My question is what other causes are there and is the term manic depressive now considered offensive and that is why it is termed bipolar now or is there some other reason.
Dear Fuzzbox, (that just sounds weird) This link gives info about causes. Personally, I prefer manic depressive, but bipolar is shorter & more widely used.
This is what I found in reference to why 1 term is used over the other: "Although lay people will ordinarily use the term "manic-depressive illness', psychiatric professionals are increasingly using the term "bipolar mood disorder" as is demanded by current diagnostic manuals. Bipolar refers to the "two poles" of the continuum of mood or "spirits" with depression or feeling down at one end and mania or feeling high at the other end." (MentalHealth.com)

Gry asks: Is there something specific you would like non-manic depressives to know about your condition?
Dear Gry, For me personally, No. Were it not for the few episodes of mania, I'd be diagnosed only with depression.

CT asks: Was Kurt Cobain bipolar?
Dear CT, My initial response was 'No.' That is, until I Google'd it & according to this link & a few others like it; they say a resounding YES.

Weirsdo asks: I seem to be seeing this term a lot lately. Are more people afflicted now than previously, or are more being diagnosed, or is it just that I happen to encounter more people with the disorder than I used to?
Dear Weirsdo, It sure does seem like more & more people have it. When I looked this up, some sites say the disorder is actually under-diagnosed! Bipolar disorder is the 3rd leading cause of suicide for young adults between 18-24 & it's the 6th leading cause of disability. I've read varying suicide rates from anywhere between 15-20% of those diagnosed. (Really scary)

Los brought up the Bipolar I and Bipolar II and since I just read about it, I can't explain the difference any better than what I read. So, without adding confusion, Pendulum.org is a good source for answers.
I've been on Lexapro almost for 2 weeks & everything is mellowing out. The laughter I was afraid was gone forever, has returned. Joy in life's little pleasures are back as well. It seems this maybe very well be the correct anti-depressant for me. I'm very grateful to those who offered encouragement & prayers.
For readers who are interested: We do have a bipolar webring for those who have Bipolar Disorder and/or have loved ones who do. For more information on the webring, just click here. If you are in either category, you're more than welcome to join.
Please also remember to click on over & visit my tenant of the week, Ninja Poodles!, who is one of 10 finalists for Best New Blog at The Best of Blog Awards 2006.
She's presently in the lead but still needs more votes.

Technorati tags: anti-depressant, manic depression, bipolar, kurt cobain, bipolar planet webring, lexapro, ninja poodles, the best of blogs awards

posted by jane at 4:37 PM