The noble and satisfying desire to simply help others in need must extend to those afflicted with clinical mood disorders. These generally include anxiety, bipolar disorder, and clinical depression. Because one out of six Americans suffers some form(s) of mental illness, there are numerous interpersonal, financial and quality-of-life reasons for family and friends to greatly help them. Because mental patients often feel "the surface world" cannot understand their pain, they often turn to publications compiled by both unknown and famous mental patients.
Unfortunately, most memoirs of the famous have a tendency to only go through the mood disorders and only graze the top of underlying medical issues; they emphasize the incorrect things, telling stories about their own families, other luminaries and Hollywood, sports, or political intrigues. Books written by the typical sufferer of manic-depression contain more in depth descriptions of the episodes and better weave them to their life stories.
The small talked-about and often misunderstood epidemic of mood disorders is sweeping across America. Today's statistics are chilling: Clinical depression is the main reason people go to see their doctors and the class of psychotropic drugs prescribed is second only to that particular of analgesics (pain killers). Bipolar disorder is the second-highest reason for U.S. disability awards. Unemployment is 50% higher for those with mood disorders than that of the general population. Women suffer clinical depression twice as much as men do. The mood disorder suicide rate is 33% each time a person is left untreated; it's 20% when properly treated. And 90% of all suicides derive from clinical depression. Only 33% of the clinically depressed receive treatment. Bipolar disorder affects men and women equally and 83% of cases are severe-yet 37 % neither recognize nor admit to suffering the condition. Only 49% of bipolar individuals receive treatment.
As a bipolar mental patient and burn victim, I will attest to the fact that psychic pain often exceeds that of physical pain, both in intensity and duration. Utter hopelessness and suicidality transcend verbal description. There's no remedy for mood disorders, no "dipstick" with which to check the brain's neurotransmitter levels that regulate the human feelings and emotions that drive our aberrant behaviors. Exotic and expensive medications and psychotherapy are the primary means for mitigating the pain and skewed behaviors experienced by those of us saddled with mood disorders. The doctor-patient goal is to reduce the frequency, intensity and duration of bipolar and clinically depressive episodes, and to encourage the in-patient to reform old habits into positive, healthy and beneficial lifestyles.
Today the social stigma of mental illness remains very same of unwed mothers prior to the 1960s: "hush, hush and put them away." And deep down inside most people there is that private feeling of "there but also for the grace of God I go." That must end-there are too most of us to ignore any longer. One partially effective pain relief method for aiding mood disorder patients is peer interaction and comfort found in either physical or cyber discussion and support groups. Another means of relief is to share the stories of other mood disorder sufferers.
Unlike live groups, there may be no accidental or intentional personal attacks or judgmental assessments when reading about mood disorders. Stories published by mental patient peers might help ease the pain for people who suffer mood disorders, both manic and depressive episodes, by entertaining and educating the reader. There is wonderful relief for patients just to understand you will find other individuals who suffer the same malady while they do. A sort through a library or bookstore psychology/manic-depression category yields many books that bring understanding, hope, help and healing for sufferers of bipolar disorder and clinical depression, and their loved ones and friends.
Classic memoirs of and for mood disorder patients include William Styron's "Darkness Visible," Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison's "An Unquiet Mind," Andy Behrman's "Electroboy," and Wendy K. Williams' "I'm Not Crazy Just Bipolar."
(MVIH) is a personal practice positioned in Mesa Arizona, Owned by Family Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) who is Board Certified to treat Psychiatric/Mental illnesses (Bipolar, Depression, Psychotic disorders, Anxiety, PTSD, ADD/ADHD, etc.).
At MVIH, patients are treated with respect and we make an effort to create a private, comfortable and therapeutic environment where your concerns are heard, symptoms are treated, and your current wellbeing is a priority. We provide therapy and pharmacological intervention services to your clients.
We are specialized in providing professional and therapeutic care with dignity and compassion to all patients and their loved ones.
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