BP Type II

News Roundup

Eli Lilly has some labeling issues

I'd gladly risk dibetes to avoid psychosis.  I onder why they resisted the label for so long.

Mother of the year candidate

Talk about an idiotic suggesttion from therapists!  Your bipolar teenager is suffering through a manic or depressed episode.  What we suggest is that you not only leave her alone, but that you make her walk arround in public by herself.  I don't have a license to give therapy, but this seems like an obviously idiotic idea to me.

BP in the Jackson trial

and here

I hope they aren't relly going to try and sell BP as an excuse for being a con-artist.  This isn't to say I don't think Jackson is a child molestor, there's a decent chance he is.  However, it also appears clear that the accuser's mom was a grifter.

Health Insurance Issues

Well it looks like there may finally be some hope on the health insurance front.  New legislation in the State of Washington may finally require health insurance companies to treat mental illness as an actual illness.  We will see if this actually takes hold, I sure hope it does.  Now if it'd just spread to the rest of the country so I could take advantage of it.

Mental-health patients likely to get equal insurance coverage, The Seattle Times

House OKs mental health insurance bill

The latest news roundup

Here is the latest news regarding other individuals with BP:

Ex-Oakland Raider shot by police

Barret Robbins, widely know for disappearing from the Super Bowl a few years ago, was shot several times in an altercation with police.  Apparently, he refused their commands to stop and eventually they had to shoot him when they were attacked.  Can you imagine a violently manic mind in a 6'6" plus 300 lb plus body?  It's a shame he had to be shot, but it was probably the only way to stop him.

Robbins' condition worsens

Sadly, it appears that he may not recover from his injuries.  I am not sure if my earlier statement was correct.  I don't know if he was manic or depressed and attempting to commit suicide by cop.  Either way it's sad.  I feel sorry for him, and I feel sorry for the guy's who were forced to shoot a sick person or else loose their own lives.

Do Anti-Depressants Cause Suicide?

Recently my wife sent me this link about anti-depressants being linked to suicide.  The article it brings up a lot of good points, but never really addresses the fundamental issue: is this a case of causation or merely one of correlation?  There has been a great deal written on the increase in suicide incidents following the introduction of anti-depressants but little written on what other factors may be playing a role.

The Latest News Roundup

Here are a few links of interest regarding somewhat recent developments and/or news about BP:

New BP drug treatment

Heres a great way to deal with a budget shortfall.  Cut mental health services so you can wait and pay big bucks after someone has a complete breakdown or they do something that causes them to enter the criminal justice system:

Texas Cuts Mental Health Servi ces

I like this specialized approach to treatment.  Don't know if it could ever be dome in a smaller town (I live in one) though:

Tulsa Facility Specializes in Bipolar treatment

Do antidepressants really increase the risk of suicide?  Maybe BP kids are being misdiagnosed as suffering only from depression:

A bipolar diagnosis delayed, a childhood lost

This article cuts two ways.  You can say it limits the rights of the mentally ill (although I don't think it does because when you are in the midst of a mental illness you may not have the capacity to make decissions about treatment).  On the bright side you can say it forces the state to deal with and help sick people:

New law allows court-ordered treatment for mentally ill

If you are unlucky enogh to suffer from this illness (like me) treat it.  Take your meds, follow a healthy lifestyle and get to know what your triggers are.  If you don't you won't only hurt yourself, you'll hurt everyone who loves you:

George Rudder Jr. - George ended his own suffering from bipolar illness on Friday December 24

I don't konw if the program works, but she got in really good shape for Terminator II:

Terminator Star sets up self help program for fellow BP sufferers

Remember a long time ago when I talked about brain scans?  Well looks like the technology is real.  Now the question is should I try to get one?  I'm afraid of finding out that I'm not BP, I'm just weird:

Scans May Spot Bipolar Disorder

The medical industry is taking note.

BP: The Hidden Epidemic (Kansas City Nursing News)

BocaNews.com

Link: BocaNews.com.

Not really BP, but I had to comment.

This type of stuff really angers me. Mental illness has a stigma because people try to legitimize mental weakness as an actual form of mental illness. If you are so sensitive you need therapy because a Republican or Democrat got elected fine, but don't publicize it. This isn't illness, it's just people who are easily upset (there is a difference). How dare the psychologists involved in these cases blast them across the papers. They are making real mental illness look like a joke, and it isn't.

The Massachusetts General Hospital Bipolar Clinic and Research Program

Link: The Massachusetts General Hospital Bipolar Clinic and Research Program.

Just ran across this site, looks very interesting, going to try and do some reading here when I have a little more time.

Most of us really do have jobs

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1100096903151_35/?hub=Health

New study says 2/3 of BPs still hold down jobs.  I'm not trying to look down on those who don't work.  Instead, I hope the sutdy gives everybody hope that maybe they can, and helps them to not give up on having as normal a life as possible.

The ADA’s Application to Insurance Coverage

Link: The ADA’s Application to Insurance Coverage.

A matter I am thinking of pursuing myself. Can the ADA be used to force some insurance company out there to carry me? Interesting, and worht a look. I will porbably be researching this topic a little more in depth in order to see if I can finally get private health insurance.

Lawmakers Pass Mental Health/Criminal Justice Bill

Link: Legal Advocates Challenge Missouri Voter Practices (10/7/04).

New legislation, I haven't had a chance to read it in full yet, but there is a link to it on the page at the right. The law is a important, but small, step towards dealing with mental health issues which cause criminal behavior instead of simply locking the folks up and then releasing back into the community without any treatment of their condition.