Bipolar Disorder (Manic-Depressive Disorder) what it is how to treat it.

What is Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar Disorder, sometimes known as Manic-Depressive Disorder, is one of the major psychiatric conditions.  Bi-polar means that a person can be depressed at one moment and become manic at another.  It is a very unstable condition and the fluctuations of moods can be severe and life-threatening.  Most of the time people are in a depressed mood, but when they go into mania they can become grandiose, feeling as if they possess special powers, speaking with a lot of authority and very often are not able to sleep; they get involved in many different activities but are unable to finish anything; they can become hypersexual or even promiscuous; they are easily distracted and can become paranoid and psychotic. This condition usually starts in the late teens or early twenties.  Anything outside this range is considered to be unusual.

Is this a common condition?  How come I hear about it so often lately?

Bipolar disorder had been a relatively uncommon psychiatric condition with less than one percent of people having it once in a life time. However, a sudden change has occurred in the last seven years or so.  One recent study showed that bipolar diagnosis has increased by 20 to 40 times among young people.

What could cause this increase?

Genes are blamed for many things but they could not effect a change so quickly.

So then, could there be something in the environment?

YES!  There is so much  more pollution surrounding us.  Processed food, for one thing, contains a lot of toxins that enhance its taste, but poison us as well contributing to many psychiatric conditions.

Iatrogenic (caused by a treatment) causes are  also a very common cause of bipolar. We are using so many more medications, particularly antidepressants.  A common and  well-known side effect of antidepressant medication  is “manic switch”, that is,  somebody who has been taking antidepressants becomes suddenly manic. It particularly affects those who have experienced manic episodes  in the past.

Then there is the issue of advertisement promotion. In the last several years several antipsychotic medications have been approved for the short term treatment of acute mania. Pharmaceutical companies began an intense “educational” campaign of the  medical community and the general public regarding the symptoms of mania. The result of this “education” is a more frequent diagnosis/misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder and a significant increase in sales of antipsychotic medications. Medications that had been tested and approved for only short term therapy  are now being used for many years.  Long term use of these medications creates many side effects, particularly obesity.

What are the conventional treatment options for Bipolar Disorder?

Lithium has been the main medication used for treating bipolar disorder. But after several years on lithium many patients gain a lot of weight, and damage the kidney and thyroid glands. In addition, less than 20 % of those who can tolerate lithium can actually respond to it.  Antipsychotic medications, such as Zyprexa, Risperdal, Seroquel, and Geodon have also been approved for the treatment of  acute mania. But treatment usually extends for years and causes multiple side effects.

Anticonvulsant  medications (like Depacote. Tegretol, Trileptol) have been used for acute mania and prevention of manic episode.  To treat acute episodes of depression, antidepressant medications can be used for a short time, but to often the patient takes them for years.

The majority of patients are maintained on several medications, which creates mental dullness, emotional instability and multiple medical side effects.  There are almost no long term studies confirming the effectiveness of such an approach.  Instead of proven studies there are only “expert’” opinions. So, the whole idea of “evidence based medicine” is substituted by the opinions of experts who are usually supported in their work by pharmaceutical companies.

Holistic options of manic-depressive illness treatment .

Let me be honest.  There are very few studies that confirm what I will describe below.  The main reason ffor that is that there is no financial incentive for pharmaceutical or other companies to do studies, as they will not be able to profit from these treatments. So, it all can be dismissed as case reports.  However, most of the supplements and options I will describe have very few if any side effects and they have changed the lives of many patients.

First we need to find identifiable reasons for bipolar disorder:

For example, iatrogenic or  treatment induced bipolar disorder.  The offending agent can be  an antidepressant or an antipsychotic  medication.  It should be stopped. All unnecessary medications should be gradually removed under the doctor’s supervision.

Substance use, particularly stimulants like cocaine or marijuana, should be stopped.

Chronic allergies to food  or other agents should be identified and  eliminated.

Chronic mercury toxicity can be the cause of a condition; it should be eliminated.

Hormonal irregularities.

Unidentified thyroid condition can be a hidden cause of bipolar illness instability.  There is a recent study showing that when everything failed, supplementing with  a thyroid hormone helps to restore stability.  Indeed, my personal experience is that supplementing with natural thyroid hormone and iodine can be very effective. (Connection to thyroid issues)

PMS is at times  confused with bipolar disorder.  Balancing hormones with bio-identical hormones or homeopathic remedies helps to restore the mood  stability .

Supplements:

Fish oil taken in large doses helps to stabilize mood and prevent bipolar episodes.  It has been confirmed by several studies.

NAC (N-Acetyl -Cysteine) – a supplement involved in antioxidation process has been shown to be effective in double blind control studies as an adjunct to medications.

EMPowerplus is a supplement  consisting of a well balanced combination of minerals, amino acids and vitamins. It is a very helpful supplement to get somebody off of medications and  to help maintain long term stability. It is the only supplement that was extensively tested on aggressive pigs. Look at web site www.truehope.com to learn about an interesting story of how this supplement was introduced for bipolar patients.

Lithium Orotate is an over-the-counter form of lithium.  Only a few studies were done a long time ago, however  this supplement is helpful in small doses for mild to moderate bipolar disorder.  It can allegedly cross the blood–brain barrier and has very few side effects.

Choline Bitartrate is very helpful for an acute manic state and when the mind is racing. There is only one study done over twenty years ago.  It showed remarkable improvement in acute mania without any side effects.  Nobody, however, was interested in repeating the study.  This supplement is way too cheap to make any profit.

Insomnia and anxiety can be treated with several different supplements.

Homeopathic remedies can be used to improve symptoms.

Patients with bipolar disorder are very sensitive individuals.  They require a very delicate, slow approach.  If they are on medications and want to get off, the process should be very gradual.

My personal experience is that if they are managed well, most of them can get off psychotropic medications and have a happy and productive life.  Their medical symptoms, which often are complications of their psychiatric treatment, can be fully resolved.