When’s the last time you’ve cast a critical eye toward the DSM IV criteria for diagnosing Bipolar Disorder? Do the criteria for Bipolar I and Bipolar II assemble a clear, usable diagnostic path for you, or do you find yourself mired in exclusionary clauses, modifiers, specifiers, categorical systems or whatever all of this extraneous stuff is called nowadays. […]
Have you ever sat at your desk, or work space, opened the DSM IV and seriously attempted to digest the criteria? What do you make of the exclusionary criteria, riders, modifiers, specifiers, or whatever these are called nowadays? And if you think it’s a challenge now, just wait for what DSM-5 has in store for you. So why the complexity, why is there seemingly so much for us to have to wade through? Here’s why: […]
When someone is trying to “sell” you or “pitch” something to you, they’re usually coming from a position of arrogance, although it may also be ignorance. And if you hold firm opinions which counter their intentions, those who can’t debate with you very well will likely view you as the opposition. […]
Here are the key points that should be communicated to antidepressant users: […]
We know all about the classic symptoms of manic-depressive illness and its unpredictable cycle of intense mood swings – typically fluctuating between mania and depression. Significant to bipolar disorder though, and more often linked to the manic phase of the disorder, are ego issues, arrogance, an entitlement mentality, and inability to calculate consequences and a general lack of awareness. Here’s a case example to illustrate: […]
Last week a middle-aged woman self-referred to me wanting an assessment for depression. Her circumstances in brief are as follows: She is currently going through a very difficult divorce settlement, reports that she awakens repeatedly throughout the night and has lost approximately 12 pounds since the divorce proceedings began. […]
I encounter people every day who tell me they feel as though they’re under a lot of pressure. Pressure – whether real or perceived – restricts us by masking our talents and undermining our abilities. It’s much like trying to compete in a swim meet with one hand tied behind your back. […]
As a young boy growing up, Saturday mornings typically began at 7am with me sitting on the floor in our family den watching Roy Rogers and the Cisco Kid. I may not have always understood the plotlines, but it was clear to me who the good and bad guys were and what respective hats they wore. Such a good guy/bad guy distinction is not nearly as clear when it come to polypharmacy because it is not a simple black-or-white issue; [...]
In a “perfect drug” scenario, medications would zero in on their intended target systems producing only desired, therapeutic effects, then metabolize and leave the body. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple, as medications act in a scatter-shot sort of way by finding unintended receptor targets – producing adverse, unwanted and undesirable effects as well. […]
I am often asked about the effects that antidepressants have on overall sleep architecture. Here’s the breakdown: […]
