Bipolar Disorder in DSM-V (Part II): Diseases or Comorbidities?
Nassir Ghaemi, MD, Psychiatry/Mental Health, 01:33PM Oct 15, 2009
Thank you Dr.Nassir Ghaemi for helping us stay updated. Amoung other things (ex psychiatric nurse, business owner, Teacher for the National Alliance on Mental Illness Family to Family Program, Mentor for NAMI Peer to Peer Program, Bipolar NOS/Anxiety Disorder patient, recovered alcoholic X 35 years, creator of the Anhedoniablog.com …) I am a devoted “groupie” of you and Dr. Akiskal. Knowing there are a few people trying to do more than throw a hand full medications at my various symptoms gives me hope.
In my family my father had a bipolar disorder self medicated with alcohol and reports would indicate his father probably had the same thing. His only sibling, my aunt, was involuntarily hospitalized many times, starting at about 14 years old, due to violence associated with her schizophrenic diagnosis. My older brother has spent the last 25 years in a locked psychiatric forensic Hospital in New York after having killed my grandmother. One of my younger sisters is severely dysthymic with regular cycles into major depressive disorder, she is also a recovered alcoholic. She refuses all treatment, has obviously been depressed for so long she doesn’t remember anything else. My younger brother has been treated fairly successfully for a bipolar two disorder for many years, he is also a recovered alcoholic.
I see my illness as very much of a mix, the genetic contributions are obvious and they were likely exacerbated and magnified by the living situation characteristic of a household led by a very mentally ill alcoholic.
It appears to me there is a thin line between the diagnosis of bipolar disorder, at least bipolar one and schizophrenia, primarily identified by degree of remission and resilience. Certainly this would be supported by the current use of antipsychotic medications in bipolar stabilization. Then what of the effective use of anticonvulsants, it is apparent message there?
We have come a long ways with symptom relief for which I am very grateful however I believe it’s time to start looking at the brain as a total system and supporting the whole system in hope of being able to heal and rebalance that system. Like I say in my blog “HELP MY HPA AXIS HAS CRASHED!” Thank you all for being here we need all the help we can get.