Friday November 6, 2009
I don't think anyone should be surprised the answer is no. As per the United States Army's regulation 40-501, the
Standards of Medical Fitness, mental illnesses are disqualifying. Section 2-27 Learning, Psychiatric and Behavior Disorders provides an extensive list of specific disorders and conditions. In example, here are the specific rulings regarding mood disorders such as bipolar disorder:
d. Current mood disorders including, but not limited to, major depression (296.2-3), bipolar (296.4-7), affective psychoses (296.8-9), depressive not otherwise specified (311), are disqualifying.
(1) History of mood disorders requiring outpatient care for longer than 6 months by a physician or other mental health professional (V65.40), or inpatient treatment in a hospital or residential facility is disqualifying.
(2) History of symptoms consistent with a mood disorder of a repeated nature that impairs school, social, or work efficiency is disqualifying.
And yet there are any number of individuals with mental illness who are serving in the military. Scan any discussion board on this topic and you will find scads of advice about how to circumvent the regulations most in the vein of don't ask, don't tell. I even read one woman's story about how her recruiter counseled her to stop her meds and not include her psychiatric history in her medical write-up. Needless to say she washed out of boot camp.
In light of yesterday's tragic event at Foot Hood and given the reported lack of mental stability of the perpetrator, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, we are going to see a lot of discussion over the next few weeks regarding mental health of those serving in our armed forces. What is your take on this? ~Kimberly
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Tuesday November 3, 2009
"Women with bipolar disorder have dramatically elevated rates of
postpartum psychosis as well as an increased risk of
postpartum depression," says Susan Hatters Friedman, M.D., in an editorial published in this month's edition of the
American Journal of Psychiatry. And a study published in the same edition notes that "Research on postpartum mood disorders has ... largely ignored or neglected bipolar II disorder." As a result, say the researchers, women with bipolar postpartum depression are often treated inappropriately with antidepressants alone.
This made me wonder about the women in our community who have had children. Did you experience postpartum depression or postpartum psychosis? If so, how was it treated - and do you think it was the right treatment?
~Marcia
Sources:
Sharma, V, et al. Bipolar II Postpartum Depression: Detection, Diagnosis, and Treatment. American Journal of Psychiatry 166.11 (2009): 1271. Web. 2 Nov 2009.
Friedman, S.H. Postpartum Mood Disorders: Genetic Progress and Treatment Paradigms. American Journal of Psychiatry 166.11 (2009): 1201. Web. 2 Nov 2009.
Monday November 2, 2009
A few days ago, acclaimed British actor and writer Stephen Fry, upset about Twitter posts directed to him, first posted this tweet in reply to someone who called his tweets "boring": "You've convinced me. I'm obviously not good enough. I retire from Twitter henceforward. Bye everyone."
Just a few minutes later, Fry posted, "Think I may have to give up on Twitter. Too much aggression and unkindness around. Pity. Well, it's been fun." His next tweet, after supporters began to rally round him: "Well maybe I'll see how I feel in a few days. Very low and depressed at the moment and any drop of meanness makes it so much worse. Sorry."
And that evening, he tweeted: "Arrived in LA feeling very foolish. Wasn't the fault of the fellow who called me 'boring,' BTW. A mood thing. Sunshine will help. So sorry."
Fry, who has been candid about his struggle with bipolar disorder and has campaigned to raise money for mental health charities, later said he felt "sheepish" about the exchange. There was an avalanche of supportive messages in response to his "I'm leaving" message, and he urged people to "be nice" to the person who said he was boring.
Do you Twitter about bipolar disorder? Do you mention it on Facebook or MySpace? If so, what sorts of responses do you get? I have many Facebook friends through games who don't know me at all, but when I post about my bipolar ups and downs, those who respond are always kind and encouraging. Is that your experience, too - or do you get nasty remarks?
~Marcia
Image: Tim Whitby / Getty Images
Sources:
"Sheepish" Stephen Fry Returns To Twitter
Stephen Fry on Twitter
Tuesday October 27, 2009
We have long discussed the infuriating reality that many of the medications that really seem to work for us cause huge weight gains. In
Seroquel and Weight Gain, hundreds of you have shared comments like ... from a size 2 to a size 8 in the first two weeks ... gained 100lbs ... gone from 130 to 195 ... gained over 20 lbs ... And to confound all the frustration, far too often our doctors ignore or minimize the impact weight gain has on our lives.
So I was quite interested to read Lindsey Tanner's review, Alarming Weight Gain Seen in Kids on Psych Drugs. This study tackles two issues - medication weight gain and research of side effects in children.
During the study period of eleven weeks, the kids - each just starting treatment with an antipsychotic medication - gained 10 to 20 pounds. From what I've gathered, all 205 of the kids gained weight - 100% of them. Ouch!
Why the weight gain with these meds? Researchers are not exactly sure, but believe it is probably related to increased appetite, changes in how the body metabolizes sugar and decreases in activity due to sedation.
Tanner reports, "The study authors said their results show that children on the drugs should be closely monitored for weight gain and other side effects, and that when possible, other medicines should be tried first."
My son took Abilify for several years. He also gained weight quickly and kept it on the entire time he took the medication. His psychiatrist was very diligent in monitoring his lipid panel and weight reducing the dosage to a minimum whenever his symptoms allowed. How do you and your doctor work on the weight issue? ~Kimberly
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