Bipolar 2 Disorder Resources
I am newly diagnosed bipolar2
these links are posted as I learn and if you get something from it, awesome! I am under the care of a therapist, a psychiatrist, an immunologist and GP and they are the experts. Tebsite is intended to chronicle my journey and help you on yours; creative, health or otherwise. Please always seek out help if you feel you need it. And remember I'm not an expert! I just play one on stage once in a while. So I'll say the following to you:
If you are concerned about any medical or psychiatric symptoms, please contact your family physician or licensed mental-health care provider. In the event of an emergency, please contact 911 (in the US) or present at your nearest emergency department.
Bipolar 2 Disorder articles, research and links
Hypomania/Mania Symptom Checklist
The HCL-32 is a screening tool for researchers trying to find people with bipolar disorder. This is a “complete but simple” lists of manic symptoms.
Who is a risk for Bipolar 2
There is no single known cause of bipolar II disorder; in most cases, it is believed that there are a number of causative factors in play. One of the most prominent may be genetics. Bipolar II diagnoses tend to run in families. According to a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry 40 percent of participants with first-degree relatives diagnosed with bipolar II and 22 percent of those with first-degree relatives diagnosed with bipolar I disorder were diagnosed with bipolar II. Read more...
Co-occurring Disorders: Drug and Alcohol Abuse and Bipolar II
Whether patients abuse drugs and alcohol in an attempt to self-medicate theirbipolar II disorder symptoms or their substance abuse pre-dates their mental health issues, it is important that they undergo treatment at a Dual Diagnosis treatment center that applies evidence-based therapeutic and pharmacological services to each patient based on their needs in recovery. Read more here...
Rapid Cycling. What is it? Stats and Facts
I've been experiencing rapid cycling for a while now which was an indication of my disorder. I'm still studying it and trying to figure out how to regulate them or be able to anticipate a swing which can sometimes occur daily, weekly or monthly. Below is from The Psychiatric Clinics of North America which did several recent studies on rapid cycling.
- Higher rates of RCBD occur in women than in men.
- Hyperthyroidism and anti-depressant treatment have both been identified as possible risk factors for RCBD.
- There has not been any difference in suicide rates identified among RCBD patients as compared to patients who are diagnosed with other forms of bipolar disorder.
- Lithium may not be as effective of a choice in medication treatment for RCBD patients as compared to patients diagnosed with other types of bipolar disorder.
- Some studies indicate that rapid cycling of mood episodes is not a disorder unto itself but a phase experienced by those living with bipolar I or