Category Archives: Bipolar Disorder

Announcing a Series of 10 Short Books on Alternative and Integrative Mental Health Care

Integrative mental health care is a person-centered approach that emphasizes maintaining optimal health and wellness takes into account the symptoms, preferences and circumstances of each unique person uses the best available research evidence to develop an individualized treatment plan focuses … Continue reading

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Preliminary findings for choline in bipolar disorder

Choline for bipolar disorder This post is the 4th in a series on bipolar disorder. Previous posts briefly reviewed conventional pharmacologic treatments, uses of select amino acids and omega-3 fatty acids and a proprietary nutrient formula. This post reviews research … Continue reading

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Select amino acids and Omega3s are beneficial and safe treatments of Bipolar Disorder

Integrative Management of Bipolar Disorder: Amino Acids and Omega-3s This is the second post in a series on integrative management of bipolar disorder. Previous post reviewed conventional psychiatric management of bipolar disorder. The focus of this post is on amino acids … Continue reading

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Complementary and alternative treatments of bipolar disorder

A large percentage of individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder use complementary and alternative approaches together with prescription medications however there is little evidence for the safety and efficacy of many CAM therapies. The most appropriate and effective treatment approach should … Continue reading

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Limitations of conventional medications used to treat bipolar disorder

Different medications are used to treat bipolar disorder including mood stabilizers (e.g. lithium carbonate and valproate), antidepressants, antipsychotics and sedative-hypnotics. Mood stabilizers do what the name implies, that is they keep the mood from going up and down between episodes … Continue reading

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Poor sleep habits increase the risk of relapse in persons with bipolar disorder

Abnormal sleep is known to increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Sleeping too little or too long, as well as chronic insomnia significantly increase the risk of illness and death related to cardiovascular disease. This is probably related to … Continue reading

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Serious medical problems frequently accompany bipolar disorder

Many individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder have serious medical problems including diabetes and cardiovascular disease which significantly increase their risk of dying. In fact cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder resulting in … Continue reading

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Many individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder do not respond to treatment

It is estimated that fewer than one half of individuals who take prescription medications following a first manic episode have good long-term control of their symptoms. To make matters more complicated, as many as 40% of bipolar patients who are … Continue reading

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Challenges in diagnosing bipolar disorder

Distinguishing between mania and acute agitation caused by another mental health problem or a medical disorder, medication side effects or a substance of abuse can be challenging. A careful history helps to clarify whether a person is experiencing mood changes … Continue reading

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Recent advances in understanding of bipolar disorder

There are probably many causes of bipolar disorder including genetic, neurobiological, and immunologic factors. One recently proposed theory suggests that a problem that takes place at the level of RNA may lead to dysfunction of mitochondria, the ‘power houses’ of … Continue reading

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