Bipolar Disorder: Meds, meds and more meds
A quick jaunt around the Internet would lead you to believe that the only treatment options for people still in the “suffering” stage of bipolar disorder are meds, meds, more meds, talk therapy, electo-shock therapy, and still more medications.
Now here’s something interesting — take a look at who advertises on these sites . Sure, there are the Google ads on some of the sites, which most site owners don’t know they can control the content of. But look at the non-Google ads, and you’ll see a trend: the advertisers are major pharmaceutical corporations.
Check out the fine print at the bottom of some of these “informational” sites and you’ll see that the major pharmaceuticals actually own them.
Geodon ads are everywhere these days — despite the unethical tactics drug reps used a few years back for off-label prescriptions. But what happened to good ol’ lithium? You hardly read about it anymore, though it’s the most tried and true mood stabilizer. (I know the answer, as I’m sure you do, too — it’s unpatentable, therefore unprofitable.)
Amazing, isn’t it?
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not anti-medication in the least. When I look back at the year I spent off meds I wonder how it is that I’m still here writing to you. Medication can create a safety net for you to start to grow from.
Medication can be part of a balanced approach to dealing with the various mood states of bipolar disorder, but it is also a choice. There are many people out there who have chosen to do without medication (others still who can’t afford it), and some of them are doing well. Many more aren’t doing so well, but that’s their choice.
The key here is balance, though. Medication is but one slice of the pie. Talk therapy is another - CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) has finally been proven conclusively to help with bipolar outcomes. For me and others, yoga is a huge slice of the pie. Then there’s sleep, diet, and so on.
Why are so few sites discussing these other options?
Tags: balanced approach, bipolar disorder, bipolar medication, bipolar treatment, CBT for bipolar, Geodon, lithium, yoga and bipolar
April 1st, 2008 at 6:02 pm
glad i found your site. I use intermediate physical yoga, Thai chi, and meditations all helped me with my bipolar recovery.
What works for one ,wont work for the next… but yoga is always worth exploring for mental health.
April 15th, 2008 at 10:13 am
Chris, great point. Sometimes I hear “yoga is for everyone, everyone should do yoga” and that makes me cringe. Yoga is for those who want yoga, and it’s open to anybody. Saying everyone should do yoga is like saying everyone should have the same religion. It’s well-meaning arrogance.