Mental Health Notes

March 22nd, 2008

Would People With Bipolar Disorder Admit To Cheating?

So, I was doing some research on bipolar disorder - I like to stay on top of my game - when I ran into this Yahoo!Xtra Answers question:
Would people with bi-polar disorder admit to cheating when asked?
Naturally, my first response was, “You have GOT to be kidding me.”
My second response was to read the answers […]

By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 2 comments

March 10th, 2008

Before Calling It Quits With Your Therapist

Back in September I posted I’m Firing My Psychiatrist. In short, the post explained the reasons I had for firing my psychiatrist. Actually, the post explained the one main reason I had for firing my psychiatrist: He assured me that I could stop taking Lamictal cold turkey without even glossing over the potential risks for […]

By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 4 comments

March 8th, 2008

Grab Drug Advertisements By The Pills: Stop Obsessing And Talk To Your Doctor

Grab Drug Advertisements by the Pills: Part Six
We’re reached the final installment of Grab Drug Advertisements by the Pills. What have we learned so far? Well, we’ve learned that:

Drug advertisements can both confuse and educate viewers.
The FDA regulates what drug companies do and do not have to reveal in their advertisements.
While the most expensive drugs […]

By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 0 comments

March 3rd, 2008

Grab Drug Advertisements By The Pills: Let Them Educate You

Grab Drug Advertisements by the Pills: Part One
We begin the Grab Drug Advertisements by the Pills series by discussing how educational - and how confusing - drug advertisements can be.
Prescription drug advertisements are educational in that they often help people tune into and/or better understand a particular health condition. However, because most of us aren’t […]

By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 2 comments

February 29th, 2008

Untreated OCD Leads To Severe Complications

I Must Shave My Legs: The OCD Miniseries - Part 7
Now that you know more about available treatment and management options for obsessive-compulsive disorder, let’s talk a bit about what happens if you leave your OCD untreated and unmanaged.
It’s not a pretty picture, folks.

When ignored, OCD can:

Make you feel like a prisoner. Your OCD may […]

By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 3 comments

February 29th, 2008

Treatment And Management Options For OCD

I Must Shave My Legs: The OCD Miniseries - Part 6
Once you’ve been properly diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, there are three main categories of treatment and management options for you: psychotherapy, medications, and self-care.
Psychotherapy
The Mayo Clinic gives a great, thorough definition of psychotherapy.
In short, psychotherapy is effective for both children and adults, and the form […]

By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 3 comments

February 29th, 2008

How Will Your Doctor Diagnosis Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

I Must Shave My Legs: The OCD Miniseries - Part 5
We’ve hit the halfway point and it’s all downhill from here. Feeling any more educated about obsessive-compulsive disorder? Sure you are.
Now that you know the signs, symptoms, causes of, and risk factors for OCD, how do you know when it’s time to talk to a […]

By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 2 comments

February 28th, 2008

Are You At Risk For Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

I Must Shave My Legs: The OCD Miniseries - Part 4
Recently we discussed the definition of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), as well as the two categories its signs and symptoms are separated into - obsessions and compulsions. Because about 2.2 million Americans have OCD (according to the National Institute of Mental Health; I don’t even know […]

By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 3 comments

February 28th, 2008

Compulsions: Those Nasty Little Responses To Obsessions

I Must Shave My Legs: The OCD Miniseries - Part 3
Now that we’ve covered one of the main categories of signs and symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) - the obsessions - let’s take a look at the other category - the compulsions.
In the case of OCD, a compulsion is a repetitive behavior you feel driven […]

By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 3 comments

February 27th, 2008

Obsessions: We Ain’t Talking Wentworth Miller Here, Folks.

I Must Shave My Legs: The OCD Miniseries - Part 2
Earlier we discussed the definition, signs, and symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Now, let’s dig a bit deeper into one of the main OCD signs and symptoms - the obsessions.
You probably have a pretty decent, working idea of what an obsession is. Many of us […]

By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 6 comments