Bipolar Disorder Daily News Blog

Frontline Video explores Bipolar Disorder in children

Frontline recently aired a program that explores the rapid increase in diagnoses of bipolar disorder in children during the past 7-8 years; the program is an update from earlier Frontline pieces which aired in 2001 and 2008. This program offers an overview of the current environment and attitude in the US vis-à-vis diagnosing young children with bipolar disorder and prescribing psychiatric medicines (many of which are "off label" for kids and adolescents). The video asserts that the rapid increase in diagnosis of bipolar disorder for kids is primarily a US phenomenon and conveys the heart wrenching uncertainty for families who wrestle with the counter-intuitive notion of giving young children psychiatric medicines. It also provides updates on kids who were first interviewed in 2001 and 2008 to see how they are progressing and how their bipolar diagnosis affects their lives. It's worthwhile to watch this program as it aptly raises critical issues for families and young kids faced with a bipolar disorder diagnosis (see my Nov. 10, Oct 28 & Oct 13 blogs for additional background on bipolar disorder and children).

Managing Bipolar Disorder: "Mood Mapping"

I've recently blogged about using Mood Tracking Solutions as a tool for those with bipolar disorder to help manage their lives (see Oct. 27 and Sept. 15 posts). I came across an interesting article which supports this notion. A UK based psychologist and bipolar patient, Dr. Liz Miller, has written a book: "Mood Mapping" which offers a method for bipolar patients to closely monitor their moods as a way to help manage their condition.

Dr. Miller was a successful neurosurgeon when she was diagnosed with biopolar disorder at age 28; a series of personal setbacks associated with the bipolar condition ended her career as a neurosurgeon. Like many people who are diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Dr. Miller sought as much information as possible about the illness and how to best treat it. Over time, she began to track her moods and daily habits. Eventually, she wrote a book which focuses on five main areas of life which affect a person's mood that can be changed: one's surroundings, physical health, relationships, strategies for life, and being yourself.

Thoughts: Dr. Miller's story is reminiscent of Dr. Kay Redford Jamieson's reliance on her own experience with bipolar disorder to create her compelling account in "The Unquiet Mind." That said, I have not yet read this book and I welcome any comments or critiques. Dr. Miller, now 52 years old, has not taken any medication to treat her bipolar disorder for 8 years. This approach flies in the face of a commonly accepted precept about how to manage bipolar disorder over the long term: i.e. taking a mix of meds to stablize mood and protect against depression is generally thought of as a crucial part of of treating bipolar disorder.

Personal Stories about bipolar disorder

I came across an intersting set of Short Stories on the online BBC Health "Secret Life" section. These short clips feature eight people with bipolar disorder who were asked questions about how they first felt when they were diagnosed; their experiences of mania, depression and getting treatment; and whether they'd push a magic button and get rid of the condition if they could. Interestingly, when asked if they could "eliminate their bipolar condition with the magic touch of a button," at least half of them said they wouldn't push that button. Their answers are illuminating and no doubt our readers understand the rationale behind either choice. You need to use RealPlayer to access these stories.

House passes Health Care Reform bill - All eyes on the Senate

Last Saturday (Nov. 7) the House of Represenatives passed the Health Care Reform bill (H.R. 3962) by a narrow margin of 220-215. The Health Care reform debate has moved over to the Senate side where a similar bill may be brought to the Senate Floor as early as next week. We'll keep you posted on the Senate side developments and monitor the key provisions that impact people with bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses.

Large Increase in Pediatric Bipolar Disorder?

The Issue

The steady drum beat of diagnosing kids and adolescents across the U.S. with mental illnesses seems to have quickened during the past few years. Increasingly, parents come out of meetings with school counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists et. al. with a diagnosis of pediatric bipolar disorder, early onset bipolar disorder and/or ADHD and a prescription for psychiatric medicines. These diagnoses can both calm and alarm parents.

Several recent posts from Kimberly Read, a regular contributor to About.com regarding bipolar disorder, caught my eye. She sites a whopping 4,000 percent increase in pediatric bipolar disorder; I was intrigued by this statistic and sought out its source.

Source & Conclusion

Source: A 2007 study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry measured national trends in outpatient visits that resulted in a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and then compared those trends between two age cohorts: a child/adolescent group (1-19) and an adult group (20 or older). The study compared office visits in the 1994-95 period to office visits in 2002-2003. The increase in office visits between these two periods for the child/adolescent group was 4,000%!

For those of you with young boys, there is additional grist for the mill: the study also showed a disproportionate number of boys (67.6%) coming in for visits and being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Conclusion: The study concluded that "there has been a rapid increase in the diagnosis of youth bipolar disorder in office-based medical settings." Why this might be the case is the subject for other studies.

What does it all mean?

While there is a massive increase in the diagnosis of bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses among kids and adolescents, we don't really know why that is the case. It may be that these illnesses were under diagnosed in the mid-90s or over diagnosed in the later period. It seems that terms such as bipolar disorder, ADHD etc. have come into the mainstream lexicon. Books such as The Bipolar Child (first published in 2000) helped increase the general public awareness about pediatric bipolar and probably gave encouragement to tens of thousands of families to seek out professional help for their children.

We will be on the look out for future studies that shed new light on the dramatic increase of diagnoses of bipolar disorder among kids and adolescents, and offer explanations that help families cope with this illness. As always, please feel free to offer your comments or observations on this post.

Health Care Reform bill with provisions for bipolar patients moving toward a House vote

In yesterday's blog, I indicated that the Health Care Reform Bill is moving toward a vote in the House of Representatives. The expected vote is now being considered for Sunday (Nov 8) or perhaps later. President Obama is planning to go to Capitol Hill on Saturday to lobby key swing vote Representatives who could make the difference in passing the Health Care Reform Bill. There are several important provisions for bipolar patients and people with other mental illnesses (see yesterday's blog for these points). Today and tomorrow are great days to call your Representative's Washington D.C. office and indicate your support for this legislation (H.R. 3962). You can call the U.S. Capital Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and asked to be transferred to your Representative.

Health Care Bill has key provisions for bipolar disorder patients

Last week, the House of Representatives created a new bill, H.R. 3962, which combines previous legislation passed by three House committees. This newly created legislation represents the House version of Health Care reform which is scheduled for a House vote this Saturday (Nov 7). During the past two days, two large lobbying groups, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and the American Medical Association (AMA), have thrown their support behind H.R. 3962. A Senate version which combines earlier legislation that passed through two Committees is being drafted and is expected to be introduced in the near term.

H.R. 3962 addresses several key issues for people who suffer from bipolar disorder or other mental illnesses. These provisions include:

1. Medicaid expansion for childless adults who make up to 150% of the federal poverty income level, including people living with serious mental illness who currently do not qualify for Medicaid coverage in their state.

2. Expanded coverage for the uninsured through a newly created health insurance "exchange" which would be required to have mental health benefits.

3. Insurance reforms that would ensure that people with mental illness could not be denied health insurance benefits on the basis of a preexisting condition or could not be dropped from existing coverage due to their medical condition.

These are important provisions and, if you agree with them, we encourage you to call your Representative or send an email between now and Saturday. Representatives' offices do keep track off emails and calls. If you're unsure of how to reach your Representative, you can call the U.S. Capital Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be transferred to your Representative. For those of you with a lot of time on their hands, you can go to Health Care Reform Bill and read the actual bill which is nearly 2000 pages long!