22. April 2012 by admin.

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11. November 2011 by admin.

Moody Teens Wrongly Diagnosed With Bipolar Disorder, Psychiatrist Claims Psychiatrists are increasingly misdiagnosing relatively harmless mood swings in the mistaken belief they are nipping a more serious problem in the bud, Philip Hazell, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the University of Sydney Medical School.

“Effectively, I think quite a few young people now with benign moodiness have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and are being treated for that condition unnecessarily,” Hazell said.

what struck me most about this article is not what Dr. Hazell was saying was not shocking news.  But how many of his opposes rationalized their rebuttal essentially confirmed Dr. Hazel’s believe that young people are being over diagnosed with bipolar disorder. For example they quote Gordon Parker, executive director of black dog Institute whose response to Dr. Hazel’s believe was, “while over-diagnosing appears to be rampant in the U.S.,he cannot accept that is widespread and Australia“.

I you kidding me, he essentially is saying yeah Americans over diagnosed, but that could never happen in Australia as we’re too good and have a superior mental health system. Well, Gordon Parker just like your Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s says you need to give a“fair shake of the sauce bottle, mate”, or another idiom us Americans like to say, “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander“.  There is no way that your society is free from misdiagnosing and/or over diagnosing teens with mood disorders.  here in America we may be a little more sensitive to children moods but as my personal understanding that what happens here eventually happens everywhere. I call this the McDonald’s effect… Sooner or later there’ll be one day you.

For what it’s worth I do agree that children are being overdiagnosed, then overmedicated for mental disorders symptoms that are mild and just barely fit the criteria of say bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. And I’m not wrong in this feeling the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-V has even change the criteria for children’s bipolar disorder and mood disorders by adding a milder form of the mood disorder.

Children diagnosed with bipolar disorder
A new category that indirectly impacts the diagnosis of mood disorders is the proposed new disorder for children called “temper dysregulation with dysphoria” for “persistent negative mood with bursts of rage.” This new behavior disorder is expected to apply to many of the growing numbers of children currently being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Recent studies have shown that many of these children, who may be aggressive and irritable, do not have bipolar disorder. Rather than powerful antipsychotic drugs, the primary treatment may be behavioral.

References:

http://moodletter.com/DSM_V.html

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/11/11/moody-teens-wrongly-diagnosed-with-bipolar-disorder-psychiatrist-claims/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter#ixzz1dPTihy5T

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30. October 2011 by admin.

U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) & The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Broadcast Live on Web from FDA’s White Oak Campus

Video link: http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/WorkingatFDA/ucm275549.htm

PDF file:

Event flyer (PDF - 550KB)HHS & FDA invite all Veterans and People with Disabilities, who are
interested in the many Federal positions we have available at any of our 12

Operating Divisions here at HHS, these positions are located throughout
the country. To register and participate in our LIVE Virtual Hiring Event on

Thursday November 3, 2011 Please see the attached link for additional event information including how to register.

All participants in the Virtual Hiring Event will have an opportunity to not only apply to the open positions at FDA & HHS, but have their resume forwarded to all 9000+ selecting managers throughout HHS and its 12 Operating Divisions.

We are holding 3 LIVE presentations at 9:00 am, 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm
EST. We will be discussing working at HHS & FDA, Training on the updated version of USAJOBS, Determining job qualifications, How to apply using USAJOBS and Application Manager, and Detailed Information on the federal positions we are looking to fill and much more.

Please distribute this information to Veterans and/or People with Disabilities looking for employment.

The Virtual Hiring Event is 508 compliant and CC. We look forward to your participation.

Posted in mental health news, Florida Peer Network | Print | 1 Comment »

17. April 2011 by admin.

I was reading about Catherine Zeta-Jones and her simi-public battle with Bipolar 2.  I am glad too that she is one celebrity that has taken her mental health and recovery into her own hands. True, we don’t know the whole story, how long she has known, if this new, or an old issue just well maintained. Maybe the bipolar magazine BP hope will do a cover story about her in the coming months and we can get a better idea on what it is she really has.

People magazine is quoting publicist Cece Yorke, that Catherine Zeta-Jones is bipolar and that Jones recently went to the hospital for psychiatric treatment for five days. Cece says;

“After dealing with the stress of the past year, Catherine made the decision to check in to a mental health facility for a brief stay to treat her Bipolar II Disorder,”

Will BP Hope the bipolar magazine do a cover story Catherine Zeta-Jones

Posted in mental health news, BP Magazine, Recovery | Print | 2 Comments »

17. March 2011 by admin.

With all the media coverage of Charlie Sheen who is Bi-Winning (#winning) it has overshadowed our other favorite bipolar actor Mel Gibson.  Last night “he was fingerprinted and his mug shot was taken, a requirement of a plea deal that resulted in him being on probation for three years and attending a year of domestic violence counseling.”

Mel’s troubles were reported for all to hear, it may have been the first time that a celebrity was recorded in drunken manic rage!  at the time people were afraid of this rampage.  Shocking as it was, we who live with mental illness know that 90% of what he was saying had nothing to do with who the man really is… When you’re in a manic rage fueled by alcohol you will do and say anything without regard  and with no compassion… In other words you just don’t give a S#iT about what you say, the only thing you’re trying to do is hurt the person that hurt you with your words, threats, and outbursts.  Is this fair to the victim, no not at all! there are consequences to your words and actions, and Mel for sure appreciate that.  Just by showing up at the police station willingly says a lot…

“The 55-year-old Oscar winner was accused of striking his then-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva (gree-GOR’-yeh-vuh) during a January 2010 fight, but his no contest plea on Friday did not include an admission of guilt.”

Will society as a whole give Mel Gibson for his mental illness rampage… No probably not, there will always be stigma around what he said and what he did, namely because it offended an alienated a race… The ultimate career sinker in Hollywood.

fortunately for Mel, Charlie Sheen has been taking up a lot of the stigma these days and absorbing people in to his own delusion, but that’s content for another post.

AP – This booking photo released on Thursday, March 17, 2011 by the El Segundo, Calif. Police Department shows 

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