Finally went to Zumba after more than a month! How fun and joyous, not to mention a kickass workout! The video has one 4 minute song, we do 55 minutes worth of songs in one class! Love my teacher, she’s from Colombia and has all the moves! ❤ Ivonne! Can’t wait, seriously I can’t, wait for my next Zumba class! Puts a smile on my face every time, not to mention muscles on my body! YaaY!
How ECT works by Natasha Tracy
https://plus.google.com/+NatashaTracy/posts/fZmbu8XrgrN
How Does Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) Work?
In the book I’m writing on electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) I’ve had to address the question as to how ECT works. However, in spite of the fact that ECT has been in use since the 1930s we really don’t know how ECT works.
But recently we may have gotten a bit closer to figuring it out.
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) and Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor
One of the things we have noted is that people who undergo ECT have measurably increased levels of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which is critical in supporting healthy cells and cell growth in the brain. This increase in BDNF is something we’ve noticed when people take antidepressants as well. When you think about it, it makes sense that this would be part of why ECT and other therapies work as it combats the shrinking of the brain seen in depression and other mental illnesses.
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) “Reboots” the Brain
And one of the things I have said is that electroconvulsive therapy does not “reboot” the brain. There is just nothing similar to this analogy that we can point to with regards to ECT. Until now, that is.
Recent research shows that functional connectivity in areas of the brain may be up-regulated in people with depression. In other words, there are areas of the brain with too much connectivity. This theory is known as the “hyperconnectivity hypothesis.”
How Does ECT Work in the Brain
This seems counter intuitive when you think of depression but I suppose it’s like anything else, too much of anything can be a bad thing, especially in the brain.
Recently a study was done where functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measured the connectivity in areas of the brain. And specifically around the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortical region it was found ECT decreased the functional connectivity, and this decrease in functional connectivity seemed to correlate with positive results from the ECT on depressive symptoms.
Thus ECT was found to change the functional architecture of the brain in a way that helped with depression.
Note that the study size was extremely small but that this is typical for studies using technology like fMRIs. Thus, we cannot say this study proves anything but we can say it leads us in a new, and perhaps promising, direction in terms of discovering how ECT works.
Please see Electroconvulsive therapy reduces frontal cortical connectivity in severe depressive disorder for all the details.
Why Does it Matter How ECT Works?
Well, on the one hand, it doesn’t. For the people for whom ECT has worked, how it worked doesn’t matter a lick. However, the end goal for researchers is to figure out how ECT works so that they can retain the therapeutic component of the treatment while reducing the side effects (like memory loss). Maybe this study got us one step closer.
Thank you for nominating me for the Sunshine Blogger Award
Thank you gentlekindness of http://gentlementalannie.com/2016/01/24/awards/ for nominating me for the Sunshine Blogger Award!
The rules for The Sunshine Blogging Award are:
- Thank the person who nominated you
- Answer the 11 questions from your nominator
- Nominate 11 bloggers and give them 11 questions to answer
My Nominees Are…
https://itsgoodtobecrazysometimes.wordpress.com/
https://theblahpolar.wordpress.com/
http://thefallingthoughts.com/
https://synapsparkle.wordpress.com/
https://piecesofbipolar.wordpress.com/
https://thefeatheredsleep.wordpress.com/
http://despairtodeliverance.com/
Answers to My Questions- Followed by My Questions for my Nominees
1. What do you like to do first thing in the morning, if you have a choice?
Have coffee, I can’t start the day without coffee, simply doesn’t work.
2. Do you think we should strive to be “normal” or just be ourselves?
I suppose we should try to be as normal as we can be, all the while being as much ourselves as we can be. What is normal anyway?
3. Does anyone know you well enough that you trust them to “give you advice” about your path and your life? If so, who?
Yes, some friends and my sometime therapist. I definitely trust her, she can be objective, and she is highly intelligent and empathetic, so I definitely trust her. I just wish she took insurance so I could speak to her more regularly.
4. Do you feel more connected to the people you interact with on WordPress, or the “real life” people in your life? Or is it even and balanced?
I do feel very connected to the bloggers with whom I have conversations on WordPress! We, most of us, suffer from bipolar d/o or another mental illness, so we understand a lot of things about each other without having to explain a thing, which is really amazingly nice!
5. Do you prefer to be with people the majority of the time, or prefer time alone?
Sometimes I want to be with people, sometimes not. Sometimes being with people makes me very anxious and I have to come home and be solitary.
6. What do you miss about your younger self?
The being young of course. Also the hope for things to turn out well, the time to work on things, time, really it’s having the luxury of time, that’s what I miss.
7. Favorite tv show? or favorite movie?
Favorite TV show is “Downton Abbey” and “Sherlock”. Favorite movie lately might be “Madame Bovary” and all time is “Amadeus!”
Questions for my Nominees…
1. What is your nickname?
2. What do love the most about blogging?
3. What do you like the least about blogging?
4. When did you start your blog and why?
5. How did you come up with the name of your blog?
6. What are your hobbies?
7. Do you like to read? And if so, what genre of books?
8. Do you believe in keeping fit? If so how do you manage it?
9. Do you have pets?
10. Do you like winter or summer?
11. Do you have any fears? If so, how do you soothe them?
Bipolar disorder linked to inherited differences in sleep patterns
Interesting! And good night 😊
A clarification: I am not my illness and my illness is not me.
In my post called “The Martian” I had said I knew what it felt like to be alone, abandoned, injured, basically what Matt Damon’s character felt when he was left behind on Mars. Yes I know what that feels like but only from the times I’m not feeling well. That is what this illness called bipolar disorder feels like. That is not the real me, that is the ill me. The real me does not feel abandoned or alone or injured. The real me is strong, happy, capable, helpful to others and in control of my life. That is the real me. Unfortunately, the real me sometimes gets drowned by my illness. But the true me is always there, whether camouflaged by my illness or not. And it is with this real me, the true me, not my illness, it is with the real me that I live my life. The ill parts are simply short voyages into hell from which I do emerge often stronger and wiser than before. As so aptly said in the comments section by my friend Laura Schulman, I am not my illness and my illness is not me, categorically! Just a clarification.
L Methyl Folate
This is the one I am getting. Lets see if it has any perceptible, positive effect on my mood.
(See this post about the explanation: https://bipolar1blog.wordpress.com/2016/01/21/l-methylfolate-aka-deplin/)
http://www.methylpro.com/product/5-MTHF-15mg-90caps
5-MTHF Extrafolate-S® 15mg
90 CAPS
Product No. 00811
Supports normal healthy mood, cardio and nerve function.*
L-Methylfolate is important for normal production of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine, and is essential for converting homocysteine to methionine.*
Metabolic Maintenance has always used 5-MTHF made by Gnosis S.p.A. in Italy. We have recently decided to include their registered trademark “Extrafolate-S®” in the name of our stand-alone 5-MTHF products. We have made this adjustment on our website, although our product labels will take a few weeks to reflect this change. Extrafolate-S® is pure S isomer L-5-Methyltetrahydrofolate, calcium salt.
Our products have not changed. This name change was made only to acknowledge our supplier and clarify the source of our 5-MTHF.
26 Pieces of Advice That Have Actually Helped People With Mental Illness
My favorites are # 10 and 14!
26 Pieces of Advice That Have Actually Helped People With Mental Illness
Jan 13, 2016
With that expert’s list of ways to manage anxiety, the latest trendy mental health app and that “magical cure for depression” your aunt heard about on TV, it seems like everyone’s full of mental health advice these days.
So, we asked our mental health community to share pieces of advice they’ve actually found helpful. These little nuggets of wisdom aren’t FDA-approved, but when used correctly side effects may include: self-care, acceptance and a little more patience with yourself.
Here’s some advice that’s actually helped people with mental illness:
1. “On a particularly difficult day, I was trying to fight through an anxiety attack and finish all the child-related tasks I needed to complete. My husband kept offering help, and I kept refusing. He pulled me aside in the laundry room as I was frantically folding another load and said, “Just let me help you.” It doesn’t immediately make the anxiety go away, but it’s helped me learn to let go.” — Maria Heldreth
2. “Don’t wait. See a doctor. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Don’t be embarrassed.Chances are, someone knows exactly what you’re going through.” — Kristin Salber
3. “I have depression and anxiety (as well as other chronic medical conditions), and after the worst week I’ve had in a while, my doctor said, “Find something you enjoy, and if you can’t find that, find the joy in something.” This really had an impact on me and still reminds me to look for a silver lining.” — Faith Merryn
4. “I have generalized anxiety disorder, and I made friends with someone who’s extremely similar to me. She told me to always be myself and the people who truly care will stick around. It truly did help.” — Julia Ann Lange
5. “Words can hurt to say, but they need to come out. Write all those words down on paper.” — Melissa Cote
6. “A friend recently told me that no matter if I get a job one day or not, your life matters as long as you can make people smile. When I think of it that way, it’s easier to see my life as something of worth.” — Emma Wozny
7. “A great therapist I had told me to focus on ‘harm-reduction, not perfection.’ I felt like I was expected to magically ‘get better,’ and she helped me learn that starting with baby steps was totally OK.” — Jen Decker
8. “Someone said, ‘I’ve been here, I know a way out, I’m here to show you too.’ And, ‘It gets better, it may not leave, but it gets better. And it has.” — Tom Everman
9. “I have anxiety and major depressive disorder. This is going to sound ridiculous, but my best friend once told me, “When you’re sad, watch ‘The Simpsons.’” It actually works when I’m panicking, too. It gets my mind off whatever I’m obsessing about, and I usually end up laughing.” — Dawn Czarnecki Seshadri
10. “It wasn’t long after my diagnosis that I was told pretty bluntly: ‘This illness is has no cure. You’re going to carry this illness for the rest of your life. So you can either wallow in the weight of that, or you can fight for your only life and make it a good story.’” — Lyss Trayers
11. “My depression and anxiety stem from a traumatic childhood. Just hearing ‘it wasn’t your fault‘ from my psychologist was incredibly helpful.” — Kathrine Elise
12. “Don’t always believe what your brain is telling you.” — Kerri Lewis Brock
13. “It’s OK to feel sad. You don’t need to pretend.” — Allyson White
14. “The best advice: Treat yourself as if you were a good friend.” — Julie Jeatran
15. “Celebrate every accomplishment, no matter how small, instead of dwelling on all the things we perceive as failures.” — Jennifer Northrup
16. “I have post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder. When I was in intensive outpatient therapy, the counselor looked at us and said, ‘It’s over. That moment is over. It isn’t going to happen again.’ For some reason, that resonated with me.” — Nicole Hanes
17. “They told me this: ‘You are not broken; you are a whole person. You are just human. A human who is living, learning and growing. And learning, living and growing comes with bumps in the road. Remember that this is just a bump.‘” — Kallie Kieffer
18. “Your worst days will only be 24 hours.“ — Arielle Smith
19. “You wouldn’t skip a dialysis or chemotherapy appointment. Your therapy appointments are just as important. No excuses.” — Jennifer Davis
20. “‘I think you need to give therapy a try.‘ Thanks to that, I started therapy and I’m now on the path to recovery.” — Julianne Leow
21. “Your struggles are your accomplishments in disguise.” — Katherine J Palmer
22. “Remember: Depression lies. Don’t believe it.” — Beth Brogan
23. “Always ask for help. There is never any shame in asking for help.” — Meghan Shultz
24. “Take life 5 minutes at a time.” — Stephanie Lynn
25. “You can’t give everyone else everything you have. You absolutely have to save a little of yourself for yourself.” — Shawn Henfling
26. “I am a human being. Not a human doing. I just have to be.” — Michelle Balck
The Martian
Just saw it. The beginning where Mark Watney gets left on Mars, horrifying! Have I been left behind on Mars? The feeling of watching this man realize he is alone on a planet millions of miles away from Earth, how was that so familiar? Of course, it is the same feeling I have felt when I am in the throes of a manic or severely depressed episode! Abandoned in a desert, no help in sight. Quite sucks your breath out of your lungs. Yes, being left alone on Mars is very much akin to bipolar disorder (BPD). Surviving it requires intelligence, ingenuity, persistence, luck, and eventually help from the outside.
I was watching Matt Damon, playing Mark Watney, and I was so in tune with what he must be feeling. Alone, abandoned, injured, yet he had his wits about him and he survived. That is what we, who have BPD, need. But, awfully enough, bipolar takes our mind/brain/wits from us as well. But we survive, just with the thinking we have left, we survive. The thing to do is to never let it get so far that you cannot think logically or real-ly. With BPD, prevention is worth its weight in gold.
That is what life with bipolar d/o is like, like being abandoned on Mars. it’s that difficult, when you are in an episode, it is just that difficult. It takes superhuman strength to survive. So I congratulate all of us who suffer from this nasty disease and who have survived its ravaging effects over and over again!
L Methylfolate aka Deplin
As I was talking to my doctor about all the genetic testing I’d had done, he exclaimed that he had failed to see that I didn’t have the enzyme that converts Folic acid to Folate (Vitamin B9) , and he should have prescribed Deplin for me! That is what Nestlé Health Science calls L Methylfolate. They call it medical food.
Folate (http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/folate) is necessary for making nucleic acids (DNA, RNA) and it is the precursor of many neurotransmitters, such as Dopamine, Norepinephrine, and Serotonin! Illustrations of all are below.
Wow! I’d say that was an important omission! Ummmm Dopamine, Serotonin, Norepinephrine!? Depression much? I asked him how, without L methylfolate, how in the world was I even alive? I mean DNA and RNA are pretty necessary for cellular and organismal life! He said I’d gotten enough in my diet, (meat, chicken, fish have L Methylfolate in them) therefore I had survived. But if I took it orally, it may well reduce my level of depression by at least 10%! So of course I asked him for a prescription. I then happily went to pick up my “Deplin” from the pharmacy. When it came time to swipe my credit card, the bill was $297.00! Medical food, huhn, pretty expensive medical food. The total bill was close to $900.00 for a 3 month supply. My insurance paid for over $500.00 and my portion was almost $300.00. Well I returned it and now I am looking for cheaper medical food online. And when I find it, I will let you know, so all of you can get it and try the L Methylfolate and see if it helps with your depression.
Egad, drug companies!
Researchers Trace Anxiety Control to Specific Brain Region
In animal research reported in the November 12 issue of the journal Nature, scientists have identified a specific region of the brain that helps regulate behaviors and physiological changes associated with anxiety. Cells in this area, known as the basomedial amygdala, differentiate between safe and potentially threatening environments, and work together to suppress anxiety when conditions seem safe.
Better understanding of how the brain regulates fear and anxiety is likely to help researchers develop more effective treatments for anxiety disorders.
The new work was conducted in the lab of BBRF Scientific Council member and 2005, 2007 NARSAD Young Investigator Karl Deisseroth, M.D., Ph.D., a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Stanford University. Avishek Adhikari, Ph.D., a NARSAD 2014 Young Investigator, led the work together with Talia Lerner, Ph.D., and Joel Finkelstein.
In their study, the scientists examined connections between the brain’s medial prefrontal cortex and the amygdala, regions known to be involved in regulating fear and anxiety. Connections between these regions have been found to be disrupted in people with anxiety disorders.
Using powerful technologies, the team traced connections in the mouse brain from the medial prefrontal cortex to a specific part of the amygdala, its basomedial region, and showed that artificially activating these connections reduced anxiety-related behaviors in the mice. When the connections were switched on by the experimenters – using a method Dr. Deisseroth and colleagues invented called optogenetics — the animals were more likely to explore open spaces. What’s more, the increase in breathing rate usually associated with anxiety was not seen, even when the animals were in an exposed environment, which mice usually perceive as threatening.
The opposite effects were seen when the researchers experimentally inhibited the same connections: mice exhibited signs of anxiety even in a safe and familiar environment.
Many of the cells in the basomedial amygdala fire more actively when a mouse is in a safe environment, suggesting that these cells differentiate between safety and potential threats.
The scientists further showed that connections between the medial prefrontal cortex and the basomedial amygdala are important for extinguishing learned fears – that is, learning through experience to dissociate a feared stimulus from expectation of a negative outcome. Mice that had been trained to fear an auditory tone overcame these fears more quickly when the researchers artificially stimulated medial prefrontal cortex-basomedial amygdala connections.
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