That’s just great! Don’t give me anything else to fret about!!!! It’s enough that I feel like some home grown “monster” from hell some days. Now you’re trying to sell me on the fact that this may not be biological??? It’s BEHAVIORAL?
Oh please….do me a favor and go back under the rock you came out of, will ya? I’m doing so well on my meds now. The fact that I am going through treatment is taking responsibility for my actions. Where’s the credit for that? I listened to all you geniouses’ years ago and you gave me every drug neath the sun and none to them worked. NONE OF THEM!!!! Now I’m on the right script for the right reason, and you want to take that away from me??? I don’t think so!!!

I’m with Del. If you haven’t something constructive to add, Will Meek, please leave us alone to struggle earnestly toward normalcy.

I’ve been in therapy for over thirty years, on various meds for 25 and if there were anything, ANYTHING I could do to get rid of this albatross, I’d have done it by now. The first depressive episode I remember occurred at age 5-1/2, a full decade before I even knew what depression was.

Because I moved around a lot and saw different therapists over the years, the accurate diagnosis — Bipolar Disorder — wasn’t made until early this year. I’m currently on (what are probably) the right meds now, and had one glorious remission that lasted two months (almost to the day) during which I was able to plot a novel, and get over half of it written.

Since sliding back into depression six weeks ago, I’ve distanced my wonderfully supportive (third) husband. I have cut off all outside contacts, can’t bear to travel to see my parents nor allow them to visit me. Believing that this condition is biological/chemical/not my fault and that I’m doing everything one can do still doesn’t alleviate the guilt, the sorrow, the shame.

My meds are being tweaked once again, a costly and nerve-wracking experience that may — or may not — help. Shame on you, Will Meek, for suggesting that the article, which I read in full, to mean that it’s our own behavior that causes us to be bipolar.

What….I don’t see the article the same way the above have. I don’t think behavior is the cause but the reaction to the chemical or neurological happenings that cause the loss of gray matter. The episodes caused by the bi polar issues cause the loss of gray matter. Not the actions of the individual.

Am I reading it wrong?

Neuroleptics and other drugs are known to shrink brain regions. Furthermore alcohol abuse also shrinks the brain and alcohol abuse is very common in bipolar. I am surprised that the researchers seem to have jumped the gun without including other very relevant possibilties. Doesn’t seem to be a high quality research.

Neuroleptics, benzodiazepines and other drugs are known to shrink brain regions. Furthermore alcohol abuse also shrinks the brain and alcohol abuse is very common in bipolar. I am surprised that the researchers seem to have jumped the gun without including other very relevant possibilties. Doesn’t seem to be a high quality research.

to be honest i really dont know whats ur guys ( scientist )’s motives are i feel a bit troubled from the moment i see it and i dont find it helpful at first whether the reserch is the fact or not can u plz scientists be more human enough coz though im not a bipolar but borderline which the symptom is almost similiar to it and been eating the meds that i dont like at all taking it and its isnt fun at all eating it with the side effects that im trying to endure. And been suffering a lots same to all of us here.Why do you wanna to make us more suffer? I feel that u need to say something which can built us up then rather tear us down and giving us good news , Hope instead of all this sad news or perhaps for ur own glory i guess. Coz afterall it will help u as well though not now but in future come. On the other hand i will not allow u to destroy the faith and hope that i have in me easily ( same goes to all of us here i hope ) we’re much stronger than u thought we are but also plz be gentle and be sensitive enough it will do u good just like how u wanna to be treated. Thanks !

Oh so now it’s my fault I’m bi-polar? It’s due to my behavior? What a crock of sh*t.

Will, are you bi-polar? If not I wish you could, or would be forced to, walk the last 20 years in my shoes. To tell me that it’s my behavioral choices that cause me to be bi-polar is plain stupidity. If there were any changes I could make to get rid of being bi-polar after 20 years of living with disease I promise I would have found and tried them.

I fight this disease on a daily basis and most of the time I win the battle due to a good psychiatrist and proper medication.

I’m sure that being diabetic or having cancer is all because of a person’s behavioral choices. Get over your holier than thou attitude and go back under the rock you crawled out of.

I’m BP2 hypomanic.so i gonna get a shrunk brain?
I’d like to know what controls were used to differentiate the effects of substance abuse and medication on the brain…..seems there are some people who simply dont want reductionism!
If my hypomanic experiences are simply behavioural where the fuck did i get the ability to remain awake for 5-6 days without even feeling tired,where does the enhanced creativity come from behaviourally &c &c this is just bollocks.I’m an ex molecular biologist for the record and bp2 fucked that up for me like my marriage we are all familiar witgh this tale so did i throw away a promising career because of my behaviour.Seems psycholkogy needs to take far more notice of biochemistry chemistry molecular biology and just plain common sense….this “disorder” is genetic with some enviromental influence no doubt but it aint behavioural.As for me i would keep my bipolarity
butthat is a personal matter,and i dont have the more sedrious BP1 which would no doubt change that opinion.
I agree with jennifer stuf your attitude up your arse

The number of studies which are later contradicted or undermined by better research methodologies is high from the reading I have done since diagnosis. So I am not going to get too excited about this small study; what is worrying are the number of assumptions and conclusions that some people including Weeks appear prepared to make based on it. And to Jain, thank you for pointing out the distancing that comes on when in depression cycle which people really do not understand and can be hard to explain.

Nice comment Will. Hope you had your thinking cap on for that one…wait, you probably had your head up your ass so you couldn’t use your thinking cap right?
I’ve been diagnosed since 2001 but have had episodes from as early as 5 or 6 and I’m 30 years old. As if my own behavior warrents Bipolar. If behavior brought upon Bipolar, then methamphetamine addicts wouldn’t have to buy meth, they would just act in a way that is conducive to creating a manic episode.
How ignorant can someone be to read a few paragrahps that clearly state that Bipolar is biological and that we could be losing parts of our brains (for Christ’s sake!) and translate that to: “Oh good. Finally a chance for me to display my true powers of social incompetence and make a comment to a group of people (probably people w/ BP reading this article) implying that they are at fault for what happens to them.” Please Will…just stay inside with your old feather quilled pen while you write by candlelight about how wonderful it would be if we only had electricity.
And to Andy M: I have BP I but I agree with you. I wouldn’t give it up either. It’s a terrible debilitating illness at times but I get to see beauty, hope, creativity, and life in general in ways other non BPs ever will. Take care all.

well i have heard everyones comments and they all have a bit of truth i have suffered from this disease for 20 years and it took 10years to get me on the right meds and a good psychologist and a good family doctor my experience is this is a disease not a behavior problem somothing in the brain doesnt react to problems or situations the same as a normal person would (or functional individual) i well have to say it is not behavioral its an uncontrolable force in the brain that takes over and there is not winning at times i feel like unasociative like example i do something over and over again like get in trouble and you think i would get it but i dont i dont make the connection that there are consquences i well go and repeat bad behaviorl and be like did i just do that! kinda thing i have no control of what ever is goiong on in my sick head and its a bitch cause i am 43 and should know better and i wish there was a cure i am on lithium for 5 years and it has helped with the manic episodes i have had one sense thank god i hope i dont have too and i am a alcohol that doesnt help sober thought for a while not to much. god be with t hose who suffer with this disease or dissorder. take care of yourselfs.

I believe there’s been great misunderstanding of Will Meek’s following statement: “I think a whole new line of research could be created on motivation to change and how responsibility for behavior is attributed for people who believe that the cause of their problems is biological and uncontrollable.” I did not interpret this to mean not that individuals experiencing bipolar I or II characteristics are to blame for them. Instead, I believe Dr. Meek was citing the need for a deeper exploration into understanding how people with these diagnoses are affected by their belief that their condition is biological and therefore outside their control. As a clinical counselor myself, I can attest from experience that when clients perceive themselves as powerless to change their situations, as can happen when a disorder is perceived as purely organic, their feelings os helplessness can slower their progress in therapy. Individuals confronting bipolar characteristics very often possess great strength and capability to help contribute to advancing their situations through changing behavioral and attitudinal patterns WHILE also maintaining consistent drug treatment. Feeling powerless or entirely dependent on a pill to feel normal undermines the human condition’s strong potential for self-improvement.