Author Archive

Listed by most recent articles first.

• Tips for Coping with Some of Life’s Problems
  As we grow older, we experience change in nearly every part of our lives. Negative life experiences can be stressful and this stress can affect our mental health. These experiences include: Bullying ...
• Detoxing from Drugs and Alcohol
  When a young person has a dual diagnosis of chemical dependency and a bipolar disorder, most doctors choose to treat both conditions at once. This can be difficult unless the patient is in a hospital ...
• Other Types of Treatment for the Bipolar Child
  A variety of approaches to bipolar disorders that are therapeutic but that do not rely on talk as the primary principle. These include bodywork, light therapy, and other interventions that you may hear about. Most ...
• Psychotherapy and Bipolar Disorder
  This article describes the types of psychotherapy that appear to be most useful for people with bipolar disorders, and mentions which kinds of patients are most likely to benefit from each. As mentioned previously in ...
• Substance Abuse and Bipolar Disorder
  According to the most recent literature on substance abuse and bipolar disorder, these two problems occur together so frequently that all young people with a bipolar diagnosis should also be assessed for drug and alcohol ...
• Dual Diagnosis and Bipolar Disorder
  When mental health professionals use the term, "dual diagnosis," they are almost always referring to a person who has a mental illness and a substance abuse problem. Drug and alcohol abuse are far more common ...
• Building on the Strengths of a Bipolar Child
  Many brain disorders bring with them built-in limits. Bipolar disorders do not. Some would even argue that they may equip the affected person with certain strengths: a high energy level, strong verbal skills, sometimes an ...
• Legal and Financial Planning for Your Children
  If you or a grandparent plan to help your child financially, before or after death, you'll have to make special arrangements. Because of the laws surrounding public disability benefits -- benefits your adult child could ...
• Housing Options for the Disabled
  Some disabled people in the US are eligible for financial assistance with housing, and for housing preference programs through Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs, such as the Section 8 grant program. Section 8 is ...
• Bipolar and Starting College or Work
  The main goal of transition planning is the same for all students, regardless of their abilities or goals: preparation for the world of work. For most students, high school graduation marks a jumping-off point: some ...
• A Guide to Alternative Therapy Practitioners
  Acupuncture Ayurvedic and other traditional medicine Chiropractic Massage and bodywork Naturopathy Holistic psychology Homeopathy Nutrition-based therapies Orthomolecular medicine Osteopathy Alternative treatments may be suggested by ...
• Alternative Treatments for Bipolar Disorder
  Many people have tried at least one form of alternative medical treatment for one ailment or another, such as saw palmetto extract for prostate problems or avoiding wheat products to ease the pain of celiac ...
• The Home Environment for the Bipolar Child
  Parents of bipolar children often change their home environment to make their child's life -- and the whole family's life -- easier. It's one of those things that moms and dads do without really thinking ...
• Structure for the Bipolar Child
  You can structure your family life and community support system in ways that provide the best possible environment for a child or adolescent with a bipolar disorder. Some of these structures may be very different ...
• Dyslexia: Improving Reading and Writing Skills
  How can a person improve their reading and writing skills when they have dyslexia? The following tips may be of help: Try using a computer when you write things. Programs such as Microsoft Word fix spelling ...
• Identifying Irrational Thoughts
  One of the most common components of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy (CBT) is identifying and answering irrational thoughts. Once you can label and dissect an irrational thought, you take away some of its power. The longer these ...
• Children and Bipolar Disorder
  It is very rare for a child to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a preschooler. However, if your child falls into this category, or if she has another disabling condition that emerges in early ...
• Resources for Bipolar Disorder
  Advocacy and support groups Books and publications Web sites Related conditions and symptoms Special needs parenting Sibling issues Special education Healthcare and insurance General medical information...
• Financial Help with Medications
  Low-income patients may be able to get their medications for free by providing documentation to charitable programs run by pharmaceutical companies. In the US, the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association publishes a directory of medication assistance programs. ...
• Alternatives to Health Insurance
  No matter where you live, there are alternatives to expensive medical care. Those who don't have insurance, or whose insurance is inadequate, will want to investigate these resources. In some cases, creative private-pay arrangements may be ...
• Stressing Out about Stress
  Stress is all around us, every day, and we have all devised a variety of ways — some effective, some less so — for dealing with it. Some of us exercise, while others listen to ...
• Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
  People who experience obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) often turn to medications first for treatment (since they often turn to their primary care physician first for a diagnosis as well). However, decades' worth of research actually suggests ...
• Facts About Aging
  The overall difference in life expectancy at birth in the United States is about 7 years (i.e.72 for men vs. 79 for women); and at every age women, on average, can expect to live longer ...
• Frequently Asked Questions about Aging
  Q. Is it true that people's mental abilities inevitably decline as they get older? A. For many years, researchers believed that mental functioning declined with age, slowly at first, then more rapidly in old age as ...
• Holiday Stress: A Resourceful Survivor’s Guide
  Here's your chance to enjoy a serene Christmas—or Ramadan or Kwanzaa or Hanukkah The holidays are supposed to be joyous occasions marked by meaningful traditions, family connections, spiritual rejuvenation and just plain fun. Instead, for many ...