bipolar disorder

Health & Safety

Patients say keto helps with their mental illness. Science is racing to understand why

4:27pm February 02, 2024

by Will Stone

It's not just for weight loss. Patients and doctors alike are having success using the diet for illnesses like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. And research is taking off.

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Gregg Martin, author of 'Bipolar General,' at his home in Cocoa Beach, Fla.

The self-proclaimed 'Bipolar General' is waging war on the stigma of mental illness

5:01am January 17, 2024

by Quil Lawrence

Maj. Gen. Gregg Martin led troops in Iraq while a second battle front opened inside his own mind. Now retired, he's fighting to break down the military taboo on getting help.

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Dr. Devika Bhushan went public about her bipolar disorder while serving as California's Acting Surgeon General. She writes: "I have never been more convinced that to dispel mental health stigma, professionals who feel comfortable need to speak our truths — to spread the understanding that mental health conditions, especially serious ones, are treatable."

Health & Safety

Coming out about my bipolar disorder has led to a new deep sense of community

12:35pm October 15, 2022

by Devika Bhushan

Dr. Devika Bhushan went public with her diagnosis to help dispel stigma. In the process, she says, she's forged bonds with hundreds touched by mental illness.

A supporter of pop star Britney Spears participating in a #FreeBritney rally on July 14 in Washington, D.C. When anyone poses a high risk of harm to themselves or others, psychiatrists are obligated to hospitalize them, even against their will. For many p

The Cost Of Forced Psychiatric Care Like Britney Spears Got Can Be Ruinous

9:06am September 27, 2021

by Christopher Magoon

The pop star was forced into psychiatric care — and compelled to pay for it. That could happen to anyone during an episode of serious mental illness, adding a financial threat to the health woes.

In her new book, Modern Madness: An Owner's Manual, Terri Cheney, who lives with bipolar disorder, shares advice for dealing with anxiety and depression and helping loved ones through a crisis.

Listen, Open Up, Connect: A Mental Health Expert's Advice On Living Through A Crisis

5:00am September 19, 2020

by Graison Dangor

Decades of living with bipolar disorder was "training" for the coronavirus pandemic, says Terri Cheney, whose new book shares lessons for navigating mental illness — and the times we live in.

Lithium: A Doctor, a Drug, and a Breakthrough, by Walter A. Brown

'Lithium' Is A Homage To A Drug — And To The Renegade Side Of Science

1:05pm August 14, 2019

by Etelka Lehoczky

By celebrating those who applied the substance as a drug, Walter A. Brown aims to raise awareness — and to demolish what remains of the myth that scientific progress is driven by rigorous dispassion.

Lisa Abramson holds her firstborn child, Lucy, in 2014. A few weeks after Lucy's birth, Abramson began feeling confused and then started developing delusions — symptoms of postpartum psychosis.

She Wanted To Be The Perfect Mom, Then Landed In A Psychiatric Unit

6:49pm January 19, 2019

by April Dembosky

Postpartum psychosis is rare but very real, doctors say. And, unlike in some countries, U.S. moms who need inpatient psychiatric care can't bring along their babies, adding to the trauma.

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A major study published Monday finds that widely prescribed antipsychotic drugs like haloperidol are no more effective than a placebo for treating delirium.

Antipsychotic Drugs Don't Ease ICU Delirium Or Dementia

4:59pm October 22, 2018

by Richard Harris

Though widely prescribed in hospital intensive care units to treat hallucinations and other signs of delirium, Haldol and similar drugs are no better than a placebo for such patients, a study finds.

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An anesthetic and sometimes-party drug, ketamine is helping some patients calm the symptoms of mental disorders.

From Chaos To Calm: A Life Changed By Ketamine

4:47pm June 04, 2018

by Jon Hamilton

The anesthetic ketamine first wowed the medical world with its ability to relieve severe depression in hours. Now it's showing promise for other psychiatric disorders, including bipolar and PTSD.

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An average of 13,776 inmates in 45 California counties were on psychotropic medications in 2016-2017, a recent report found. That is up from 10,999 five years ago.

Big Jump Seen In Number Of Inmates Prescribed Psychiatric Drugs In California

4:16pm May 04, 2018

by Anna Gorman

Amid a severe shortage of psychiatric beds and community-based treatment throughout the state and nation, county jails have become repositories for people in the throes of acute mental health crises.