Man with Bipolar uses YouTube to document ECT experiences

In the videos, the man, Dale Shankins, describes his illnesses and various treatments he has tried over the past eleven years to deal with his Bipolar disorder. Prior to this year, Dale says he has had about thirty ECT sessions over the course of his illness and feels that overall it has been the most beneficial of all the treatments he has tried.

I watched several of Dale’s videos and found the majority of them to be pretty informative. For example, in the day two video Dale talks about how the ECT of today is different from the ECT of the past and about how ECT is negatively portrayed in the media and movies such as “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest”. Also in the day two video; Dale describes exactly how ECT is delivered today and how he feels after the treatments. Mr. Shankins states that the level of discomfort he experiences from ECT treatments is about that of a teeth cleaning at the dentist. Most days, Dale describes the after affects of his ECT as being grogginess and headaches along with being tired for the remainder of the day.

These videos should definitely be on your must-see list if you are considering ECT. Dale takes questions from the public, so if you are curious about this process, just drop him a line.

Episode 28: Tsarion and other lies

In Episode 28 I discuss Tsarion and his foolish ideas of mental illness. This man is spreading the stigma and oppression against those of us that suffer from mental illness with his misguided views. I must speak out against those that would say that we are 'allowing' ourselves to be mentally ill. Happy Holidays! Vote for us at podcast alley!

Stop Anxiety

Anxiety, or generalized anxiety disorder, is characterized by excessive and exaggerated worry about daily life events.  It’s a stress disorder that can lead to deeper emotional problems and chronic stress syndrome.  In order to stop anxiety you need to learn more about what causes it and how it can affect you.

No study has yet revealed the exact cause of generalized anxiety disorder, but a number of factors have been discovered.  Genetics, environmental stressors, and brain chemistry are a few of the factors that aide in the development of anxiety.  However, it has been proven that anxiety can attract depression, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive order. Read more

Symptoms Of Bipolar Disorder - A Mixed Bag

When I studied bipolar disorder in medical school, I thought it was very simple. You got high, you got low, you got better, then you started again.

Then I started to have painful psychological symptoms, so I looked up the books, but no disorder seemed to fit my experience very well.

The official version of the symptoms of bipolar disorder are contained in the DSM-IV (Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition published by the American Psychiatric Association). This, however, didn’t throw much light on things, because to quote the Manual itself, ‘it is produced for mental health specialists, its use by people without clinical training can lead to inappropriate application of its contents.’ Great. Read more

Living With Anxiety - A Simple But Effective Anecdote

Millions of people are plagued with chronic anxiety conditions. And many others will experience anxiety problems at some point in their lives, depending upon their reaction to anxiety-provoking events. Both children and adults suffer from anxiety, which can be caused by abrupt and difficult changes in life circumstances or other upsetting problems.

Some seek counseling for their condition while others try to handle it on their own. In either case, a simple yet powerful technique for reducing anxiety can be quite helpful for most people. It’s not exotic or new, and it’s not a drug, but it works.

The technique is called exercise. Read more

Myths And Facts About Mental Illness

There are so many myths floating around about mental illness that it is about time people took the time to figure out what is a myth and what is a fact. Listed below are some of the myths that have been around in our society for decades if not centuries.

Myth: Mental illness is the same as mental retardation

Fact: Both the terms are way different from each other. Mental retardation is a genetical problem characterized by impaired intellectual ability and neuro-cognitive functions. Mental illness is a physical condition that occurs as a result of bizarre circumstances. This is characterized by fluctuating moods, changes in a person’s thinking and behavior and fluctuating intellectual abilities. Read more

Understanding Bipolar Personality

The word “bipolar” was coined to best describe a mental illness that is noted for erratic mood swings. One of the meanings of the word “pole” could be explained as being on opposite ends of a spectrum, or range of ideas, behavior, or opinions.  Euphoria and depression can be said to be polar opposites of one another in that they are two vastly different emotional states of mind. Thus, the word bipolar refers to someone who has moods that swing in succession from one end, or pole, of the emotions to the other, opposite end. Read more

Important Information About Bipolar Disorder

Despite the fact that there is ample information about bipolar disorder available in many forms, people today toss around the diagnosis of this illness in an offhand manner. If a person has a problem with their temper, he is casually dubbed as bipolar. The same goes for a person who occasionally suffers from depression. Few people realize that bipolar disorder is a serious psychiatric condition that has no cure, and is no joking matter. Read more

To Shop, or not

Today I choose not to.

I’m usually a pretty laid-back individual when it comes to shopping in my free time. However, shopping during the holidays is my worst nightmare. I get nervous about shopping with hordes of people and I am over-stimulated and distracted with all the shiny, brightly-lit everything. Staring too long at the Christmas lights puts me into a Holiday coma. If I manage to tare myself away from the decorations, I realize I’ve completely lost track of my list and the purpose of the shopping trip. On a few occasions, I’ve shopped for a couple of hours, only to find that standing in long lines with screaming children is more than I can take. I end up leaving all my items there and walking out of the store. Many times I’ve had to suppress the urge to run screaming from stores when I’ve had to listen to Christmas music for too long, especially annoying Christmas music. Store managers everywhere slipping “Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas” into the store’s stereo system, please, cease and desist.

If you are anything like me, it doesn’t matter how many times people have scolded your resistance to holiday shopping or have harassed you to embrace the “holiday spirit”, you’re not going to do it. If you do decide to venture out in public, you’re going to try and make everyone else as miserable as you are. Here’s an idea; maybe stay home this year and do your shopping online. No, it’s not too late and all those smug, Chipmunk-album- listening people, will thank you.

If you do throw caution to the wind, stressed-out holiday shoppers of the world, and go to the mall this season, perhaps you should heed the advice offered up in this CNN.com article. The article is an interview with psychologist, Nadine Kaslow of the Emory University of Medicine. Kaslow mentions that one reason why people become even more stressed out during the holidays is because they are typically not eating right and not exercising as much, so they can become ill more easily, which makes them unhappy. Paying more attention to your overall health during the holidays will help you keep yourself together during stressful situations, like shopping. In addition, people become financially stressed during this time of year; the article also mentions how it is important to know your budget. While charging up your credit card to pay for those gifts seems like a quick-fix now, it’s going to cost you more in the long run and cause you stress in the New Year when you get the bill.

Symptoms Of Bipolar Disorder And Their Treatment

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that involves rapid change of mood conditions. As the name implies, “bi” means two or dual and “polar” connotes polarity. By application, this means that a person with symptoms of bipolar disorder tends to abruptly change polarities from extreme happiness down to severe sadness within a short time interval. Read more

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