http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/feeds/bipolar-bites?key=bipolar-bites Healthline Health Blogger Natasha Tracy - Bipolar Bites en-us Copyright (c) 2012 Healthline, All rights reserved. en-us Copyright (c) 2012 Healthline, All rights reserved. http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/efficacy-psych-drugs-do-antidepressants-work A couple of years ago there was a major meta-analysis  published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that questioned the efficacy of antidepressants, particularly for people with less severe depression. It stated: “The magnitude of ... Wed, 23 May 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/efficacy-psych-drugs-do-antidepressants-work Natasha Tracy 2012-05-23T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/some-people-will-commit-suicide-no-matter-what-you-do Within people at risk for suicide, there are broadly two groups—those at high risk and those at low risk. For example, women attempt suicide far more often than men, but men commit suicide four times more often than women. Latina youth and lesbian... Wed, 16 May 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/some-people-will-commit-suicide-no-matter-what-you-do Natasha Tracy 2012-05-16T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/recognizing-facial-expressions People with bipolar disorder suffer from extreme versions of emotions. Aspects of mania or hypomania may be like an average emotion, but they are that emotion amped up to a level 11. Wed, 09 May 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/recognizing-facial-expressions About Natasha Tracy 2012-05-09T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/genetic-research-bipolar-disorder Part one of this series discussed the biological differences between a brain with bipolar disorder and one without and while several differences were noted, none can definitively be used to diagnose bipolar disorder. Mon, 30 Apr 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/genetic-research-bipolar-disorder About Natasha Tracy 2012-04-30T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/biological-evidence-bipolar-disorder One of the most frustrating things about my job as a mental health writer has to be dealing with the people that say that mental illness doesn’t exist. It’s dealing with the people who say that bipolar disorder doesn’t exist because there is no de... Wed, 25 Apr 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/biological-evidence-bipolar-disorder About Natasha Tracy 2012-04-25T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/dry-mouth-minor-side-effect-can-cause-major-problems I’ve been taking medications for about 14 years now and in that time I have experienced everything from fainting in the middle of the kitchen at work, to becoming psychotic and tachycardic thanks to psychiatric medication. Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/dry-mouth-minor-side-effect-can-cause-major-problems About Natasha Tracy 2012-04-11T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/do-antipsychotics-shrink-your-brain Antipsychotics (like quetiapine (Seroquel), olanzapine (Zyprexa), or aripiprazole (Abilify)) are actually now the highest-grossing psychiatric medication, ahead of even antidepressants. Antipsychotics (also known as neuroleptics or major tranquili... Wed, 04 Apr 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/do-antipsychotics-shrink-your-brain About Natasha Tracy 2012-04-04T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/bipolar-disorder-not-otherwise-specified-nos-really-bipolar-illness When diagnosing bipolar disorder, a psychiatrist assesses previous mood episodes. These mood episodes must reach the criteria for major depression and either mania or hypomania in order to warrant a diagnosis of bipolar disorder I or bipolar disor... Wed, 28 Mar 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/bipolar-disorder-not-otherwise-specified-nos-really-bipolar-illness About Natasha Tracy 2012-03-28T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/alternative-treatments-bipolar-disorder-0 I am not a proponent of alternative treatment. If you look in my bathroom cabinet you will not find kudzu root or ginseng Wed, 21 Mar 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/alternative-treatments-bipolar-disorder-0 About Natasha Tracy 2012-03-21T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-effective-bipolar-disorder When someone begins treatment for bipolar disorder, I always recommend therapy along with medication because we know from studies that the combination of the two treatments works better than either alone.  Wed, 14 Mar 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-effective-bipolar-disorder About Natasha Tracy 2012-03-14T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/five-drug-free-products-make-you-sleep-better Sleep is something that everyone needs and it’s something that everyone has trouble getting from time to time. If you have a mental illness though, you know that sleep can be a challenge every night of the week. In the case of bipolar disorder thi... Wed, 07 Mar 2012 08:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/five-drug-free-products-make-you-sleep-better About Natasha Tracy 2012-03-07T08:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/soft-signs-bipolar-disorder Much like the manifestations of depression or schizophrenia can differ from person to person, so can bipolar disorder. In fact, sometimes bipolar disorder doesn’t look like bipolar disorder at all. Some research would suggest that there’s a varian... Wed, 29 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/soft-signs-bipolar-disorder About Natasha Tracy 2012-02-29T08:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/how-mice-are-helping-us-understand-bipolar-disorder Bipolar disorder is very difficult to study for many reasons but one of which is because suitable animal models for bipolar disorder have not been found as they have been for depression.  Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/how-mice-are-helping-us-understand-bipolar-disorder About Natasha Tracy 2012-02-22T08:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/can-treatment-noncompliance-be-good Medication, or treatment, noncompliance is basically not doing what you’re supposed to do. So the classic example is spontaneously going off your medication. Doctors don’t like this, and for good reason—it’s dangerous. Being a noncompliant patient... Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/can-treatment-noncompliance-be-good About Natasha Tracy 2012-02-15T08:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/can-treatment-noncompliance-be-good-can-treatment-noncompliance-be-good Medication, or treatment, noncompliance is basically not doing what you’re supposed to do. So the classic example is spontaneously going off your medication. Doctors don’t like this, and for good reason—it’s dangerous. Being a noncompliant patient... Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/can-treatment-noncompliance-be-good-can-treatment-noncompliance-be-good About Natasha Tracy 2012-02-15T08:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/bipolar-disorder-and-fixing-your-circadian-rhythm See how your circadian rhythym—or your body clock—can affect bipolar disorder. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/bipolar-disorder-and-fixing-your-circadian-rhythm About Natasha Tracy 2012-02-08T08:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/bipolar-deep-brain-stimulation Deep brain stimulation has been approved to treat Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders, but it is not without its risks. Complications can arise from the implantation of the device, the device itself or from device stimulation. Specific risk... Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/bipolar-deep-brain-stimulation About Natasha Tracy 2012-02-01T08:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/what-is-deep-brain-stimulation Learn about the history of deep brain stimulation and how electrodes are implanted into the brain. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/bipolar-bites/what-is-deep-brain-stimulation About Natasha Tracy 2012-01-31T08:00:00Z