Tag Archives: Bipolar disorder

How Shootings Stigmatize People Living with Mental Illness

Posted on by

From: NAMI Blog: 

On Sept. 20, CNN.com invited and published the following guest article by NAMI Executive Director Michael J. Fitzpatrick. NAMI also released statements on the Navy Yard tragedy on Sept. 17 and Sept. 19.

When tragedies occur, such as the one at the Navy Yard in Washington, all Americans are deeply affected.

They include the one in four American adults who experience mental health problems. That’s approximately 60 million Americans. Their first reaction is much like that of anyone else: feelings of anger and anguish and wanting to know when such events will ever stop.

But there’s another, secondary impact to this community if a history of mental illness is suspected. Tragically, in the case with the Navy Yard gunman, mental illness appears to be a factor. But in too many cases, people simply assume that it is, no matter how much we caution that it’s best not to attempt to diagnose any medical condition speculatively through the news media.

Unfortunately, stigma surrounds mental illness. It’s most associated with a violent stereotype. The result has always been fear, prejudice and discrimination toward anyone struggling with a mental health problem.

The stereotype endures despite the fact that the U.S. Surgeon General has found that the likelihood of violence from people with mental illness is low. In fact, “the overall contribution of mental disorders to the total level of violence in society is exceptionally small.”

Despite the impact of the Navy Yard tragedy and those of Newtown, Aurora and Virginia Tech on perceptions, a much greater, different reality exists. Many thousands of veterans experience post-traumatic stress disorder. Civilian employees of the military seek help for depression; teachers live with anxiety disorders. Students succeed academically while managing bipolar disorder.

People living with schizophrenia may be psychologists, professors, peer counselors or businesspersons. They are all members of their communities. Few are violent…

CLICK HERE to view this entire article at NAMI Blog.

What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?

Posted on by

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a blend of two therapies: cognitive therapy (CT) and behavioral therapy. CT was developed by psychotherapist Aaron Beck, M.D. in the 1960’s. CT focuses on a person’s thoughts and beliefs, and how they influence a person’s mood and actions, and aims to change a person’s thinking to be more adaptive and healthy. Behavioral therapy focused on a person’s actions and aims to change unhealthy behavior patterns.

CBT helps a person focus on his or her current problems and how to solve them. Both patient and therapist need to be actively involved in this process. The therapist helps the patient learn how to identify distorted or unhelpful thinking patterns recognize and change inaccurate beliefs, related to others in more positive ways, and change behaviors accordingly.

CBT can be applied and adapted to many conditions, including depression, bipolar disorder, Anxiety disorders, eating disorders, schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. For instance, people with bipolar disorder usually need to take medication, such as a mood stabilizer. But CBT is often used as an added treatment. The medication can help stabilize a person’s mood so that he or she is receptive to psychotherapy and can get the most out of it. CBT can help a person cope with bipolar symptoms and learn to recognize when a mood shift is about to occur. CBT also helps a person with bipolar disorder stick with a treatment plan to reduce the chances of relapse (e.g., when symptoms return).

With schizophrenia, the disorder generally requires medication first. But research has shown that CBT, as an add-on to medication, can help a patient cope with schizophrenia, helping patients learn more adaptive and realistic interpretations of events. Patients are also taught various coping techniques for dealing with “voices” or other hallucinations. They learn how to identify what triggers episodes of the illness, which can prevent or reduce the chances of relapse. CBT for schizophrenia also stresses skill-oriented therapies. Patients learn skills to cope with life’s challenges. The therapist teaches social, daily functioning, and problem-solving skills. This can help patients with schizophrenia minimize the types of stress that can lead to outbursts and hospitalizations.

CBT for schizoaffective treatment shares elements of each of the foregoing. Over the past two decades, CBT for schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder has received considerable attention in the United Kingdom and elsewhere abroad. While this treatment continues to develop in the United States, the results from studies in the United Kingdom and other countries have encouraged therapists in the U.S. to incorporate this treatment into their own practices. In this treatment, often referred to as cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis (CBT-P).

For more information, see the National Institute for Mental Health Site and NAMI.

From: National Institute of Mental Health and NAMI National.

Common Genetic Variation May Underlie Different Mental Health Conditions

Posted on by

An international research group has identified a 15% overlap between inherited schizophrenia and bipolar-disorder attributable to common genetic variation. The Cross Disorders Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium published the study online in Nature Genetics August 11.

The group used genomewide-genotype data from thousands of people and compared them with control subjects. Besides the relationship between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, there was a 10% inheritability overlap between bipolar disorder and depression, a 9% overlap between schizophrenia and depression, and a 3% overlap between schizophrenia and autism. The common genetic variants with small effects revealed in this and related studies will eventually be supplemented by other research on other variations. Study co-leader Naomi Wray, Ph.D., of the University of Queensland in Australia, said in a statement accompanying the study:

“Shared variants with smaller effects, rare variants, mutations, duplications, deletions, and gene-environment interactions also contribute to these illnesses. Since our study only looked at common gene variants, the total genetic overlap between the disorders is likely higher.” 

The study was funded in part by the National Institute of Mental Health. Read more about the work of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium in Psychiatric News.