How to deal with depression | How to beat depression

During my seventh hospitalization for bipolar disorder

– 18 years after I first cracked-up as a graduate student in psychology – I finally wrote a plan to keep myself out of the nuthouse. Here are some steps that you can use to write your own plan to Stop a Downward Bipolar Spiral.

1. Identify your pattern of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that ends in a bipolar episode.

We all have our own patterns. Mine starts with a frustrating event that I interpret as a problem and then exaggerate to be more serious than it is. The pattern ends with me telling myself that I am a complete failure, becoming depressed, feeling hopeless, and responding to the hopelessness with rage. When you recognize the pattern starting, you can stop it. But first, you need to know what the pattern is.

2. Write down your pattern.

This will give you a more clear and specific idea of your pattern and will help you recognize it as soon as it begins.

3. Make note of the times when you have been able to avoid or stop the pattern.

Recognizing that you have avoided potential bipolar episodes in the past (probably many times) will help you to avoid them in the future. It is a skill that you most likely have already used without even knowing it. You may have bipolar disorder, but there are many times when your mood, thoughts, and behavior are quite normal. And, sometimes, you do respond to stress quite well. What did you do at those times that enabled you to successfully avoid a bipolar meltdown?

4. Remember that you do have some control over the pattern.

The chemical imbalance of bipolar can powerfully affect our moods, but we can still make conscious, deliberate choices about our thoughts and behaviors. You can literally force yourself to think new thoughts and change your focus. Once when I was thinking obsessively and unproductively about something that may (or may not) have been a problem, a friend suggested that I do a crossword puzzle. I was desperate, so, in spite of my serious doubts, I gave it a try. It worked. I stopped obsessing – at least while I was doing the puzzle.

5. Make a list of thoughts and behaviors you can use to replace your bipolar pattern thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

When I recognize that my pattern might be starting, I have a number of alternative thoughts and behaviors that I can use to interrupt, contradict, and stop the pattern. They include: recalling my past successes, exercise, positive self-talk, taking a walk, removing myself from stressful situations, praising God in spite of my circumstances, calling my counselor, and declaring the promises of scripture. (I roar out loud with a fist in the air, “Yes! The Creator-King of the universe is my Dad and He is right now at work for my absolute best!” Romans 8:28)

It’s wise to write the list down. Once your bipolar pattern thinking/feeling/acting begins it can be hard to recall the good ideas you had when you were a little more sane. Keep the list handy and pull it out as soon as the pattern begins.

6. Give a copy of your plan to your family and/or counselor.

In the midst of a bipolar episode, these people can pull out their copy and remind you of your own good advice. Nothing short of seroquel stops distorted thinking quite like being confronted with your own words.

Your plan doesn’t have to be anything at all like mine. But make a plan! Don’t leave yourself exposed to the next potential downward spiral. You can stop it! Make a plan.

Richard Jarzynka is the author of “Blessed with Bipolar” He has used the “symptoms” of the disorder to help him counsel clients; run a marathon; grow in his christian faith; and earn a masters degree in psychology, a scholarship to law school, and a football scholarship. He blogs at BIPOLAR RICHARD’S ALMANAC.

According to a recent survey, approximately 5.7 million Americans are living with bipolar disorder, a serious illness that can manifest itself with intense mood swings and bizarre thoughts. A person who has been clinically diagnosed as having this disorder will spend most of their lives vacillating between extreme emotions, from ecstatic highs to devastating lows, which is why this condition is frequently referred to as manic-depressive disorder. Bipolar sufferers spend very little time in the relatively comfortable range of emotions in which most of us live.

Between these episodes of extreme energy and euphoria (mania), which are followed by periods of severe depression, most patients display somewhat normal behavior, but these symptoms tend to occur at random and can present themselves without warning. There are four distinct types of bipolar disorder ranging from cyclothymia, in which the cycles occur over a two year period and are relatively mild, to Bipolar I disorder, where the patient experiences a continuous succession of both depression and mania.

If left untreated, this illness can make living an ordinary life nearly impossible. People with bipolar disorder can find it difficult to keep a job or maintain a relationship. Unable to cope with their disorder, some will commit suicide.

Treating Bipolar Disorder with Neurofeedback Therapy

In recent years, a certain level of success has been achieved using neurofeedback to help stabilize the rapid cycling between moods that plagues bipolar sufferers. Neurofeedback therapy may help bipolar patients to mitigate the two extremes, allowing them to enjoy longer periods functioning within a more comfortable range of emotions.

Neurofeedback therapy is being used successfully in the treatment of other illnesses such as depression and ADD/ADHD in both adults and children. It has even been proven to help dramatically in cases of traumatic brain injury. And some preliminary studies regarding the use of neurofeedback in treating bipolar disorder have had promising results.

Also known as brain biofeedback, this method of treatment makes use of electrodes used in conjunction with an EEG or electroencephalogram machine to monitor your brainwaves. Through several neurofeedback sessions, you may gradually train your brain to function differently. To accomplish this change, you will use your brain waves to control a visual on the monitor.

When your brain is operating with the desired waves, it receives what it considers a reward, such as making a “spaceship” on the screen fly, or playing a DVD. Your brain will seek to stay within these frequencies, and the changes will eventually become longer lasting. These changes will not happen overnight, however, and may very well require more sessions than other disorders require. Keep in mind, though; the possible outcome is full abatement of rapid cycling bipolar disorder.

Currently, neurofeedback is being used in conjunction with the appropriate medications and other more traditional treatments for bipolar disorder. At this time, you should not abandon any treatments that you are using, but rather work with both your neurofeedback therapist and your physician to create a working treatment that incorporates both methods.

Many patients who have had neurofeedback therapy say that they would never choose to go back to the way they felt before the therapy.

For more information about Neurofeedback, go to http://www.NeurofeedbackBook.com Dr. Clare Albright is a psychologist (CA License PSY11660) and a Neurofeedback practitioner and can be reached at (949)454-0996