An Account of 68 Years of My Experience With Bipolar Disorder:
A Personal-Clinical Study of A Chaos Narrative
by Ron Price
Original written in English.
PREAMBLE
The many manifestations of health problems like neurotic, personality, psychotic and non-psychotic mental disorders is now one of the leading causes of death globally.(1) Mental disorders also account for a significant percentage of the non-fatal burden of disease.
This is my personal story and experience of bipolar disorder(BPD). It is my life-narrative and my experience with a special focus on the idiosyncratic manifestations of BPD in my life. For this reason, among others, I have posted part or all of what I call my 'chaos-narrative' at a number of internet sites.
Severe mental tests are everywhere apparent, not only in the field of psychiatry and clinical psychology, disciplines whose role is to deal with these afflictions, but also across the wider culture in which we all live. These tests have been afflicting people across most cultures in the long history of humankind, but especially in the last century as the worlds population has gone from 1.5 billion in 1914 to 7.5 billion in 2014.
The onset of the Great War: 1914-1918 in some ways marked a new stage in the burgeoning problem of mental health and the tempests of our modern world. Disaster psychiatry now plays a vital role in the evolving structures for preparedness and response in the fields of disaster management. Science and experience now address the tragedies of mass catastrophe with new systems. The challenges are massive for integrating mental health contributions into the practical requirements for survival, aid, emergency management and ultimately recovery. The human face of disaster and the understanding of human strengths and resilience alongside the protection of, and care for, those suffering profound trauma and grief are central issues.
These tests, disasters and crises will continue in the decades ahead as the tempest afflicting society continues seemingly unabated. There are now available, though, a burgeoning range of resources in todays print and electronic media to help people understand this complex field of mental health. My life-narrative, which I hope will be of help with respect to BPD, is but one small resource for readers. I have posted sections of this account at internet sites which contain a dialogue between people interested in particular mental health issues about which I have had some experience.
There are many internet sites today, some organized for and by mental health experts and others for the general public and especially for sufferers of mental-illness to provide information as well as opportunities to discuss issues and obtain help for what has become a very large range of specific disorders. If one goes to the google search engine and inserts the following words: mental health, depression, bipolar disorder, affective disorders, OCD, PTSD, anger management, indeed, any one of dozens of other disorders in this field, one discovers a host of sites of interest and of relevance to ones special concerns.
According to one source, one-third of all people in western cultures will suffer from a disorder or emotional problem during their lifetime and they would benefit from therapy. In the last half century there has been a revolution in treatment programs and regimes which have found better and permanent cures for many, if not most, of the mentally afflicted, but there are millions more suffering from mental illness as well. In this world mental illness is truly a heavy burden to bear. I leave it to readers to do more googling for there is much to read for those who are interested in this subject.
Despite the plethora of treatment options for BPD, it remains suboptimal from the points of view of clinicians and patients alike. Whether measured by recovery time from manic or depressive episodes or preventive efficacy of maintenance treatments, BPD is characterized by sluggish responses, inadequate responses, poor compliance and recurrences in controlled clinical trials. Results of naturalistic studies additionally show pervasive, often chronic symptoms, multiple episode recurrences, very infrequent euthymic periods when measured over years and marked functional disability in many patients.(Euthymic means a normal, non-depressed, reasonably positive mood distinguished from euphoria) Thus, despite the explosion of options over the last quarter century when lithium dominated treatment, treatment resistance remains a central problem in BPD. Whether measured by symptom/syndrome/recurrence status or functional status, the majority of treated BPD patients have a less than satisfactory outcome. My life experience with BPD is a good example of this reality, although at the age of 67 I have come to see my present treatment regime as "as good as it gets."
I have joined over 100 of these sites and participate, as circumstances permit, in the discussions on mental health, bipolar disorder, depression and personality disorders among other topics in the field of psychiatry. What I have posted below is, as I say, also posted in whole or in part at many of these sites. I have posted this account here and at other locations in cyberspace because: (a)it is part of my own effort to de-stigmatize the field of mental illness and (b) it provides a useful longitudinal account of BPD for those who are interested.
My own somewhat lengthy account below will hopefully provide mental health sufferers, clients or consumers, as they are variously called these days, with: (i) a more adequate information base to make some comparisons and contrasts with their own situation, their own predicament, whatever it may be, (ii) some helpful general knowledge and understanding, (iii) some useful techniques in assisting them to cope with and sort out problems associated with their particular form of mental health problem or some other traumatized disorder that affects their body, their spirit, their soul and their everyday life and (iv) some detailed instructions on how to manage their lives more successfully despite the negative consequences of their BPD or whatever trauma or illness affects their lives.
For many readers the following post will be simply too long for their reading tastes and interests. In that case just file this document for future use, skim and scan it as suits your taste, go to the sections relevant to your interest or delete it now. Apologies, too, for the absence of an extensive body of footnotes which I have been unable to transfer to this document at BLO.(2)
-----------------------------FOOTNOTES ---------------------------------
(1) See a 17 page list of neurotic, personality and other nonpsychotic mental disorders on the internet; see also psychotic or affective mental health disorders. The internet has excellent overviews of all these mental health disabilities.
(2) I have had difficulties placing footnotes into this document and so readers will not find the full list of annotations that I originally placed here. I hope to remedy this problem in a future edition.
__________________________________________________
If readers want more of my story let me know or just google: Ron Price, BPD
A Personal-Clinical Study of A Chaos Narrative
by Ron Price
Original written in English.
PREAMBLE
The many manifestations of health problems like neurotic, personality, psychotic and non-psychotic mental disorders is now one of the leading causes of death globally.(1) Mental disorders also account for a significant percentage of the non-fatal burden of disease.
This is my personal story and experience of bipolar disorder(BPD). It is my life-narrative and my experience with a special focus on the idiosyncratic manifestations of BPD in my life. For this reason, among others, I have posted part or all of what I call my 'chaos-narrative' at a number of internet sites.
Severe mental tests are everywhere apparent, not only in the field of psychiatry and clinical psychology, disciplines whose role is to deal with these afflictions, but also across the wider culture in which we all live. These tests have been afflicting people across most cultures in the long history of humankind, but especially in the last century as the worlds population has gone from 1.5 billion in 1914 to 7.5 billion in 2014.
The onset of the Great War: 1914-1918 in some ways marked a new stage in the burgeoning problem of mental health and the tempests of our modern world. Disaster psychiatry now plays a vital role in the evolving structures for preparedness and response in the fields of disaster management. Science and experience now address the tragedies of mass catastrophe with new systems. The challenges are massive for integrating mental health contributions into the practical requirements for survival, aid, emergency management and ultimately recovery. The human face of disaster and the understanding of human strengths and resilience alongside the protection of, and care for, those suffering profound trauma and grief are central issues.
These tests, disasters and crises will continue in the decades ahead as the tempest afflicting society continues seemingly unabated. There are now available, though, a burgeoning range of resources in todays print and electronic media to help people understand this complex field of mental health. My life-narrative, which I hope will be of help with respect to BPD, is but one small resource for readers. I have posted sections of this account at internet sites which contain a dialogue between people interested in particular mental health issues about which I have had some experience.
There are many internet sites today, some organized for and by mental health experts and others for the general public and especially for sufferers of mental-illness to provide information as well as opportunities to discuss issues and obtain help for what has become a very large range of specific disorders. If one goes to the google search engine and inserts the following words: mental health, depression, bipolar disorder, affective disorders, OCD, PTSD, anger management, indeed, any one of dozens of other disorders in this field, one discovers a host of sites of interest and of relevance to ones special concerns.
According to one source, one-third of all people in western cultures will suffer from a disorder or emotional problem during their lifetime and they would benefit from therapy. In the last half century there has been a revolution in treatment programs and regimes which have found better and permanent cures for many, if not most, of the mentally afflicted, but there are millions more suffering from mental illness as well. In this world mental illness is truly a heavy burden to bear. I leave it to readers to do more googling for there is much to read for those who are interested in this subject.
Despite the plethora of treatment options for BPD, it remains suboptimal from the points of view of clinicians and patients alike. Whether measured by recovery time from manic or depressive episodes or preventive efficacy of maintenance treatments, BPD is characterized by sluggish responses, inadequate responses, poor compliance and recurrences in controlled clinical trials. Results of naturalistic studies additionally show pervasive, often chronic symptoms, multiple episode recurrences, very infrequent euthymic periods when measured over years and marked functional disability in many patients.(Euthymic means a normal, non-depressed, reasonably positive mood distinguished from euphoria) Thus, despite the explosion of options over the last quarter century when lithium dominated treatment, treatment resistance remains a central problem in BPD. Whether measured by symptom/syndrome/recurrence status or functional status, the majority of treated BPD patients have a less than satisfactory outcome. My life experience with BPD is a good example of this reality, although at the age of 67 I have come to see my present treatment regime as "as good as it gets."
I have joined over 100 of these sites and participate, as circumstances permit, in the discussions on mental health, bipolar disorder, depression and personality disorders among other topics in the field of psychiatry. What I have posted below is, as I say, also posted in whole or in part at many of these sites. I have posted this account here and at other locations in cyberspace because: (a)it is part of my own effort to de-stigmatize the field of mental illness and (b) it provides a useful longitudinal account of BPD for those who are interested.
My own somewhat lengthy account below will hopefully provide mental health sufferers, clients or consumers, as they are variously called these days, with: (i) a more adequate information base to make some comparisons and contrasts with their own situation, their own predicament, whatever it may be, (ii) some helpful general knowledge and understanding, (iii) some useful techniques in assisting them to cope with and sort out problems associated with their particular form of mental health problem or some other traumatized disorder that affects their body, their spirit, their soul and their everyday life and (iv) some detailed instructions on how to manage their lives more successfully despite the negative consequences of their BPD or whatever trauma or illness affects their lives.
For many readers the following post will be simply too long for their reading tastes and interests. In that case just file this document for future use, skim and scan it as suits your taste, go to the sections relevant to your interest or delete it now. Apologies, too, for the absence of an extensive body of footnotes which I have been unable to transfer to this document at BLO.(2)
-----------------------------FOOTNOTES ---------------------------------
(1) See a 17 page list of neurotic, personality and other nonpsychotic mental disorders on the internet; see also psychotic or affective mental health disorders. The internet has excellent overviews of all these mental health disabilities.
(2) I have had difficulties placing footnotes into this document and so readers will not find the full list of annotations that I originally placed here. I hope to remedy this problem in a future edition.
__________________________________________________
If readers want more of my story let me know or just google: Ron Price, BPD
