Theories not theorems

[adel_ezz]

Why it’s very difficult to explain BP because the underlying facts known so far are just theories which can collapse easily after a while. Mathematics is the only science which involves theorems contrary to all sciences which rely on theories that can explain a few facts then fly away after a while. I have a theory of my own that I should register in the bureau of standards before somebody else pinch it !!! Joking of course

It concerns tolerance, withdrawal etc… this theory I inspired from ILADVOCATE as he said in one of the posts that the brain tends to return to its bipolarity condition i.e. resisting the meds, this I can’t agree less. To explain why people – I am one of them – increase their dose as they grow older is that they did the common mistake of stopping their meds at a point in time, when they return taking them the dose must be increased. To build such model, one imagines that the meds and brain are at the opposite side of a rope each pulling away opposite to one another. If the meds stopped the rope will take the brain away back to bipolarity but one needs a higher dose (be overmedicated) to get back to the stability region , but one has to wait a long time until stability is recovered again. Likewise, if BP worsens i.e. the brain raises its resistance then one has to raise consequently the meds to stabilize called tolerance and withdrawal symptoms. But if one gets older then the brain gets equally weaker and older which means that it pulls away less the rope so the illness gets older as well and one doesn’t need in the old age to fiddle with the drugs much, so one recovers much easier than if we were young. Same with cancer, if it “hits” the young people then it’s viscious whereas I know old people who live with it in peace side by side.  

A corollary to my theory is that if one doesn’t automatically rush to pdocs when they develop the slightest feeling then perhaps they can escape the vicious cycle of meds and trying to recover. If you visit nowadays pharmacies the section I mean the no of shelves assigned to psychic drugs are huge so more and more people take drugs. Sure before these drugs there were BP patients living peacefully in the society. i.e. integrated in it. I remember to have read an article of some pdocs, can’t recall where, it says that 70% of the people hospitalized are due to pdocs mistake.

I am not trying to say one should stop the meds. Of course not. It’s late now because we are under the meds and stopping them will make it worse as the brain pulls back further the rope. I am only saying that for people who are beginners in this arena, take your time before you embark on the meds business, the pharm companies will not leave you in peace.    
ezz

[ILADVOCATE]

This I agree with and its important that anyone who has advice that's warranted or medically helpful that's always welcome. There is some information such I present that is new to research so it may or may not be helpful so I try to keep it to my journal entries unless it specifically applies. However, what you said about cancer is untrue. There are some variants of cancer that are less lethal such as Kaposi's sarcoma. I have relatives who have that. Its rare outside of HIV (which they don't have, its passed down on that branch of the family). But although its untreatable people live with it into old age. Other forms of cancer are entirely lethal. So in that case your observation was not correct. And the same is true for that of bipolar. Best to stick to medically accurate sites and update your information as what you personally observe may not correlate with the truth.

[monkeyc]

I have marked this as spam as it falls into the category of ill informed and potentially dangerous thought.

Please do not make posts that present non medically supported theories or encourage users to stop taking medication or not take medication - this advice can be dangerous for many people and you may not realise it.

[hell1971]

I went 37 years as BPII undiagnosed, I have four beautiful well behaved bright children, I have lived the normal life despite not knowing I was infact ill since 11 to 14 years of age, at 29 I had a major episode very typical of Bipolar, I had the classic Hypomania then the deepest depression it took a year out of my life and still I didnt realize I was ill, yes I survived it and continued to have mild to moderate episode until this last year when I eventually went into a mixed episode and was diagnosed, it was scarey and I would never want to experience this again, once diagnosed I started to see a pattern of my illness and now getting stable on medication I think if I had know and started treatment long ago how things could have been different, I have no regrets but no too people are the same but if I had to do it all over I would have gone on medication as to have at least attempted to avoid what I have been through.

[ILADVOCATE]

This actually isn't a theory of mine. I read it. I can't guarantee whether its true or not and neither can psychiatric tests because research on the brain isn't advanced enough. Before medication for bipolar though people did not do well. They became wildly manic and sometimes destroyed their lives when they got out of control or when they were depressed committed suicide. I know this not only because psychiatric textbooks but because of relatives who committed suicide from a century ago. Bipolar runs in my family. They just didn't know what it was years ago. Mood stabilizers do not affect the brain long term. As for the long term effects of current antipsychotics vs. newer ones in development people prefered I not discuss that but I am personally familiar with that. I'm sure you know what the end result of untreated schizophrenia is though which is hospitalization because of psychosis. That I am personally familiar with as well.
   If you stop a mood stabilizer you will experience rebound mania. If you stop an antipsychotic rebound psychosis. They are neccessary. As for anything I've experienced if you read my journal entries I had movement disorders as a child so I was susectable and they are still coming to conclusions on what's going on with me to begin with. Psychiatric disabilities require medication. People with cyclothymia (mild bipolar) can sometimes get through life without medication but from the people I know with it they are much happier when they go into treatment so they are not constantly rapid cycling and going into an agitated mixed state repeatedly. As for the pharmaceutical industry, some of what you read on the web is true and some is blatant misinformation but any ethical concerns are being addressed if you read further. The websites on the links pages explain how bipolar occus in the brain and why people need medication and if you want to read something more scientific go to PubMed. In short people need medication and there are specific reasons why.