Information and opinions on BipolarConnect from Dan Haupt, M.D. http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/50 en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/ http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/50/9675/child-life-bipolar Mon May 21 14:52:01 -0400 2007 Dan Haupt, M.D. For many parents, the difficulties associated with the diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and the challenges associated with its treatment can be consuming. Finding a doctor can be difficult, let alone finding a board certified child psychiatrist. Many take limited or no insurance, preferring to avoid the hassles of reimbursement, but putting the burden of payment and insurance claims on the family. Treatment can be another dilemma, as parents... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/50/9675/child-life-bipolar http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/50/9112/drug-treatment Tue May 01 11:13:01 -0400 2007 Dan Haupt, M.D. What is the importance of psychotherapy in individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder?  Is drug treatment alone sufficient to treat this condition, or is some form of therapy necessary?For the majority of people with bipolar disorder, a combination of psychotherapy and medication results in better outcomes. Determining whether or not this is the case in any given person requires communication between the patient, their family, and the... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/50/9112/drug-treatment http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/50/8872/street-drugs-give Mon Apr 23 15:14:01 -0400 2007 Dan Haupt, M.D. It is very common for people who have used street drugs to wonder if the drugs may have caused their symptoms.Street drugs can cause many symptoms that can be found in mental illnesses, such as hallucinations, feelings of unreality, paranoia, and both extremely high and low moods. Because of this, it can be difficult or impossible to accurately diagnose (or treat) mental illness in someone who is also using street drugs.However, there is very... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/50/8872/street-drugs-give http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/50/7917/develop-bipolar Mon Mar 26 11:55:00 -0400 2007 Dan Haupt, M.D. Q: I have a couple of family members who were never diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but who definitely exhibited symptoms of the condition.  My husband has one family member who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder as well.  We’d like to start a family, but I’m afraid that our children might be at risk for developing the disease.  How concerned should I be?A: I think the key piece of information here is that neither... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/50/7917/develop-bipolar http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/50/7468/bipolar-spectrum Mon Mar 12 14:10:01 -0400 2007 Dan Haupt, M.D. One theory of bipolar disorder states that rather than simply consisting of just one or two types of illness (bipolar I and bipolar II), there is in fact a whole spectrum comprising lesser variants of the illness.In practice, this spectrum can be invoked to diagnose bipolar symptoms in people that likely are not mentally ill, but rather are behaving within the range of normal human behavior. This is related to the fact that some people have more... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/50/7468/bipolar-spectrum http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/50/3438/bipolar-pregnancy Fri Feb 02 14:56:00 -0500 2007 Dan Haupt, M.D. Zachary Stowe, MD from Emory University, is an authority on the treatment of mental illness in women. He recently gave an update on these issues in our department’s Grand Rounds here at Washington University. In general, there is a lot of concern about how (or whether) to treat serious mental illnesses like bipolar disorder during and after pregnancy due to concerns about the effects on developing fetuses and nursing babies. While the FDA... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/50/3438/bipolar-pregnancy http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/50/3103/sleep-bipolar Mon Jan 22 10:55:18 -0500 2007 Dan Haupt, M.D. A reader recently described his frustration in managing insomnia associated with bipolar disorder, and asked about the mechanisms of sleep disturbances associated with bipolar disorder. In general, very little is known about sleep considering that it is a state of consciousness in which we spend nearly a third of our lives. It is not clear why we sleep, although it is clear that we cannot function well without it. Normal sleep patterns are a... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/50/3103/sleep-bipolar http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/50/2794/holiday-challenges Mon Dec 04 17:43:41 -0500 2006 Dan Haupt, M.D. People have high expectations for the holidays, and many social activities revolve around this time of year. Along with high expectations, the holidays can bring increased stress. For people with bipolar disorder, the holidays can pose additional challenges. With the many expectations and demands on people at this time of year, it is important for people with bipolar disorder to maintain a sense of perspective on the importance of taking care... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/50/2794/holiday-challenges http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/50/2577/dr-haupt-mixed-mania Tue Oct 24 15:30:38 -0400 2006 Dan Haupt, M.D. Today I’ll address some more of the questions you’ve emailed me. As a reminder, I can only answer general questions, so I need to paraphrase some of your questions.A reader expressed concern about custody issues regarding a spouse that may be suffering from bipolar disorder. This reflects on previous discussions (see Children and Bipolar Disorder Part I and Part II) we’ve had in this column regarding the effects of bipolar illness on... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/50/2577/dr-haupt-mixed-mania http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/50/2462/bipolar-part-ii Tue Oct 10 10:52:24 -0400 2006 Dan Haupt, M.D. Are Children Negatively Affected by a Parent with Bipolar Disorder? Recently a reader asked about possible risks to children being raised by someone with bipolar disorder. In general, children’s emotional growth and development can be impaired if they are raised by someone with any major mental illness. Some of the best studies concern unipolar depression. Children of women with untreated depression do worse with regards to multiple measures... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/50/2462/bipolar-part-ii