Information and opinions on health from yumers at HealthCentral.com. HealthCentral.com is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/724322/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/724322/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/724322/index http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/724322/141948/learning Sun, 24 Jul 2011 00:42:19 -0400 yumers One of the things that binds me and the boyfriend together is our extensive experience with depression. Because of our shared illness, we’ve definitely accumulated some unresolved issues that influence how we think, and ultimately influence how we interact with each other. Nothing is really going wrong in the relationship, but I really felt like our wounds from the past would heal—and thus lead to a better relationship—if we... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/724322/141948/learning http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/724322/141857/experience Thu, 21 Jul 2011 22:50:10 -0400 yumers My friend is an undergraduate student at Middle Tennessee State University, and is conducting research into the barriers which people perceive when they try to access mental health services, and whether or not a person's race influences their perception of those barriers. He is conducting a series of online focus groups, each night from July 21st to the 24th, from 7-9pm cst. If you are interested, by clicking on the link below (or here:... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/724322/141857/experience http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/724322/141704/understanding Mon, 18 Jul 2011 21:21:36 -0400 yumers Surely we’ve all bought “How to” guides for our respective illnesses from Amazon or other booksellers, but The British Psychological Society is offering a guide about bipolar disorder for free! “Understanding Bipolar Disorder” provides an overview of the current state of knowledge about why some people tend to experience periods of extreme mood and what can help. Much has been written about the biological aspects... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/724322/141704/understanding http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/724322/141702/pet-ownership Mon, 18 Jul 2011 21:10:51 -0400 yumers When I come home, I am greeted each and every time by my cat, Simon (see above). Lately, he’s been sitting on my sweater that’s on the table, but other times, he trots on by to say hello. It’ll be seven years in September since I adopted him as a little kitten from the humane association. In the time that I’ve known him, I haven’t had a suicide attempt. Is it coincidence or has my cat affected my mental health?... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/724322/141702/pet-ownership http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/724322/141395/psychotropic Tue, 12 Jul 2011 22:19:54 -0400 yumers I finally went to the diagnostics place this morning to get my blood drawn in order to have some tests done. On the form that my psychiatrist gave me to take to the testing place, there was a code: “v58.69″ scribbled in the billable codes section.  I got curious so I looked up what it might mean. Apparently, v58.69 means “long-term (current) use of other medications.” As much as I knew that my overall health is now... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/724322/141395/psychotropic http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/724322/141241/keepin-therapy Fri, 08 Jul 2011 21:05:29 -0400 yumers It’s a day after my 34th electroconvulsive therapy treatment, and I’m awake. I got up around 8am, which had been a really hard thing to do for the last week or so, but today, it really wasn’t bad. I drank some coffee and ate a biscuit, took my cocktail of bupropion SR, concerta and deplin (at night, instead of concerta, I take abilify), and then went on my errands. I ended up purchasing myself a Roomba (yes, the robot vacuum... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/724322/141241/keepin-therapy http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/724322/141082/track-online Tue, 05 Jul 2011 16:17:52 -0400 yumers I saw the little 'ad' that showed up every time I was on this site, so I finally decided to check it out. Now I realize it's worth anyone who has a mood disorder to take a look at it.   Mood 24/7, a free mood tracker, was developed by a HealthCentral-based on technology licensed exclusively from JohnsHopkins University to help one track his/her daily mood electronically. Using text messages and a secure website, individuals may signup... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/724322/141082/track-online http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/724322/140984/gaining Sun, 03 Jul 2011 12:19:38 -0400 yumers I’ve been going to the gym almost everyday for the last three weeks (Koko Fit Club, to be exact).   There’s a testimonials page on the Koko website, and I happened to read over the comments one lazy afternoon. And according to them, the results are nearly instant, of people talking about massive weight losses and size changes in a matter of several weeks. Inevitably, I’ve come to desire those same results, in the amount of... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/724322/140984/gaining http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/724322/140853/end-hypomania Thu, 30 Jun 2011 14:20:51 -0400 yumers It’s been over a week since the tides changed, the ones that could’ve certainly driven me to a full hypomania followed by crippling depression. The initial episodes lasted for days at a time, of feeling agitated, nervous and anxious, with my mind spinning around and around like it was put in a washing machine. With help from some pharmaceuticals, following strict schedules and support from my BF, those bouts of rumination became... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/724322/140853/end-hypomania http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/724322/140614/long-abilify Sun, 26 Jun 2011 21:50:57 -0400 yumers Contrary to popular belief that Abilify is simply an ‘add-on’ to antidepressants, it is really an antipsychotic, initially used to treat schizophrenia and acute instances of mania. Now, in addition to what that cute, illustrated commercial tells you about this Rx, it is also often prescribed as a maintenance drug for bipolar disorder. My psychiatrist recently upped the dosage of my Abilify because of this reemergence of... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/724322/140614/long-abilify