4/27/2013 6:00:00 AM
Danny felt down most of his life, but never talked about it. Now he finds his moods fluctuating, and wonders if he may be bipolar. Sometimes he's a wallflower and at other times he's the life of the party.
2/1/2013 2:00:00 PM
Rhonda and her dad are at odds. She is Bipolar II and has adverse reactions to medication. She is in tune with how she thinks and tries desperately to control her actions without meds.
1/27/2013 6:00:00 AM
Christina has been married to a man she has known for four years. She loves him dearly, but his mood swings are affecting the family. He's happy and energetic for 3 to 5 days, and then he's angry, tired and does nothing but sleep.
1/24/2013 6:00:00 AM
E.B.S. retired from the military in 2006. He's been alone for 17 years and doesn't have any real friends. He suffers from Bipolar Disorder, and though he's on meds, they don't help. He remains at home, eats quickly prepared sandwiches, leaves dishes in the sink for days.... you get the picture.
12/21/2012 6:00:00 AM
Alex has been married for 8 years and has a 19 month old daughter. Though his wife has always been opinionated, lately she has started throwing tantrums any time he says or does something she disagrees with. He's at a loss about what to do.
11/11/2012 6:00:00 AM
Nancy studied personality disorders as an undergraduate psychology minor and reviews my book, 'Better Than Normal'. She rates her own personality traits and shows how this understanding can better your life by using her own life as an example. Are you, "Better Than Normal"?
11/7/2012 2:00:00 AM
Ellen, 19, was diagnosed by her GP as having depression a year ago. Now she's having severe mood swings. Her boyfriend says she has a mental illness but it's ok, because she can control it. But, she feels like her mind is slipping away.
10/30/2012 6:00:00 AM
Sherry writes in to ask if exposure to formaldehyde can cause depression, mood swings and/or seizures.
10/26/2012 6:00:00 AM
Mahesh's mother was treated by a psychiatrist a couple of months ago. Now she's depressed, hopeless, feels inadequate, has a loss of interest and is unable to make decisions.
10/8/2012 6:00:00 AM
Lauren was overweight, felt very depressed, and was crying all the time. Her mom took her to their GP, who didn't do anything. She lost the weight and made friends, but the mood swings continued. She confided in a teacher that she was sexually abused as a child. Her parents were told, they were sad, but then life quickly returned to normal. But, she now continues with the mood swings, and she's also paranoid about meeting new people and freezes in fear when she hears people talk or laugh behind her.
9/22/2012 6:00:00 AM
Jasmine is scared. She sometimes feels she's about to have a stroke or heart attack, and she's unable to do anything to stop it. Not only that, she hears voices, telling her to stab her children. She hates people and is having extreme mood swings. She is asking for help.
9/9/2012 6:00:00 AM
Vimal is 70 and diagnosed with depression. He got his hands on my book while he was in the US and is thrilled, because he does not want to take medication. His son, a neurologist in Canada, says he needs the meds. What do you think?
9/4/2012 2:00:00 PM
AB is 26 and grew up without friends. He would handle difficult times by cutting himself. For the past year and a half he has been seeing a girl, whom he loves and who loves him. However, when he flies into a rage, she gets upset and wants to leave. He responds to this by threatening to kill himself if she leaves, and so she remains. He wants to know how he can stop acting like this -- he knows it's self defeating.
8/28/2012 6:00:00 AM
Kazine has elevated moods lasting three months, and depressed moods lasting about the same. She also has at least 25 different personalities, but is unable to find help because so far the doctors in the UK do not take her multiple personalities seriously. This is wreaking havoc on her life, and she asks where can she go for help. Do you believe in multiple personalities? Is there proof they exist?
8/24/2012 6:00:00 AM
Wendy has been married to her husband for 11 years, and he continually has mood swings. He'll be fine for a month, then he's hostile and angry for about a week. He's fine with the kids, but she bears the brunt of his anger. He also gets in verbal altercations at work and threatens to quit. She wonders what's going on. Do you know?
8/7/2012 6:00:00 AM
Gary is 47, has had 60 jobs in his life, is caring, intelligent and suffers from schizoaffective disorder. He asks if there's a test to be done on his brain, or if there's natural substances that can help him. Do you know the answer?
7/29/2012 6:00:00 AM
Roy's mother has "episodes". She imagines thing that haven't happened, over-exaggerates and cannot remember conversations that just occurred. Her house is a mess and she doesn't dress properly when she goes out. He ran away to get away from her when he was 17, his sister ran when she was 16 and now his 14 year old sister wants to run away too. They tell mom she needs help, but she says she's fine, that they are the ones who need help. He asks how to get help for someone who doesn't want it.
7/27/2012 6:00:00 AM
SS is 36 and loses her temper very quickly. She will snap at her husband, children and others over the slightest things. Her temper is getting in the way of her relationships, especially her husband, and she's afraid she'll lose her family. She went to a psychiatrist who prescribed Lexapro. She's not sure the diagnosis is correct and doesn't know if she should take the medication. She asks for help.
7/25/2012 6:00:00 AM
Thomas's wife has suffered with depression since childhood. Now she is also experiencing psychosis, along with schizophrenia, PTSD and bipolar disorder, but the many medications she has been prescribed offer no help. He asks what he can possibly do to cure his wife, as he is emotionally drained from watching her deteriorate.
7/18/2012 6:00:51 AM
Becca has felt emotionally and mentally run down since she was 12. She has struggled with her emotions for years, and it's a great concern and getting worse. She can be very happy, then very angry over some silly, unimportant thing, and then soon after cry over absolutely nothing and feel awful. If she has money, she impulsively wants to spend it right away then feels bad afterward. She wants to know what's wrong with her. You say?
7/16/2012 6:00:33 AM
Shaon broke off a relationship with a girl because she didn't have any feelings for her. After that, she began feeling stress and anxiety, even to the point of seeing a psychiatrist. She's been on antidepressants and sleep meds for over a year, and although she feels better, she's still having obsessive thoughts. She wants to know what's wrong with her, and what can she do. Thoughts?
6/29/2012 6:00:18 PM
Anna's life has been turned upside down. After a quick one hour appointment, her daughter was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Her daughter is devastated, and now they don't think they can live a normal life. What do you think? Is a diagnosis like this too difficult to overcome?
6/2/2012 6:00:04 AM
As long as Whitney can remember, she's felt emotionally disturbed. She's either very up and happy or very depressed, with bouts of extreme anger. She hits her boyfriend and others, and hurts herself, as well. She feels like a monster at times, even though she's a good person. She hates hurting herself or other people, and wonders how to regain control. Thoughts?
5/23/2012 6:00:26 PM
Carmen's psychiatrists have either moved out of state or retired, and now she and her daughter are left not knowing where to turn. She asks for referrals in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. While I cannot list by names, I give advice on how to find the doctor she needs. Would you know where to turn?
5/21/2012 6:02:35 AM
Harold questions the title "From Stigma to Strength" which I discuss in an interview with 'The Advocate'. He also thinks it's amusing that I say many mental disorders have gone from being stigmatized to glamorized. Do you agree?
