Tom Wootton has taken his personal experience with bipolar disorder and shifted the universal paradigm.

As a former accelerative learning trainer for major corporations, and the author of “The Bipolar Advantage” and “The Depression Advantage,” Wootton challenges pervasive attitudes about serious mental illness and charts a different course looking at the positive as well as negative aspects of those conditions.

Through Bipolar Advantage, a company that teaches individuals how to turn their symptoms into assets, Wootton’s mission is to “help people with mental conditions shift their thinking and behavior so that they can lead extraordinary lives.”

“We are dedicated to the concept that recovery does not have to be limited to 90% of full function; true recovery means doing the hard work that brings you to 150%! We strongly believe that we can turn our ‘condition’ into one that becomes an advantage instead of an ‘illness’ or a ‘disorder’,” says Wootton.

Through talks, workshops, videos and books, Wootton and Bipolar Advantage have helped thousands of people to realign their thinking with their realities and turn disadvantages into assets. And now he’s applying those techniques and skills to corporate America.

According to Wootton, “In recent months discussions about the boom and bust cycles of our economy going back to the Great Depression have been the focus of many news stories. During boom cycles companies experience periods of inflated feelings of power or delusions of grandeur, characterized by excessive risk taking and out of control spending. During bust cycles companies experience periods of indecisiveness, black and white thinking, loss of energy and fatigue, even feelings of worthlessness and suicidal thoughts. These reactions are classic symptoms of bipolar.”

He goes on to say “Businesses can be trained to understand how different reactions and thought processes are assets when they are acted upon with the powerful understanding of bipolar conditions. Training individuals, management groups, and CEOs to recognize ‘bipolar’ assets and how to utilize them… shifts companies from immobility to confidence and action. Bipolar Advantage teaches essential tools for weathering the current global financial changes.”

Consider the Bipolar Advantage perspective on the following questions:

Is there any evidence that a Bipolar Economy is an advantage for business?

Yes, there’s a great deal of evidence. Companies can and do prosper during times of economic turmoil. What do GE, Disney, HP and Microsoft have in common? They were all startups during steep declines in the U.S. economy. GE started during the panic of 1873, Disney started during the recession of 1923-24, HP began during the Great Depression, and Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft during the recession of 1975. All these companies realized that they had an advantage by adopting a different mindset, a different way of seeing the crisis. They saw it as an opportunity.

How can a business turn market turmoil into an advantage?

Bipolar Advantage can help by bringing in experts who can shift a business’s thinking from a reactive fear-based response to one that is creative and opportunistic. Wootton emphasizes, “With a keen understanding of how the mind functions in different states and how to best utilize those states, Bipolar Advantage can take your company way beyond the pop psychology of positive thinking.”

What is this shift in thinking?

Generally speaking, companies that not only survived but also thrived during the Great Depression were those that took advantage of their creative capital; those people who already knew how to manage the mood swings in their own personalities. Those that understand their strengths and are able to use deep introspection to explore opportunities in a crisis are the ones who excel in turbulent times.

These are compelling ideas for compelling times.

I think Tom Wootton is joining the long list of brilliant minds whose mental “illness”  led to amazing accomplishment.

What are your thoughts?

Researchers at Indiana University have learned that even minimal amounts of physical activity, like walking, gardening, housekeeping or circuit training, improve the mood of people with bipolar disorder, major depression or schizophrenia. And this information can easily be applied to anyone searching for relief of anxiety, depression, or a simple, nasty mood.

Working with 11 people from the US and 12 people from Serbia over seven consecutive days, researchers randomly paged the participants, who immediately completed questionnaires about their mood and recent activities. The responses were compared to data collected during the previous 10 minutes using accelerometers worn by the participants that measured activity levels and duration.

The average amount of physical activity of the participants was comparable to that of sedentary adults, somewhat lower than adults with developmental disabilities and significantly lower than activity levels of active adults.

Most important, the study proved that he least active experiences correlated with less positive moods, illuminating the need for physical activity as a regular part of psychiatric rehabilitation.

“We found a positive association between physical activity level and positive mood when low to moderate levels of physical activity are considered,” said study author Bryan McCormick, associate professor in IU’s Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Studies. “Physical activity interventions that require lower levels of exertion might be more conducive to improving transitory mood, or the ups and downs people with SMI experience throughout the day.”

The lesson learned: If you’re feeling blue or anxious or particularly foul, go for a walk, take a yoga class, get on your bike or go for a swim.

DO something.

Be physically active.

Literally…

Move To Improve!

Much to the world’s chagrine, Carrie Fisher is not Princess Leia.

Carrie Fisher is a writer.

And she’s very, very funny.

Both talents are verified in Wishful Drinking.

I loved this memoir not because it exposed any great truths about bipolar disorder or addiction, but because it exposed great truths about learning to live with them.

Honest, open and hilarious, Fisher points the spotlight on her own life and directs us through an amazing production.

Bravo, Ms. Fisher! Bravo!

It is letters like the one below that keep me writing about mental health issues and that treatment works and recovery is possible…

“I read your book today, started it today and finished it tonight, and i wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart. My son has been battling Bi-polar disorder his whole life. (My mother also suffers) He was DX at age 7 and these days hope of recovery or well being is slim. He is now 13 and new issues are arising. Your book shined a new light of hope for me, and the courage to continue fighting his battle, and helping him to fight his battle. God Bless you Kate, your husband, and your three Children. Your journey touched my heart and made me feel not alone in the hopes of my son’s recovery towards feeling well. I hope to one day share his story and have the courage that you have now. Thanks so much for being a wonderful mother and human being.”

If you have a loved one with a mental illness, remember that yours is a journey shared and that hope always exists.

Blessings!

During the initial months after my daughter Chloe fell ill with bipolar disorder, I was told by one medical practitioner that she thought the illness was schizophrenia. Having adjusted to the harsh reality and seriousness of bipolar disorder (sometimes called manic depression), I was terrified by the possibility that she could actually have schizophrenia.

It seemed so much worse.

I‘d read all that was written about bipolar disorder and its treatment, occasionally catching snippets of information regarding schizophrenia; and my reading taught me that bipolar, while serious and life-threatening, was more treatable and had a more positive prognosis than schizophrenia.

According to many experts at the time, treated bipolar disorder could be managed, even stopped in its tracks. With proper medication and lifestyle choices, those diagnosed with manic depression could live happy, productive lives.

Patients with schizophrenia, however, did not enjoy the same prognosis. At the time, common theory indicated that schizophrenia, even when treated, continued to progress so that the patient would ultimately be unable to function “normally.”

Chloe’s degree of illness is severe and treatment resistant, forcing her medical team to experiment and use drugs “off label” as they tried to stabilize her.  Interestingly, some of the miracle drugs for Chloe had previously been used to treat schizophrenia or epilepsy, including powerful psychotropics such as antipsychotics and neuroleptics.

As Chloe got well using new and unusual combinations of medication, we realized that labeling an illness was less important than finding a treatment that worked; and I began to wonder about the connections between bipolar disorder, depression, psychosis, anxiety and schizophrenia. Were they really that different?

Lots of others were thinking about the same things, including a group of Swedish researchers who recently released an new analysis of a 30-year study indicating that schizophrenia and bipolar disorder share common genetic causes, suggesting that the two conditions may actually be different manifestations of the same illness.

Analyzing 9 million Swedish people over a 30-year period, Paul Lichtenstein and colleagues at Stockholm’s Karolinska Institute reported that close relatives of people diagnosed with either schizophrenia or bipolar disorder had an increased risk of both diseases, and that additional evidence from half-siblings indicated that the effect was due to genetic factors.

“We showed evidence that schizophrenia and bipolar disorder partly share a common genetic cause,”  said Lichtenstein. “These results challenge the current ‘disease classification’ dichotomy between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and are consistent with a reappraisal of these disorders as distinct diagnostic entities.”

I hope this news gives hope to many without it, and encourages doctors to treat each individual according to symptoms and needs rather than “disease classification.”

And I hope those reading this find wellness and a happy, productive prognosis.

Blessings!

Or is it something more?

Pediatric bipolar disorder is a genetic, neurobiological illness that can present in childhood or the teen years.

It is often misdiagnosed  as ADHD, or dismissed as defiance, out-of-control behavior, and even a symptom of poor parenting.

But pediatric, or early onset bipolar disorder is very real and requires appropriate diagnosis and treatment.

Here are some of the most common symptoms:

Mania

• Severe mood swings — overly irritable or overly silly, giddy
• Inflated sense of self — seems to feel superior
• Talks too much, too rapidly, and/or changes topics quickly
• Easily distracted
• Decreased need for sleep
• Aggressive behavior
• Destructive
• Hypersexuality

Depression

• Sad
• Irritable
• Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities
• Moves and/or talks slowly
• Cries often or excessively
• Feels worthless
• Feels unnecessarily guilty
• Talks of death or suicide

Bipolar disorder puts kids at increased risk of school failure, substance abuse, self-harm and suicide.

Bipolar disorder is serious, but it is treatable.

If you suspect your child’s moodiness may be something more, see your doctor immediately.

For more information on Pediatric Bipolar Disorder, visit Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation or Juvenile Bipolar Research Foundation.

Personal happiness — a happy, healthy life — is dependent on a firm foundation.

If you’re living with depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder, you know how shaky your foundation can sometimes feel.

With good medical care, skill development and a support system, you can shore up your foundation and make it a solid base upon which you can build a happy healthy future.

One great resource for shoring up your personal wellness foundation is The Facing Us Clubhouse.

The Clubhouse, an interactive online site affiliated with Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, was built to be a comfortable environment where users can feel at home.

Here are some of the things, as listed on the Clubhouse site, that you can do there:

Develop a wellness plan to help keep your days balanced and positive.

Keep a personal online journal of your daily feelings and emotions. Entries are completely private.

Share wellness tips with others on ways to maintain good mental and physical health.

Create a wellness book filled with tips for maintaining a healthy life. These tips can be a combination of personal tips and those chosen from a library of shared tips posted to the site by other users. While each person’s book remains private, you also have the option to create books for friends and family members as a way to offer inspiration and support.

Print a copy of your wellness book, wellness plan and personal journal with beautiful artwork as a cover.

Browse the multimedia room for a variety of art, audio and video presentations, public messages and personal video stories. You can also create your own personal video stories to share.

Send an e-postcard with a birthday greeting or simple message of support.

Connect to important resources that offer additional information about mood disorders.

Feel secure knowing that all of the site’s activities are completely private and confidential.

Learn more about The Facing Us Clubhouse. If you like what you learn, sign up for your free membership and begin that happy life built on a firm foundation.

Often Not

In the media and in personal circles I hear of medical practitioners, educators and community members who dismiss or deny the existence of mental illness, but a recent Baylor University study determined that one of the most dismissive of all professions is…

…are you ready for this?

…clergy …pastors …spiritual leaders …men and women of God!

Researchers at Baylor surveyed 293 parishioners who approached church leaders for guidance in response to  previously diagnosed serious disorders, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

In one-third of those situations, religious leaders told family members and significant others that their loved ones did not really have a mental illness — even when they had been properly diagnosed by licensed mental-health care providers.

Church members were told that symptoms and behaviors resulted from one or more of the following causes:

1.- The commitment of sin

2. - A lack of faith

3. - A satanic or demonic influence

Lead researcher, Matthew Stanford, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Baylor University said during an interview, “The results are troubling because it suggests individuals in the local church are either denying or dismissing a somewhat high percentage of mental health diagnoses. Those whose mental illness is dismissed by clergy are not only being told they don’t have a mental illness, they are also being told they need to stop taking their medication. That can be a very dangerous thing.”

Very dangerous indeed.

Can you imagine caring for a medically non-compliant loved one whose clergyman encourages him to stop or resist taking medication? This is sheer ignorance at work. And I thought the dark ages had passed!

Equally disturbing was the additional finding that women were far more likely than men to have their legitimate mental health concerns denied or disregarded by their religious leaders.

I’m stunned by the degree to which patriarchy thrives. How do we educate these good ole boys?

How do we guide institutions that cling to darkness, resist enlightenment, and fail at understanding?

Are finger-pointing and blame-laying so much more expedient than seeking the truth, accepting reality and working for the betterment of all?

Not in my God’s house.

I’m grateful that more and more information and light is being shared, understood, and reflected back into the community. It’s time to illuminate those dark places once and for all.

When my son Michael required inpatient or residential treatment for addictions and bipolar disorder, I carefully discovered the treatment approaches of available facilities.

Early in our years-long journey I learned that some treatment philosophies denied the existence of biologically-based mental illness. Others eschewed drugs of any sort, regardless of who prescribed them and why. And still others functioned under the assumption that every addiction was caused by childhood trauma, not biology or choice.

Finding treatment centers that respected the concept of dual-diagnosis and treated the whole person proved challenging.

Finally a well-respected scientific entity, The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, released a new report, Comorbidity: Addiction and Other Mental Illnesses that verifies what I know to be true and that will hopefully revolutionize the treatment model for dual diagnosis.

Documenting phenomena that doctors, families and some treatment programs have known for decades, the report summarizes the science underlying the complex relationship between substance abuse and other mental disorders, a phenomenon often referred to as dual diagnosis.

“We do not know enough yet to predict precisely whether one disorder will lead to the other(s) or how to prevent comorbidity,” said NIDA Director Nora D. Volkow, M.D. “We do know, however, that the high rate of comorbidity means that we need a comprehensive approach to intervention that identifies, evaluates, and treats each disorder concurrently.”

The report describes factors leading to comorbidity or dual diagnosis, including biology and genetics, issues of gender vulnerabilities, brain function abnormalities and similarities, and the influence of developmental factors.

The report also addresses diagnosis and treatment. Several examples of behavioral therapies tested in patients with comorbid conditions — as well as potential medications — are outlined, as are the challenges of treating these conditions concurrently.

Simon Barrett Reviews Mommy I’m Still in Here

Here is an excerpt:

“Mommy I’m Still In Here is an important book, it is easy to sweep the subject of Mental Health under the rug. It is actually as acute and incapacitating as a physical problem, yet it is often ignored.

I would be remiss in not explaining the title of the book, the title says it all. Bipolar is not a constant. It is not like the ‘Trade Winds’ that took the early explorers to discover the world, it is instead it is the shifty wind that sailors hate. They never know where the next puff will come from, or if that next light puff will turn into a hurricane. The title for this great book comes from a comment made by Chloe while in hospital after a very bad episode “Mommy I’m still in here” she entreats…get your copy of this well written, and insightful book from Amazon.”

Click here to read the entire review.