Posted by fluffy on August 24, 2003, at 15:04:42
In reply to Re: Katia and Patricia--a good book » katia, posted by Ponder on August 24, 2003, at 11:42:21
Hi Ponder-
I think there are two books with similar names. I'm not sure, but the Bipolar Survival Guide addressed weight gain. But all in all, I know what you mean. It's kind of a problem with the psychitrists. I was just telling my boyfriend last night that I wish psychiatrists were more blunt about the course of bipolar disorder and the side effects of drugs. For most doctors, it's a trade off--health problems in the long run, or the patient running the risk of having consecutive and more severe episodes. Weight gain or suicide? ALSO--Not EVERYONE gains weight on Depakote--it's a POSSIBLE side effect.
The psychiatrists who do have expertise with mood disorders have an obligation to inform patients of the risks and possible side effects of medications, as well as the probable future of maybe more episodes. I think they just don't want to bog patients down with too much bad news at once. Could you imagine if your psychiatrist said "you have a disorder that will be with you for the rest of your life. the only way to control it is with medication. And we're not sure which ones with work for you--you might be miserable for years trying new ones. And most of the kinks are not worked out, so you may feel like a zombie and gain 40 lbs." Esp. since most BP patients get treatment only when they feel depressed, it's probably good that they dwell on the positives of treatment. I was too close to suicide to hear all of the negatives at once. I'm kind of glad that things were sugar coated and that I've come to understand the positves and negatives for myself.
poster:fluffy
thread:9730
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030823/msgs/253610.html