CNN published an insightful piece on Bipolar Disorder today (see link below) that hit a few significant points that have been under expressed here of late… I have to credit the author (Elizabeth Landau) because she acknowledged that the spike in bipolar disorder diagnosis rates could be attributed to our collective focus on the disorder.

I would also like to demonstrate support for the ‘mind over meds’ concept that is purveyed when the author suggests “as a first line of defense, family support and therapy would be given to the child and problematic environments — be it home or school — would be improved, and then medication would be given as needed.” Medication should be a last resort, especially when it comes to psychotropic drugs. It is widely acknowledged that there is no psychotropic drug that comes without significant potential for side effects. Regardless of our theoretical perspective… Cognitive Behavioral – Dialectical Behavioral – Gestalt – Group – Psychoanalytic – Talk… or the other variations of therapy… I would submit that the best case scenario for medication is as an adjunct treatment… adjunct to traditional therapy services. What’s not to like about no side effects?

Last, but certainly not lest, CNN provides another voice to the growing crowd of providers who are frustrated by a general lack of access when it comes to individuals without insurance. All men are created equal. Those five words used to mean something. Unfortunately, those of us who are wading through the fragmented mess we call a mental health system in the United States know… it’s exactly what the author of the article purports it to be…

Link to the original article:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/08/30/bipolar.kids/index.html?hpt=C2