Mary1 had a history of mood swings, depression, anxiety, and PTSD from childhood sexual abuse. Her years growing up were in a chaotic and disruptive home, especially after her alcoholic father deserted her and her mother. She had experienced a hard time growing up with parental neglect, physical, and emotional abuse. Her post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) returned after the hurricane with a vengeance.
As a nine-year-old boy, while enjoying the warmth of the midday sun, I was easing my way out onto a branch of a wild apple tree. It was in a deserted field with the sweetest green apples I had ever tasted. These weren’t like the shiny red ones you can buy at the local store. The tree’s singular presence in an untamed field of weeds and wildflowers made it an even more tempting challenge to climb.
Growing up in the rural countryside, I loved to run and play, in the open fields and woods, with my friends and dog. I became good at swimming and other sports. Even though polio was in the news with pictures of children paralyzed from the untreatable illness—there was no effective treatment or vaccine. I felt invincible and in robust health. But with a turn of fate, the virus found me one summer day.
In his timely book, now published, Ronald R. Parks, MPH, MD, examines the impact of COVID-19 or other forms of crisis, loss, or tragedy on individual mental health.
A person in distress often recognizes that their customary coping mechanism and level of support are inadequate. The dependence on learned ways of dealing with adverse life events often does not help for an overload of stressors and emotional turmoil. The experience for some is like being entrapped in a swirl of thoughts, painful emotions and images. Before distress reaches too high a level, is the time to reach out to others for help and guidance.
have well proven their value in holistic mental health work for mood, anxiety, addiction, and health issues. Meditation can be an essential tool for happiness and mental health. Enhancement of longevity and decrease in brain aging has also been demonstrated as an added benefit. In many other areas, there are proven benefits as in work, school, athletic performance, sleep, and creativity. The mere awareness in meditation – that thoughts and emotion are of a changing and transient nature – is enlightening for those felt imprisoned by harsh negative thoughts and emotions.
The association of mood, thyroid dysfunction, and autoimmunity is a possible contributing and treatable element in mood disturbances. Integrative Psychiatry encourages looking beyond labels, symptoms, and diagnosis. An integrative approach cautions against premature jumping to treatment with what is favored, familiar, or expedient. Integrative Psychiatry fosters awareness of complexity and the possible presence of underlying and correctable factors.
There is new hope with the advances in neuroplasticity, neuroscience and its technology to identify, modify or change neuro-circuitry, behavior, responses and reactions. Progress in better understandings of the psychology of the human mind and behavior have contributed to greater success in overcoming what was known previously, which in the past was considered hopeless and beyond the reach of those who had been affected by unrelenting, disabling conditions. The study of other healing methods and traditions, as the 12-Step-Programs for addictions, also has led to more successful integrative treatment programs.
As in the first two steps of 12-Step-Programs, for addiction recovery, there must first be the acceptance of the disease as such, and realization of the impossibility of recovery without profound change. Pursuing treatment on a superficial level for an addiction or any other persistent or chronic illness often fails, such as making limited attempts to make cosmetic changes in one personal way, learned habits, or in the expectation that medication will help. To the person afflicted, life has become unmanageable, and the individual “me” admits to being powerless to make the deep changes needed for recovery. The nature of the illness often has led to feeling hopeless, helpless and powerlessness.
If there comes a realization of the powerlessness to change the existing status quo, the opportunity exists to embrace the insight that there are the greater potentiality and possibilities beyond a person’s individual ways and self-identity. When one can’t find any viable alternatives from the repertoire of prior failed actions and behaviors – one has “hit the wall” or “rock bottom” – survival is threatened, the need to tap into a greater “well of resourcefulness” hopefully becomes apparent. After running out of the “customary” choices for survival, there has to be a willingness to let go of the old and embrace options out of the larger sphere of positive possibilities – turning one’s life over to a “higher power.”
The idea for acceptance of a higher power is confusing to some that come to 12-Step-Programs, who may associate this with earlier life negative religious experiences or associations with an abusive authoritarian or dominating figure, especially if there has been traumatic abuse. Gaining flexibility to explore and invest in behaviors or practices to bring about recovery and transformation is what is needed. When stuck in an inflexible state of a rigid self, one needs to shift from an unproductive personal belief about power and control existing in the limitation of individual development and programming since birth, to the realization that there is much more: a greater potentiality, a higher resource beyond the personal limitations and rigid entrapments.
Arriving at a place of great despair, a “dark night of the soul,” there is a need of letting go of the established, old limiting “ego identity.” Embracing spiritual attunement becomes the only viable option, with an acceptance that there is a greater field of possibilities and potentialities, where love, acceptance, and inclusion prevail. Embracing the essence of being – the higher power – allows for profound empowerment and motivation for the steps required for transformation – restoration of “sanity” as identified in the 2nd of the 12 Steps.
is the experience of personal awakening, beyond the constriction and restriction, set by the trained and programmed part of the mind (the ego) – to a higher level of perception, realization, and functioning. A new developing integrative addiction treatment program in Asheville, NC – Center for Spiritual Emergence (see their website) – describes spiritual emergence as a “natural opening and awakening that many people experience as a result of coming to terms with the difficulties of life, through an established faith tradition, as a result of systematic spiritual practices or through unexpected peak experiences. Spiritual emergences gently allow one to experience and embrace their natural connection to the transcendent domain, forever changing their limiting self-concepts into a more integrative, awakened self”.
as presented by Lawlis in his well-done book – Psychoneuroplasticity Protocols for Addictions (Lawlis et al. 2015) is portrayed as an evidence-based science with restorative, rehabilitation, and transformational tools and applications. PNP is founded on 
developments in neuroscience, neural therapies, rehabilitation medicine, addiction and other integrative approaches to mental health treatments. Though the book focuses on evidence-based treatment approaches for addiction, it is very applicable to the care of other mental health issues and problems and supports the value of integrative approaches and therapies. Brain plasticity is based on the understanding of brain activity, neuronal circuitry, and the ability for the stimulation, modification, retraining, and growth of nerve cells and their complex networks.
can be a disabling condition and a major interference with life and productivity and can act as a barrier to recovery from other mental health condition, including addictions and other health problems. The following can contribute to anxiety or panic like conditions:
Resulting impairment can become chronic with only temporary relief, if any, from drugs or use of substances that could be harmful to one’s health and well-being. Studies of brain waves often will show high-frequency beta waves in localized regions of the brain suggesting increased activation and the need to retrain and repair the brain’s neural networks to more relaxed frequencies and a healthier state. Mental health professionals sometimes will label people as having other mental health conditions or personality disorders, like borderline personality disorders, because they have not been able to grow and mature emotionally. The behaviors and personality may be related to earlier life abuse, persistent severe anxiety, and feelings of being overwhelmed – resulting in resistance or the inability to resolve severe chronic anxiety that blocks healthy development around their families, social network, and peers.
can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can either be of a simple type where there has only been one major traumatic event or complex where there have been multiple accumulative traumas. A person’s life development can get stuck in a time-relation to an earlier trauma. Integrative type treatment protocols and therapies focusing on treatment of trauma, as those presented by Lawlis (Lawlis et al. 2015) have the potential to bring relief by relieving the emotional connection to trauma memories and supporting positive brain changes and plasticity . The use of neurofeedback type treatments as the BAUD (bioacoustical utilization device) can disrupt the reconsolidation of traumatic memory and has been shown to relieve symptoms of PTSD (RESET Therapy). Relaxation or stress-reducing therapies, music, meditation practices, breathing techniques, nutritional diet, neuro-biofeedback and skill development can be a part of neuroplasticity enhancing protocols. Other sensory or trauma-focused therapies as EMDR, are also utilized to form new and healthy neuro-circuitry and response patterns.
can interfere with recovery and be due a multitude of factors including:
With depression there may be associated: ruminations and obsessional thought, as seen in OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder); anxiety; loss of productivity; feelings of loss of control; loss of interest in things; a downward spiral of increasing depression and development of suicidal thinking, which can lead to loss of life or complication with other medical illness. If suicidal thinking occurs, immediate help should be sought from mental health professionals.
The brain, if studied with EEG brain wave studies in identified areas of the brain, will show a pattern of under activation and low voltage waves. Neuroplasticity focused protocols look for healthy interventions to bring these areas of the nervous system back online and restore responsive feelings, energy, joy and happiness without the individual resorting to using potentially dangerous drugs or chemicals. Intervention may include therapies as noted above including:
can interfere with recovery. These can present as periods of irritability, rage, heightened anxiety, obsessiveness, sleep disturbance, periods of dramatic increase in activity and hyper focus alternating with times of fatigue, depression, loss of motivation and loss of interest in things. These patterns are sometimes labeled as being in the Bipolar Spectrum (see Dr. Parks article) but can also be related to PTSD and prior accumulative trauma. Many of the above-noted treatments and others are considerations to correct altered behavioral pattern, skill deficits, dysfunctional brain patterns, and neuro-circuitry.
A Holistic integrative approach to the study and treatment of Bipolar Illness — BPI (also referred to as Bipolar or Manic-Depressive Disorder) offers a better path to disease understanding, treatment and prevention. See prior post “Holistic Approach to Bipolar Illness”.
Ben* is on several medications prescribed by his psychiatrist and has just come back from a recent psychiatric hospitalization for his bipolar disorder. He had been hospitalized after he had an emergency room visit for a suicide attempt, after he had taken an overdose of his medications. Prior to that, he had progressively worsening depression with feelings of hopelessness, helplessness and had lost interest in almost everything. He felt that there was no help for him as his mood cycling illness was only getting worse – even with all the medications he was taking. The medications made him feel like a “Zombie.” He was sleeping less with frequent violent nightmares that had woken him up multiple times during the night. He had periods of severe depressed mood when he would stay in bed for most of the day. He would have then have some days of feeling relatively fine. He then would experience periods of feeling – super “hyped-up” – full of energy with little need for sleep, talkative with racing thoughts, craving sex and food all the time, feeling like he was a famous rock star, and spending huge amounts of money on things he really didn’t need. He had lost all of his recent jobs and was now divorced from his second wife.
In addition to his regular psychiatrist, his family encouraged him to see and work with a holistic, integrative health care practitioner and therapist. It was uncovered that he also had a significant alcohol problem (as did his bipolar and alcoholic mother), a history of severe early life trauma – probably PTSD, severe gluten sensitivity, and autoimmune thyroid disease with thyroid imbalance. When he was directed to specific treatment and therapy programs for his bipolar illness, his PTSD, alcoholism, nutritional problems and thyroid disease; he was then able to work closer with his regular psychiatrist. His medications were reduced, and for the first time he began to sleep better with less mood cycling. His new therapy work also helped him to identify and work through some painful childhood issues. He also felt that he regained his spiritual connection.
*(To protect confidentiality, the above is a composite of some clinical experiences and does not represent an actual person or any prior patients).
A broader open health-care model offers the potential for improved research, diagnosis and treatment of BPI. All disciplines can be included in an integrative model – including biochemistry, nutrition, psycho-pharmacology, psychiatry, genetics, spirituality, psychology, sociology, physiology, endocrinology, environmental medicine and complementary mind/body/spiritual therapies. Effective outcomes can happen with patience, and the commitment to finding a suitable care and treatment program.
Early recognition, comprehensive assessment and an integrative approach to treatment – including natural therapies – can help bipolar sufferers improve their chances of stabilization, improvement in relationships, and productivity and work. As proper assessment and diagnosis can be of critical importance, seeking out skilled and experienced health-care practitioners is important – such as a psychologist, a psychiatrist, and/or a holistically oriented health-care provider who is trained in mental health work. People with bipolar illness are sometimes misdiagnosed as having just depression or other conditions – and treated as such – often resulting in a poor treatment outcome. These individuals would have responded better to a broader holistic and integrative type of treatment program that had benefited Ben’s recovery as described above.
Any individual who has difficulties with mood changes is unique regarding their treatment needs. BPI can be influenced by factors as:
A person’s capacity to grow in awareness, learning, and to succeed with lifestyle changes will influence the choices and success of any selected treatment. As there are many individual differences as well as variation in the type and severity of bipolar conditions, the needs and type of treatment will vary or differ from person to person.
Some of the non-medication or more natural approaches would be:
Other complementary practices or therapies would be:
There is a body of work suggesting that nutrition and certain dietary programs can help in treatment of mood disorder, as a diet:
Specially designed light boxes, if carefully used under the guidance of an experienced health-care provider, are sometimes useful (especially if there is a seasonal component to the depression and mood cycling). Assessment and correction for any nutritional, metabolic, hormonal (as thyroid deficiencies), allergic or environmental problems need to be considered.
A genetic biochemical problem that can be improved with nutrition, called hypomethylation is worth assessing – as there is evidence that it affects the expression of bipolar symptoms – and if treated can bring benefits and improve outcomes. Methylation is also relevant to drug-nutrient interaction in the treatment of BPI and is one of possible underlying factors that can contribute to medications not working effectively. (see “Bipolar Disorder” by Vinitsky and Parks, Advancing Medicine with Food and Nutrients, 2nd edition, Chapter 32, Dec. 2012, CRC Press)
Some of the conditions or consideration for medication interventions and treatment are:
According to some studies, those with bipolar disorder – not treated with appropriate medication or a mood-stabilizing agent when needed – have a significant increase risk of a more chronic condition, more frequent relapses of the illness and more severe outcomes – as suicide*. More than 50 percent of people will abuse drugs or alcohol if the disorder is not recognized or treated.
So it is important for the individual to be educated about the use medication, benefits and risk – weighing the potential benefits of medication being helpful – especially in a well designed comprehensive treatment program – vs. risks of medication use and side effects.
There are several classes of medications considered when felt necessary in BPI, including:
Appreciating the many facets of BPI, the varied presentation and potential for adverse impact on people’s lives underscores the importance of early recognition, thorough assessment, and initiation of comprehensive and holistic/integrative treatment as outlined above. Effective treatment of BPI sufferers can potentially bring a return to a more stable, functional, fulfilling and productive life.
*If you or some one you know is thinking about self harm or suicide, seek help immediately (Call your doctor, 911 or go to a hospital ER, or Call the 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255).
Article by Ron Parks, MD; edited by Shan Parks
For additional help and resources check below links:
What would be your consideration and options if you feel that you or a significant other has difficulty with a bipolar illness? I would be interested in your comments.
often referred to as bipolar disorder or manic depression, affects more than 2.2 million people in the United States. BPI is characterized by bouts of illness with significant often disabling symptoms, alternating with periods of less or no symptoms. These may be a sign of the disorder: unusual shifts in mood, energy or the ability to function.
Because of the insistence of her family and one of her ex-husbands, Sarah had been to several mental health evaluations. She had been married and divorced four times and in and out of many jobs. She had an early life history of trauma: at age 14, she was sexually abused by her divorced mother’s live-in boyfriend; at age 15, she was raped when at a party. She occasionally had nightmares about the incidences and had triggered flashbacks, or panic like attacks, when she smelled certain odors or sounds reminiscent of her rape. She had made several suicidal attempts during recurring periods of severe depression. Hospitalization was required two times when her doctors considered her to be a danger to herself. Her mother and one aunt had a history of bipolar illness. Sarah never had any severe period of mood activation or mania, though one of her treating psychiatrist thought she had periods of what he called hypomania (milder periods of mood, behavior activation or changes). Her diagnosis was Bipolar II type of BPI and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Her best response to treatment finally came when she received appropriate treatments and therapy for both BPI and PTSD, and when she also sought out the help of a holistically oriented health care provider who encouraged her to follow a more optimal health, nutritional, spiritual lifestyle program.
*(To protect confidentiality, the above is a composite of some clinical experiences and does not represent an actual person or any prior patients).
Sarah’s family and significant others began to pay attention and to take action when her once normal ups and downs of everyday life began to get more dramatic, extreme and destructive. If you, a family member, or someone you know shows unusual shifts in mood and energy with uncharacteristic behaviors, it may be an early sign of bipolar illness (BPI).
Evaluation by a trained professional such as a psychologist or psychiatrist should be considered when changes in moods are severe, persistent, and interfering with daily life. Identify BPI early in its course and treat with a comprehensive, holistic treatment program. If not, the illness can have devastating effects on relationships, careers and health – as was the case of Sarah.
Recurrence of bipolar episodes with depression, anxiety, mania or hypomania has adverse effects on family, social and occupational functioning. BPI disrupts many normal day to day activities in areas as:
The illness can lead to impaired thinking (cognition), poor judgments, increased distractibility (poor focus), dysphoria (painful moods) and physical discomfort with increased preoccupations with health problems. There can be compromised functioning as with:
BPI’s early appearance is often not recognized by significant others or by health-care providers. A key feature that separates the illness from recurring depression is the occurrence of hypomania or a more severe manic episode. A manic episode is a period of elevated, expansive or irritable moods, and increase goal-directed activity or energy – often lasting for at least a week – which is a characteristic of the more severe bipolar I type of BPI.
Other commonly associated symptoms may include:
In Bipolar I disorder, the manic episode may have been preceded or followed by hypomania or major depressive episodes. Milder “hypomanic” episodes can have:
This “hypomania” alternates with frequent periods of depression and are typical of the less dramatic bipolar II type of the bipolar illness. Recurrent depression is characteristic of both conditions, and the depth of the depression usually determines overall severity.
Both bipolar I and bipolar II types of BPI can be both severe and disabling. Bipolar I disorder more specifically describes a sufferer who has experienced distinct periods of severe depression or hypomania, alternating with at least one episode of severe activation or mania. Bipolar II disorder, by definition, has not had any manic episode. If mania later presents in bipolar II individuals, this results in reclassification to Bipolar I type of BPI.
Symptoms of Bipolar II have a similarity to those seen in Bipolar I but are often milder, less severe, or more subtle as:
Some subtler bipolar I or bipolar II conditions, at any given time, can present with milder and more difficult to recognize symptoms as irritability, anxiety, and moodiness – alternating with periods of less pronounced depression. Another classification, for the entire range of BPI in its varying expression, is — bipolar spectrum illness — which would include even the less recognizable forms of recurrent depression with milder periods of activation, hypomania and less dramatic symptoms.
For clear description and definition of BPI, go to the current American Psychiatric Association — the official nomenclature that has been codified and defined in the DSM-5 (published by American Psychiatric Publishing).
Bipolar illness is considered an inherited condition related to instability in brain neurotransmitters (nerve chemicals) regulation, which leads to greater vulnerability to emotional or physical stress, over-stimulation, upsetting life experiences, drug or alcohol use, and interference with rest and sleep. The brain is not able to properly calm or activate itself, or restore its usual healthy balance.
Research studies strongly support inherited genetic factors as important contributors to BPI. First-degree relatives of people with BPI are seven times more likely to develop bipolar I type of BPI. Environmental factors (epigenetic factors) are also suspected to affect bipolar illness — physical factors (as radiation or trauma), chemical factors (as pesticides, toxic metals, and air pollution) and biologic influences (as bacteria, mold, viruses).
Lifetime prevalence estimates are 1% for bipolar I disorder — BP 1 type of BPI, 1.1% for bipolar II disorder (BP 2 type of BPI), and 2.4% to 4.7% for sub-threshold BPI (a person is not meeting the full symptom criteria for BP 1 or BP 2). Age of onset range from childhood to the mid-20s and later, and BPI onset is unusual after age 40. Recurrence of active BPI over a five year period is very common – with the associate in between times of no symptoms, minor symptoms, or with significant residual symptoms. (see “Bipolar Disorder” by Vinitsky and Parks, Advancing Medicine with Food and Nutrients, 2nd edition, Chapter 32, Dec. 2012, CRC Press)
Recurrent depression is often bipolar illness unrecognized. Additional clues to underlying BPI include:
At its worst, BPI can lead to higher mortality from suicide and other co-occurring medical illnesses. Among psychiatric disorders, BPI has a significant risk of death from suicide. The risk in bipolar 2 type of BPI for suicide is greater than bipolar 1 type of BPI – according to some studies. Unrecognized co-occurrence of BPI, with other mental or physical illness, can lead to ineffectual treatment and poor outcomes. Six months after suffering a myocardial infarction, victims with major depression – commonly seen in BPI – had six times the mortality rate of non-depressed patients. Presentation of BPI in the older population, greater than 50 years, will often have other medical problems at the time of diagnoses – including cognitive changes. More than 50 percent of people will abuse drugs or alcohol if BPI is not recognized and treated.
People with this disorder are sometimes misdiagnosed as having just depression, and treated as such, often resulting in a poor treatment outcome. These individuals would respond better to a bipolar illness focused treatment program. (see for more information)
With a broader open health-care model, there is the potential for improved research, diagnosis and treatment of BPI. All disciplines can be included in an integrative model – including biochemistry; psycho-pharmacology; toxicology; genetics; spirituality; psychology; physiology; endocrinology; sociology; and nutritional, metabolic, environmental, psychiatric medicine and complementary mind/body/spiritual therapies. Effective outcomes can happen with patience and commitment to finding a suitable care and treatment program as occurred with Sarah – as described above.
(For support and assistance consider below sites):
Article by Ron Parks, MD and edited by Shan Parks
What would be your first consideration, if you or a significant other is developing signs of bipolar illness? I would like to hear your comments.
