Abuse

» Barbara Rogers - Bi-polar and addiction

You mention the connection between bipolar and addiction. I am concerned about a pre-shcool age child who has been diagnosed as bipolar. Is she at greater risk that the average to develop adictions as she grows up? If so, can you suggest a source of information on how families can best anticipate this and hopefully prevent it? Thanks for the informative article!

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» hawkgazer - Bi-polar and addiction

In response to Bi-polar and addiction posted by ciaomondo:

ciaomundo-
I'm sorry to hear about your concern. The good news is that early detection and treatment of major mental illnesses including bipolar disorder has shown to significantly reduce the likelihood of future substance abuse issues. A good deal of this has to do with effective therapy and medications which replace the need for self-medication with street drugs and alcohol that so many turn to for relief. I will be posting more articles on this topic soon, so check back, but in the mean time visit the NAMI website and CABF (Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation) to learn more about your preschooler.

Please feel free to email me!
-Lura

-- posted by hawkgazer

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» Stillman Rogers - Teenage drug use

Glad to see a serious web page adressing these issues. I am interested in knowing how to recognize signs of drug use in teenagers. And how to best respond when these begin to appear. Most of the so-called signs I have read about seem to be widespread symptoms of that age group in general, whether or not they use drugs. How can a parent tell the difference?

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» hawkgazer - Teenage drug use

In response to Teenage drug use posted by tr6:

tr6-
That's a great point you bring up - that many of the "signs and symptoms" of drug use in teens are somewhat normal teenage behavior. I'll address this soon, thanks for bringing it up! If you need support right away, you may want to look into finding an al-anon meeting in your area.
-Lura

-- posted by hawkgazer

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» citywoman1106 - addiction and mental illness

Thank you for a good article. The notion that we are not to blame for what we might stumble into--but we are responsible once we understand the nature of our illnesses--are valid points. I come from generations of addictions/mental illness and have been fortunate enough to get help, have medicine to allay some of the affects of mental illness, and just live in an era where the stigma is not as dire as it once was. The very fact that we have a choice now--to know that we are ill or to ignore it--means so much. Forty years ago, nice women didn't go to AA, psychotherapy was only for total lunatics, and not much was really known about why some people are a bit more vulnerable to drinking, drugging, eating--or whatever substance is being abused. We're lucky we can communicate about all this now--and get help and understanding.

-- posted by citywoman1106

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» hawkgazer - addiction and mental illness

In response to addiction and mental illness posted by citywoman1106:

Citywoman1106-
Thank you for the feedback - I agree that the stigma has been lifted significantly, especially for women in teh last twenty years. It's risky when we start talking about addictions and alcoholism in relation to mental illness because the stigmas can compound and there's still so much debate about it (psychology and human behavior are far from hard and fast sciences), but I am a firm believer that being afraid to talk about things will only impede progress. If the connections are there, which in my personal opinion and experince they are, then it can only benefit everyone to examine how substance abuse/self-medication and mental illness are intertwined. A subject that is sure to get much attention here!!

-- posted by hawkgazer

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» hawkgazer - Bi-polar and addiction

In response to Bi-polar and addiction posted by ciaomondo:

here are the links to the articles I mentioned in an earlier post - and more are to come that more specifically dealing with bi-polar and addiction

Dually Diagnosed: Mental Illness & Drug Addiction; Co-Occurring Disorders - When addiction is nature, not nurture.

Dually Diagnosed Getting Sober: Overcoming Substance Abuse with a Co-Occurring Disorder

-- posted by hawkgazer

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» Barbara Rogers - Bi-polar and addiction

In response to Bi-polar and addiction posted by hawkgazer:

Thank you, these are very interesting, and I have learned a lot from them. I know that bipolar children are not included in this page's mission, but it does seem important for parents to be aware of the fact that a bipolar child is at higher risk of developing substance abuse probelms as they become adolescents.

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