Maria Callas, Only One Diva
I just noticed that today’s Google Doodle celebrates Maria Callas, who would have turned 90 today. Maria Callas, of course, was as celebrated for her temper tantrums as she was for her singing. This, of course, leads to speculation that she may have contended with bipolar.
Let’s just say that Ms Callas had personality in abundance. When you think of the word, “diva,” only one person should come to mind.... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - December 2, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
Maria Callas, Only One Diva - Thought to be Bipolar
I just noticed that today’s Google Doodle celebrates Maria Callas, who would have turned 90 today. Maria Callas, of course, was as celebrated for her temper tantrums as she was for her singing. This, of course, leads to speculation that she may have contended with bipolar.
Let’s just say that Ms Callas had personality in abundance. When you think of the word, “diva,” only one person should come to mind.... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - December 2, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
Bipolar and Shorter Life Expectancy - Rounding Up the Usual Suspects
Last week, we looked at three studies that indicated that people with serious mental illness can expect to lose anywhere from nine to 25 years of life. The one study that looked at those with bipolar in particular suggested 10-11 lost years.
The studies were based on data from patients in the mental health system in various jurisdictions. The deaths by and large were from medical conditions such as respiratory and cardiovascular... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - December 2, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
Your Depression Guide to Surviving the Holidays
The good news: Hopefully, we all got through Thanksgiving in one piece. The bad news: It’s not over. The holiday season is only just getting going.
For those of us contending with depression, the challenges can be enormous. For one, there is the prospect of finding ourselves alone. For another, there is the prospect of being around people. Both can be equally challenging.
Let’s look at the loneliness issue... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - December 1, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
Depression in Relationships: Are We Too Quick to Assign Cause to Effect?
In his most recent post on HealthCentral, Jerry Kennard queried whether depression strengthens or diminishes relationships. His concluding paragraph was the one that really got my attention:
Maybe the question in the title is wrong. Maybe depression neither strengthens nor diminishes relationships, because this suggests an outcome of either one or the other and perhaps it's more complex? One thing is certain, depression will certainly... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - December 1, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
The Joy of Napping: The Bipolar Question of the Week
It is three o’clock. I just finished cranking out a bunch of work. Now my brain is playing dead. Time to reboot with a nap. My expectation is that I will wake up with a mostly operational brain. It’s amazing how a working brain can optimize quality of life.
Napping is one of my coping tricks. It is part of my overall sleep strategy, which seems to work most of the time. Basic rule: Get the sleep right and a lot of the rest... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - November 25, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
Do People With Bipolar Die Earlier? - A Look at Three Studies
Last week, in a post on aging, I reported:
According to a 2011 study in PLOS, males with bipolar can expect to lose 10 years of life compared to the general population, females 11 years.
This prompted a comment from Crystal, who wondered what things people with bipolar die of. This will be the topic of a future post. But first we need to understand what this lost years business is all about. A little background:
My... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - November 24, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
Questioning Your Intuition - The Bipolar Question of the Week
Do you trust your intuition? Okay, try to solve this little problem:
A bat and ball costs $1.10 total. The bat costs one dollar more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?
Let your intuition guide you.
You probably said ten cents, which is wrong. Don’t worry, half of those queried at Harvard, MIT, and Princeton gave the same answer you did. Just to show you how smart these students are, at less selective... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - November 18, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
Adapting to Aging: Is Bipolar Sabotaging Our Ability to Live Longer?
In my eight years here at HealthCentral, I have entirely neglected the topic of aging. Let’s see if we can start a new trend:
On Thursday, I attended a public lecture hosted by the International Bipolar Foundation, here in San Diego. The name of the talk was “Successful Aging and Mental Illness,” by Colin Depp of UCSD. Perhaps the best way of doing justice to the topic in the space of a blog post is to offer a few... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - November 18, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
How Reliable is Your Support Network? - The Bipolar Question of the Week
The last few weeks in my life have underscored how truly essential a good support network is.
We all get cast out of our cozy realities from time to time. Life happens. Here we are, licking our wounds, feeling unloved and alone. What now?
Your support network is not going to rewind reality back to where it was before. But just having someone to talk to can work wonders. This is the month to express gratitude, so let me... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - November 12, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
Brain Work-Outs and You - The Bipolar Connection
Last week, I posted a short piece on brain work-outs. This followed from a conversation I had with a friend who informed me he was doing daily exercises via a site called Lumosity.
I also came across a similar site called PositScience. Both sites involve paid subscriptions. The subscriptions provide access to daily brain exercises. These exercises challenge the user’s performance across a variety of “executive function”... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - November 10, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
Brain Work-Outs and You - The Bipolar Question of the Week
Use it or lose it, we have been told. With bipolar, we face a special challenge, as cognitive difficulties are a large part of what we have to contend with, even if our moods happen to be stable at the time. This does not mean we are less intelligent. It’s just that in certain situations, with certain tasks, our brains may experience more difficulty in processing certain types of information.
Typically, our brains have to work a... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - November 4, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
Mental Health Advocacy and You: Some Personal Observations
I’m not sure I have ever done a post on mental health advocacy. Maybe I should talk from my own experience.
I recently stepped down from four-plus years as a board member of NAMI San Diego. Our affiliate is one of the most active in all of NAMI. In my time there, we more than doubled our budget and staff, added new programs, and expanded our outreach. Two years ago, we received recognition as the outstanding local... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - November 2, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
Antidepressants for Depression: Nassir Ghaemi Weighs In
We all think we know what depression is. Think again. Do we? If we have no idea what the illness is, then how can we possibly treat it? This, in essence, is the question Nassir Ghaemi and his co-authors asked in an article in the Feb 20013 Acta Psychiatrica Scandanavia.
Dr Ghaemi is a professor at Tufts University and one of the leading authorities on mood disorders. I first met him at a psychiatric conference in Philadelphia back... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - November 1, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
The Red Sox: My Role in Breaking the Curse of the Bambino
I understand a World Series is taking place. As you can probably tell, I’m not much of a sports buff, but this doesn’t stop me from occasionally writing about the topic. For instance, back in 2007, I posted here on HealthCentral, My Life as a Red Sox Fan. I even posted a follow-up, entitled My Wretched Life as a Red Sox Fan.
My first post described seeing Ted Williams at bat in 1958 when I was eight years old. My second post... (Source: John McManamy's SharePosts)
Source: John McManamy's SharePosts - October 29, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: John McManamy Source Type: blogs
