tryp Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 [link=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/science/17prof.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=health" target="_blank]this article[/link] It's about how this woman thinks her bipolar has helped her career as a doctor. It seemed at least mildly interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N&P Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Didn't like the tone of the article at times...it seemed to glamorize mania as though it's a pleasant, productive experience full of genius ideas and insight. Otherwise I like the woman. I like her more than Kay Redfield Jamison anyway. Her book lacked any insight and was just a recollection of facts, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tryp Posted March 17, 2009 Author Share Posted March 17, 2009 Yeah, the article was a bit weird that way. Sort of superficial. But most articles like that seem superficial to me because I'm so much more informed than the average reader, so who knows. I still thought it was an interesting premise, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N&P Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Yeah, the article was a bit weird that way. Sort of superficial. But most articles like that seem superficial to me because I'm so much more informed than the average reader, so who knows. I still thought it was an interesting premise, though. I think we need more doctors like her and I agree- Psych and Neuro need to stop acting like they have nothing to do with each other and start working together! They were one discipline until the early 20th century. Neuro-psychiatrists/psychologists bridge the gap a bit but not enough. I don't know about pdocs, but I know that >50% of Psych direct care staff have some sort of MI. On my unit, it's 75%. I think it's invaluable to know what it feels like to have an MI. DBS for depression is interesting but the "mind control" feeling is a bit creepy. I'd do it if I had to but am glad that I don't. I've seen DBS/VNS work wonders in Parkinsons and seizures, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tryp Posted March 18, 2009 Author Share Posted March 18, 2009 I don't know about pdocs, but I know that >50% of Psych direct care staff have some sort of MI. On my unit, it's 75%. I think it's invaluable to know what it feels like to have an MI. That's really interesting - thanks for sharing that I've always wondered what the numbers were like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SashaSue Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Oh God, how much do I miss writing like that? You have just no idea. And that's the thing, NP, sometimes mania is just absolutely the best thing in the world. Sometimes it's nightmarish, butt that's not all there is. Wow. I've never felt like this about it before. Fuck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igotbetter Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 I think we need more doctors like her and I agree- Psych and Neuro need to stop acting like they have nothing to do with each other and start working together! They were one discipline until the early 20th century. Neuro-psychiatrists/psychologists bridge the gap a bit but not enough. Yep, I agree with that. I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N&P Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Oh God, how much do I miss writing like that? You have just no idea. And that's the thing, NP, sometimes mania is just absolutely the best thing in the world. Sometimes it's nightmarish, butt that's not all there is. I understand but.. I know it can be a "gift" at times but I don't want people to come away with the impression that BP is a desirable MI to have. It shouldn't be romanticized or glamorized...if it is, people will down-play or ignore the horror that it can cause. I'm a bit tired of having to defend my decision to treat my BP, tbh. I've had so many people say " What's wrong with mania? I wish I had some of that." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N&P Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 I don't know about pdocs, but I know that >50% of Psych direct care staff have some sort of MI. On my unit, it's 75%. I think it's invaluable to know what it feels like to have an MI. That's really interesting - thanks for sharing that I've always wondered what the numbers were like. During a staff meeting in which a staff nurse's recent inpatient Psych stay was brought up, our nursing manager printed up an article about it...I'm trying to find it via Google but I am having a hard time.. Anywhoo... I think it takes tolerance, empathy AND sympathy to work effectively in Psych. People with MI experience, either by having one or dealing with a family member or friend with MI, are perfectly equipped to deal with Psych patients...in most instances. There are those who react completely opposite and develop an intolerance of patients with MI. I think this is also true of addiction illnesses. I remember my father working in a chemical dependancy unit run by former addicts. Takes one to know one, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tryp Posted March 18, 2009 Author Share Posted March 18, 2009 I worked in a hospital last summer, and one of the projects I worked on was to do with employee recognition, so I got to read all the thank you letters patients wrote (I also got to alphabetize all 500 of them, but that's another bitch ) and while maternity got the most, psych and child psych usually seemed to do well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N&P Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 I worked in a hospital last summer, and one of the projects I worked on was to do with employee recognition, so I got to read all the thank you letters patients wrote (I also got to alphabetize all 500 of them, but that's another bitch ) and while maternity got the most, psych and child psych usually seemed to do well. Oh, yeah...there are some real tear-jerkers. We keep a board displaying letters from patients and families in our report room to remind us why we do what we do. Our most recent was an email from the son of a schizophrenic woman who came to us after having been unstable for 2 years. She was estranged completely from her family. We stabilized her (took us 3 months!) and grew to really like her . She died of a stroke a few months after discharge. Her son thanked us for giving the 2 of them a few more months as a family again. She really taxed our patience, bodies and emotions...when she was discharged, we were exhausted. The letter from her son seemed to make it worthwhile... I know that's trite but it's true... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Maybe I didn't get far enough into the article (attention span of a goldfish right now: "oh look, a castle, oh look, a castle, oh look...") BUT I felt like it glorified her manias a little bit (at least the first half) without mentioning all of the crap that can come of it or describing the depression part. It has lists and lists of all of her accomplishments when manic but only really mentions her depression when she says that her experience with it helps with patients. Also, it seems like from the way they reported it, that she was still having manias and episodes even if her BP is 'under control with medication'. All that said, I really find people that use their own experiences to understand and connect with patients to be pretty amazing. It takes a certain kind of strength to be able to take care of yourself and use that to bolster other people too if you know what I mean. Am bookmarking it so I can try again to read it later, thanks for posting! m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artemisia Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Didn't like the tone of the article at times...it seemed to glamorize mania as though it's a pleasant, productive experience full of genius ideas and insight. With articles like this, it's hard to say whether the tone came from the interviewee or the interviewer... It's easy to mischaracterize people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scatty Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 I've had a pdoc with BP. She was fired from the clinic within a few weeks. She was very unorganized and messy, but I only learned of her MI after the fact. My son had a wonderful child pdoc who had BP and got his license suspended for a patient having a rare reaction to a med. The MI pdocs are closely monitored around here. My son's pdoc was a lifesaver for us and scheduled 1-2 hr appointments to get a correct dx. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SashaSue Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 Oh God, how much do I miss writing like that? You have just no idea. And that's the thing, NP, sometimes mania is just absolutely the best thing in the world. Sometimes it's nightmarish, butt that's not all there is. I understand but.. I know it can be a "gift" at times but I don't want people to come away with the impression that BP is a desirable MI to have. It shouldn't be romanticized or glamorized...if it is, people will down-play or ignore the horror that it can cause. I'm a bit tired of having to defend my decision to treat my BP, tbh. I've had so many people say " What's wrong with mania? I wish I had some of that." I would never actually describe it as a gift. Not remotely. But, the Dr. In the article was just describing her own experience. It's the writer who failed to bring any critical thought to her statements. Which would be his/her job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alien. Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 Hold on here, I'm going to be immature and superficial so don't mind me. But I get really jealous when people get recognition like this (positively) for having an MI and coping with it, when I'm either insulted, rebuked or just plain ignored. Fucks me off, y'know? Of course I get help & empathy but yeah I'm still fucking jealous of people like this. And hrmm, not sure what to make of the interview itself, I'm not too bright. Haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OscillateWildly Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 Kinda made me choked up On one hand I enjoyed it... the helping and turning pain into something good was moving ... but I didn't like the hollywood/stereotypical "manic depression turns you into a creative genius" part. If it isn't debilitating, how can it be a disease? Odds are she would be an even more brilliant doctor WITHOUT her manic depression. Her disease probably inspires her to work with the sort of patients she does, in the field she is in, so it is useful in that respect. Speaking personally, I do feel bursting with ideas when hypomanic, and when depressive I am anally painstakingly detailed and obsessive in focus (if the depression isn't too severe, if it is energy adequate type depression...). Other than my drawings (which do not require logical thought) I am not more productively intelligent when my mood is altered. To the contrary, I have trouble thinking logically. I FEEL a lot, but my ability to think logically is always altered. As a doctor, I imagine that's a big problem (I doubt she is thinking perfectly logically in mania or depression!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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