Bipolar

Isn't bi-polar when the one person goes from one extreme to the other in a wink and without any provocation?

It has been awhile since I have delved into psychological problems.

One book that helped me in this area was Emotional Problems and the Bible by Vernon Grounds, Zondervan, 1976.

Cheers,

Jim

 

We do.

We don't have a formal ministry to bipolar folks; however, I would say our response to them is heightened. We try and make sure they are being loved on and supported by a Sunday School class (our primary arm of ministry). We have helped in finding doctors for them that we felt struck the healthy balance between the two extremes of views on mental illness--one being "it's just a demon, cast it out;" and the other completely "medicalizing" it and throwing a pill at it without dealing with the counseling, spiritual help, etc. side of things.

Of course, there are a couple of factors that mitigate how we respond:

1. Is it known commonly about this person's illness?
2. Is their condition problematic enough to cause other issues? (i.e., loss of job, losing children, etc.)

 

One book that helped me in this area was Emotional Problems and the Bible by Vernon Grounds, Zondervan, 1976.
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One correction. The title of the book is Emotional Problems and the Gospel. I got the book down from library and checked the title.

A lot of people deal with bipolar with anger management, and whilst anger is involved, it goes beyond anger management.

Cheers,

Jim

 

Doesn't it seem that the Bipolar diagnosis is used way too much? Almost every drug addict, alcholic, person who can't hold a job that I have dealt with has been diagnosed as being bipolar. And, while I know that some have a legtimate mental illness it seems that many are just looking for an excuse.

 

However faked it may be the bipolar effect is still there and must be dealt with. Once a medical cause is ruled out, the counsellor begins to sort out the societal or personal causes. Only then can one begin to work with the person.

One must attempt to separate the person from the mental state causing the reaction at the time.....take a child who suddenly starts to stamp his feet in a fit for no apparent reason. The caregiver must isolate the child from anything nearby that may be causing the mental anguish. Taking by the hand and gently coaxing child to the side, away from the immediate surrounding. Sometimes this will calm the child. The same is true of the bipolar person, so I have read. I am no expert,,,shucks, I am not even an amateur,,,Just started reading a bit about it.

Cheers,

Jim

 

Bipolar is a comon disorder. Extremes that have regular cylical periods that can be judge is a give away. It has been awhile since I looked at a DSM IV. I think this would be a good ministry area.

Should people who are pastors be allowed if they have mental illness?

 

Mr. Spurgeon suffered great bouts of depression, some so bad he couldn't preach for weeks. This was after the great fire in London where he was preaching whilst they were building the tabernacle.

I think it would depend on the particular mental illness and how that person manages it.

Cheers,

Jim

 

Was Adm. Byrd "bipolar?" Perhaps not, since he probably did not reach the North one, as he claimed.

 

I was curious what Christian books are currently in publication on mental illness. Here are some that CBD has. Not all the ones that showed up on the search are directly related to the topic.

 

There is so little known about bipolar that medical opinions are almost the same as getting three baptists to agree on the same thing.

It is most commonly called manic depression and you will find more information on it.

Medics agree so far on three drug treatments for bipolar, but it is an experimental thing to find the right drug. The next thing is to keep the patient on the drug therapy, and then most can live a relatively normal life.

From what I read, one can also treat a bipolar with counselling..something to take them mentally and sometimes physically out of the situation they are in..........my illustration of removing a temper tantrum child to settle him down.

It is an interesting read.

Cheers,

Jim

 

Very punny! :laugh:

 

Is mental illness a useful concept any longer, especially for the Christian? Just what is mental illness? Neurological impairment of the CNS? A chemical imbalance? A genetic flaw? Behavioral problem? An organic dysfunction of the brain? A software glitch?

 

Just FYI................................................................

 

Can you trust DSM-IV? (DSM-V may contradict)

And the Bible specifically requires an interpreter when there is speaking in tongues, so I'll interpret. :smilewinkgrin:

It is a syndrome composed of a specific set of behaviors and moods that cannot be accounted for by a chemical (i.e. substance induced) influence or some other defined so-called mental illness.

From a more skeptical angle, it's a catch-all diagnosis when you don't know what in the world is going on.

So, is Bipolar Disorder a real malady or is it a theoretical psychological construct encompassing a range of symptoms?

May I suggest that one ought to be able to state its etiology and more precisely define its parameters. This is a lot of mumbo-jumbo but it's not a very scientific or useful definition. This is the primary reason that everything that we can't pigeonhole somewhere else ends up diagnosed as Bipolar Disorder. So, my question is whether Bipolar Disorder is real or if such condition exists? Oh, I know the symptoms exist but they comprise a syndrome (i.e. an association), not necessarily a thing distinct and existing of itself.

At a more fundamental level, are these symptoms (i.e. signs) indicative of a functional disorder of the mind or an organic dysfunction of the brain? Perhaps the symptoms are simply the results of wrong behavior and thoughts. What do you think? Why?

 

Effectiveness of chemical and talk therapies

The interesting thing is that studies show both talk and chemical therapies have about the same "cure" rate, which may be less than or equal to the spontaneous remission rate. Several highly suggestive inferences can be drawn from these fairly consistent results. Would anyone care to speculate what they are?

 

Does bipolar exist?

You are pretty accurate in your observation and there is a reason for this. There is no test that can definitely say, "This person is bipolar." Bipolar represents an association (i.e. syndrome) of conditions or behaviors when other better defined conditions are eliminated. In fact, it's debatable whether bipolar exists an an entity of itself. We can observe the behaviors and find them in association but we still must infer what this means. Obviously, some dysfunction exists but what is it? Does the dysfunction produce the behaviors or do the behaviors create the dysfunction.

There is somewhat of a parallel with alcoholism. We can easily enough recognize the behavior. But, does the drinking (behavior) cause alcoholism or does alcoholism cause drinking (behavior). Unless they had an alcoholic mother, no one is born an alcoholic and does not become one until he or she begins drinking. Now, I realize this is an oversimplification but it does point out some of the complexity.

What do you think?

 

Does bipolar exist?

Duplicate post--sorry!

 

Does bipolar exist?

Network froze & I got impatient--clicked SAVE too many times--sorry!