| For quite some time, I've been noticing that many of | | | | effects of med C, will med C in combination with |
| the individuals who visit my disability site are looking | | | | med A cause other physical or mental issues to |
| for disability benefit information, primarily as it relates | | | | surface, etc, etc.For these reasons (all boiling down |
| to bipolar disorder.While I haven't found it surprising | | | | to the fact that very strong medications with very |
| that this would happen (bipolar disorder is a terrible | | | | strong effects and consequences are being |
| neurochemical illness and is much more than its | | | | prescribed), I sincerely doubt that bipolar disorder is |
| constituent parts--depression and manic | | | | being |
| behavior--would imply), I have to admit, I have been | | | | overdiagnosed, or is even misidentified on a large |
| surprised at the level of occurrence. Put simply, there | | | | scale. |
| are many more bipolar cases out there than even I | | | | In fact, quite the opposite may be happening. That |
| would have thought.You may be wondering: why | | | | is, mental health professionals may simply be |
| was I surprised and what is my particular background | | | | improving in their ability to properly diagnose this |
| to account for this surprise. Well, I am a former | | | | condition. Additionally, individuals with |
| medicaid caseworker and, more relevantly, I am a | | | | bipolar disorder may, as a consequence of greater |
| former disability claims examiner for the social | | | | recognition and understanding of their illness, be more |
| security administration. In that latter capacity, it was | | | | willing to initiate disability applications.One might ask |
| my function to, on a daily basis, receive new disability | | | | "Why would someone not file for disability benefits |
| cases, send off for medical records, review the | | | | when they have a condition that affects them so |
| records when they came in, and, then, in consultation | | | | profoundly"? This may go back to that "greater |
| with a physician, render a decision on a claim.I did this | | | | recognition and understanding part". I'll reference this |
| job for several years and, as a consequence, I may | | | | example, which, in my case, comes from my personal |
| have come across nearly every (though, certainly, | | | | life. I have an in-law who currently is treated with |
| not all) medical condition for which a person might | | | | outpatient shock therapy. For the sake of |
| imaginably file for | | | | confidentiality, I'll refer to him as Bob. Among his |
| disability benefits. And without a doubt, I came | | | | various diagnosed conditions, Bob has a particularly |
| across a fair number of cases for which bipolar | | | | severe case of bipolar disorder. And for many years, |
| disorder was a primary allegation. But I don't recall | | | | he was unable, despite many attempts, to maintain |
| seeing as many bipolar cases then as I currently see | | | | employment for longer than 90 days. Yet, despite |
| now.What could be the reason for the rise in bipolar | | | | this fact, despite his many problems with getting the |
| disorder cases? I've wondered about that many | | | | right medications, and despite the fact that he has |
| times. Some individuals might say that the illness is | | | | been receiving ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) for |
| being overdiagnosed, and that opinion has | | | | more than a year---he still has at least two family |
| been leveled at ADHD. But, I don't think this is the | | | | members who somehow think "he should have tried |
| case and here's why: Bipolar disorder typically requires | | | | harder".Such thinking is incomprehensible, of course, |
| the use of prescription medication for proper | | | | given the facts of Bob's situation. However, the |
| management. Bipolar also frequently occurs in | | | | stance taken by these family members probably had |
| combination with other illnesses, such as OCD, or | | | | much to do with why Bob did not file a |
| obsessive compulsive disorder and ADHD, or | | | | disability application much sooner. Also, the pressure |
| attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (and, yes, it is | | | | put on Bob by members of his family to "keep trying |
| not unheard of for a patient to be concurrently | | | | to work" may have hastened his descent into |
| treated for all these conditions). Of course, ANYONE | | | | auditory hallucinations and shock therapy.Therefore, |
| who has ever been put on a medication treatment | | | | "if" the rise in disability applications filed on the basis |
| regimen that attempts to treat multiple conditions | | | | of bipolar disorder can be accounted for by either or |
| simultaneously will know automatically what sorts of | | | | both of the following---1. an increased ability of |
| problems this may pose.What are those problems? | | | | mental health professionals to recognize the disease.2. |
| For starters, a medication that works just fine for | | | | an increased empathy and understanding of bipolar |
| ten million other patients may not work at all for just | | | | disorder on the part of family members.---then this is |
| one. Or, it may work fine for awhile and then not | | | | certainly a good thing.Whether this is actually |
| work at | | | | happening, of course, is a matter that is subject to |
| all. Or there may be side effects to the medication | | | | debate. But, in any event, more information is always, |
| that are somewhat unpleasant and/or stimulate other | | | | intrinsically and inherently, valuable. And to this end, |
| psychological issues (weight gain, sexual performance | | | | the following information may be helpful to a bipolar |
| issues, to name a couple). Throw in more prescription | | | | patient who has either filed for disability benefits or is |
| meds to treat other conditions (in our example, we | | | | considering filing: The Social Security Disability and SSI |
| cited OCD and ADHD) and you enter into the | | | | FAQ page from my own site.The author of this |
| equation even more variables: will med A negate the | | | | article is Tim Moore, a former Disability claims |
| potency of med B, will med B overenhance the | | | | examiner. |