Question:
Thank you so much for the work you have
done in trying to find help to patients
with the devastating illness!!!
I have three children, two with
mental/biological illnesses. My son is
16 years old and was Dx as bipolar this
past May after being hospitalized with
an acute psychotic episode. He is on
Lithium and Risperdal with excellent
results (as long as he takes his
medication). It is so apparent when he
doesn't because his personality changes
drastically.
My daughter is 20 years old and since
puberty, at age 10, has had a difficult
life. Initially, we were told she was
the "queen of manipulation" and we were
not strict enough. Of course, stronger
discipline made things worse.
Oppositional defiant disorder was the
next Dx, then depression, then bulimia
with ADHD, then bipolar with extreme
anxiety disorder, then borderline
personality disorder and finally, after
being hospitalized in her senior year,
she was Dx bipolar with borderline
traits and extreme anxiety disorder.
She has never responded as well to the
medication as my son.
I have done years of research and know
from living 24/7 with my children that
their illnesses are very different. My
son has immediate improvement on the
medication. My daughter never has.
After years of trying various
medications with many side effects she
is now so frustrated she refuses to
take all medication. She sees a
psychologist when she feels like it.
Her life is in a constant turmoil with
one crisis after another. She has no
true friends, etc.
I work managing clinical research
studies. In researching for other
illnesses we have seen the benefits of
nutraceutical products, i.e. Omega-3,
B- Complex and minerals. Many employees
I work with are using VIBE, a product
from Eniva Corp. (www.enivaqualtiy.com,
www.eniva.com). What is your opinion
VIBE and these products benefitting
borderline personality disorder or
other mental illnesses?
Also, I did not see the recent segment
on Prime Time Live, this past week, but
I understand brain surgery, similar to
the procedure for epilepsy, has been
successful for some people with mental
illness. What are your thoughts on this
new procedure?
Dr. Heller's Answer:
Clearly getting the diagnoses correct
is the most crucial aspect of helping
your daughter. If her symptoms began
as a young child, then childhood onset
bipolar was likely the diagnosis:
http://www.BiologicalUnhappiness.com/BiPlrKid.htm.
If the symptoms began or dramatically
worsened at puberty, the borderline
personality disorder (BPD) is a likely
diagnosis. Everything a person has
wrong with them makes everything else
that's wrong with them worse. ADHD,
BPD, and bipolar can coexist. The
screening test
(http://www.BiologicalUnhappiness.com/screen.htm)
may be of assistance to your
daughter. If she does have the BPD,
http://www.BiologicalUnhappiness.com/AskDoc/q1.htm
may be useful.
I've never seen a patient be treated
successfully more than a few months
with supplements or neutraceuticals -
and I'm not sure a placebo effect
wasn't the true explanation. The
improvement on the correct medications
when patients have been taking these
supplements is dramatic.
Omega 3's
have shown to be of help with bipolar,
but I've never seen any significant
improvement in any patient. I have
seen an adolescent who didn't respond
to medications who actually had mercury
poisoning, and he responded
dramatically to chelation.
Surgery is a long way off. I don't
believe the BPD is located in any
particularly structure. For example
it's not an "amygdala dysfunction."
The BPD is due to a specific inborn
instinct that malfunctions (the
"trapped, cornered, wounded animal"
response). I'm suspicious that
multiple areas within the limbic system
and possibly the frontal lobe are
involved. No one has a serious clue as
to which specific brain areas are
actually involved. Until that is
identified and proven to only be
involved in this disorder, surgery will
not be an option.
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