maybe we should try this whole tweeting thing. all the cool kids are doing it.Yesterday, I was reading through some of Brad Warthen's blog and he mentioned that reporters do not make good journalists when they write about health matters. He was right.
Bipolarism.
What is that exactly? According to today's State newspaper, it's "also called bipolar disorder or manic-depressive illness." Oh THAT. Yeah, Bipolarism. I'm glad The State has coined a new phrase to further stigmatize individuals that have an uphill battle. Bipolarism.
When describing its symptoms, Bipolarism "causes dramatic mood swings." Yes, that is technically and clinically true. The State goes on to say, that mania episodes (or, manic episodes) can "include the abuse of drugs." Is The State saying that mania causes people to use and/or abuse drugs? Because it "particularly" says that cocaine, alcohol and sleeping medications are abused. Last time I checked the DSM-IV, that's not what mania is.
For mania to be diagnosed, the DSM-IV says that three or more of the following conditions must be presented by a patient:
1) inflated self-esteem or grandiosity
2) decreased need for sleep (e.g., feels rested after only 3 hours of sleep)
3) more talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking
4) flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing
5) distractibility (i.e., attention too easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant external stimuli)
6) increase in goal-directed activity (at work, at school, or sexually) or psychomotor agitation
7) excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences (e.g., engaging in unrestrained buying sprees, sexual indiscretions, or foolish business investments)
3 comments:
The State says at the bottom of the article "SOURCE: National Institute of Mental Health" -- not a journalist.
However, looking at the information from the NIMH, a journalist or some such employee of The State had to edit the information presented. The presentation of so-called facts about "Bipolarism" is stigmatizing.
Anonymous, are you defending this "Bipolarism" stuff?
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