Bi-Polar & pregnant: how to handle it and be happy

Or some such tommy-rot title I saw on a book search of the county library system in Suffolk on Long Island.

Good God, what a confirmation of my view that people don't give a damn what they inflict on kids.

Whacko moo, manic depressive looking at a book "Oh it is just fiiiine to sprog even though I'm maaaanic. I can do and get what I waaant no matter what it does to my chiiiild. I know I go off my meds occasionally, but I knoooow my child will forgiiive me because they have to understaaand that I have bi-polar disorder." I can just imagine this going through their pea-brains.

The selfishness of these people is beyond comprehension.

two cents ¢¢

CERTIFIED HOSEHEAD!!!

people (especially women) do not give ONE DAMN about what they inflict on children and I defy anyone to prove me wrong

Dysfunctional relationships almost always have a child. The more dysfunctional, the more children.

The selfish wants of adults outweigh the needs of the child.

Some mistakes cannot be fixed, but some mistakes can be 'fixed'.

People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one. Leo J. Burke

Adoption agencies have strict criteria (usually). Breeders, whose combined IQ's would barely hit triple digits, have none.

Quote
twocents
Whacko moo, manic depressive looking at a book "Oh it is just fiiiine to sprog even though I'm maaaanic. I can do and get what I waaant no matter what it does to my chiiiild. I know I go off my meds occasionally, but I knoooow my child will forgiiive me because they have to understaaand that I have bi-polar disorder." I can just imagine this going through their pea-brains.

The selfishness of these people is beyond comprehension.

Right you are twocents but if you tell her or any of the breeders they will tell you: "Nooooo, you CF (scum of the earth) are the selfish ones after all...
How to handle that? Easy... :chug:chug:chug

two you were almost right, i just had to see and i found it


http://www.amazon.com/Bipolar-Pregnant-Planning-Parenting-Depression/dp/0757306837

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I just post the stories, for interest.. for everyone

Lord, what fools these mortals be!
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene ii

Voltaire said: "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

H.L.Mencken wrote:"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. Albert Einstein

Most of the medications used to treat bipolar disorder are either contra-indicated (meaning: DO NOT USE) in repugnancy or carry significant potential for fetal harm. Equally, the emotional roller coaster of repugnancy is hardly something you want for a bipolar patient. Most of the psych textbooks recommend reliable contraception for female bipolar patients along with extensive counseling. And of course, there is a wealth of literature surrounding the concordance of various psychiatric disorders and their genetic sequelae.

Repugnancy is a very stupid move, but even worse for mental health patients.

To add a layman's impressions to Dr. Corelli's observations, the book appears to be just a one-person anecdote, not anything approaching a scientific guide. Some reader comments:

"I was very disappointed with this book. I had pre-ordered it and was very excited about the concept. As a bipolar woman trying to get pregnant with plenty of doubts, I thought this book would be educational. Instead it's pretty much one lady's story about her two pregnancies while she was off lithium. Since I don't take lithium and was instructed to stay on meds while pregant, her tale was just about useless for me.

The book claims to give you the latest on the newer bipolar drugs: we're talking about a small chart in the apendix that had zero info about my drug (Seroquel) and I found way more info online. Although the author credits look impressive, the author has zero medical experience (and claims none, so that's fair).

I thought this would give me more insight into bipolar pregnancies in general. Save your money because here's all the book tells you: The author was successful in managing her very specific case of bipolar and pregnancies off lithium by planning and charting her moods in journals, along with her husband. Since her family has always written in journals, this was normal behavior (whereas the rest of us might not take to journaling so easily or as effectively -- especially convincing our spouse to do the same!). Her husband was her cheerleader and they are very pleased with themselves. So pleased that they wrote about about how great they did. Kudos to them, but what about the rest of us? Those without journals and introspective mates? Those who have to make a horrible and confusing decision about staying on anti-psychotic medication while pregnant without any good research? Those who haven't been living with their illness as successfully as the author has since teenage years? Those who don't have the ability to take a part-time job instead of a full-time one to reduce stress? If you have those issues and questions, then this is not the book for you. Zero science. Zero research. Nothing about the latest information. You are better off using google and doing your own research."

and

"As a medical doctor, this is what I would call a dangerous book. It assumes people with bipolar disorder will stop their medications, a potentially disasterous decision for mom and baby. It does not address how to safely stay on medications during pregnancy. I'm disturbed by this and will steer my patients clear. It is a pity because if well done it would fill a void on the topic."

Also, from this site,

1. MEDICATION: There is a painful cost/benefit analysis that has to be done - many bipolar meds are dangerous for the fetus, but a mom going off her meds MUST have a back-up plan.

2. RELAPSE: Both pregnancy and the aftermath, known as postpartum, are high risk times for mood instability and cycling, even in women with no bipolar history. For women who have been ill in the past, rates of relapse into mania and psychosis are estimated at 50% to 75% respectively.

Thanks for the addtional info Dr and Clem. A crock of shit giving false hope to crazy moo-tards. Fantastic.

As I've mentioned here before, I have a history of anxiety and depression. When it came time to switch/get off meds to start 'trying' (something I put off for as long as I possibly could)...that's when I realized it was completely wrong for me. Why on earth put myself through hell for something that's just gonna put me through more and more and MORE HELL than I could possibly conjure up in my worried mind? That's considering the kid is even mentally stable. I wouldn't find that out 'til years down the line. Just what I want to deal with, a daughter like I was, who comes home wailing over mean classmates and too much homework. To have to explain the insanity. No thank you, I would never put anyone through that.

Wasn't there a Lifetime movie about this starring Marcia Cross?

There's a really easy way to handle repugnancy and be happy about it, and you don't even need to go off your happy pills.
It's called abortion . Why is this such a difficult concept to grasp?

Personally speaking, anything that offers me a 75% of becoming psychotic is something I tend to avoid.

But that's just silly old me.

Mental illness and breeding.

PERFECT together!