Bipolar inmate's widow sues Portsmouth Jail

The widow of a bipolar inmate who was found dead in his cell at Portsmouth City Jail last year filed a lawsuit against the sheriff and jail's medical contractor today, according to the Virginian Pilot.

Granada Combs is seeking $31 million in damages in connection with the death of her husband, Joseph B. Combs. He was found dead on June 28, 2006 covered in his own feces, the lawsuit claims. The lawsuit, filed in Portsmouth Circuit Court, claims negligence and civil rights violations.

A medical examiner determined in June that the former Norfolk Naval Shipyard worker died of severe dehydration and pneumonia. The examiner also determined that a bipolar disorder contributed to Combs' death.

Boston columnist considers stage redentions of mental illness out of context

Insanity is an irresistible metaphor except for those who've seen it close up. Our culture is filled with tales of madmen who are saner than the society that imprisons them, complete breakdowns that turn out to be creative breakthroughs, inner chaos that's more lovely and liberating than order could ever be, according to Louise Kennedy in The Boston Globe.

Those of us who have endured the disability of a beloved relative know better, she writes. Continuing, she says that we know that while people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder or severe depression may have flashes of creative genius and almost spooky moments of intellectual and emotional insight, the facts of their illness are scary, repetitive, and debilitating. In the long run, it doesn't lift you up to be crazy; it wears you down. And so, try as we might to surrender to the power of psychosis as a symbol, we just can't stop noticing the difference between reality and fantasy.

Mentally ill struggle with lesser insurance; Mental health parity being debated in Congress

Mental illness threw David Harkins' life into reverse.

At 19, he was managing the basketball team at Florida College, where he received his associate degree in 1971. He got married, had children, became a computer support specialist and bought a home.

"Now I'm back to washing towels for a living," said Harkins, of Tampa, who is 55 and living in a private dormitory with a college student. "I make less than $9 an hour."

Harkins is bipolar, relying on prescription drugs to control his severe mood swings.

But because Florida is one of a handful of states that allow health insurers to cover mental illnesses at lower levels than they cover physical disorders, patients like Harkins must do what they can to maintain their psychiatric treatments and drug regimens, according to article in The Tampa Bay Tribune.

Untreated bipolar disorder may shrink the brain

Researchers discover people with bipolar disorder — or manic depression — suffer from an accelerated shrinking of their brain, according to an article on Psychcentral.com.

The study shows for the first time that bipolar disorder — a condition characterized by periods of depression and periods of mania — is associated with a reduction in brain tissue and proves that the changes get progressively worse with each relapse.

This discovery has implications not only for the way we research the disease, but may also impact the way this condition is treated.
The University of Edinburgh study is published in the Journal of Biological Psychiatry.

Free depression and bipolar mental health screening

DBSA-Northern Virginia and Ashburn Psychological Services are offering free mental health screenings for depression and bipolar disorder on August 25 and September 1 as a part of both groups’ community service efforts. The screenings will be held at the offices of Ashburn Psychological Services, which are located at 44110 Ashburn Shopping Plaza, which is just off Ashburn Village Boulevard. More information can be found at www.dbsanova.org/events.html.

These mental health screenings provide a safe and confidential way to determine the likelihood of whether you suffer from depression and bipolar disorder, and information on how to get help through mental health care providers, support groups, government agencies and others.

The first screening will be on Saturday, August 25, from 11 AM to 5 PM, and it will be for children and adolescents. Parents and children do not need to register in advance. All they need to do is show up at the Ashburn Psychological Services offices in the Ashburn Shopping Plaza. The second screening will be for adults, adolescents and children of all ages on Saturday, September 22, from 11 AM to 5 PM.

These screenings allow for diagnosis and intervention. Mental health problems can become worse, even devastating, if left untreated.

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Ashburn Psychological Services (www.ashburnpsych.org) is a leading psychological practice that offers a wide array of diagnostic, psychotherapy and consultation services for children, adolescents, adults and families.

Mallinger discusses treatment resistance and reversing brain damage caused by mania and depression

A recap of a talk entitled "Pathophysiology of Affective Disorders and Potential New Treatments to Treatment Resistant Mood Disorders" by Alan G. Mallinger, MD, at July 19 at George Washington University Hospital can be found on the DBSA-Northern Virginia news page.

Dr. Mallinger, a researcher at NIMH, discusses treatment resistance in bipolar disorder and depression, and medications that can help reverse brain tissue damage caused by mania and depression.

Patients, theraptists and family members report stigma continues

Patients, therapists and family members report a negative stigma attached to mental health issues as a big barrier for many to overcome before talking to someone about their problems, according to a report in The Faquirer Times-Democrat.

There's good news, however, because a new study from Mental Health America shows significant progress in Americans' attitudes regarding mental health issues over the past 10 years.

According to the survey released last month, nearly three-fourths of the population knows that depression is a real health problem ― as opposed to 10 years ago, when 38 percent of the population viewed the condition thusly, as opposed to it being simply a sign of personal weakness.

Judge frees bipolar prisoner targeted by inmates

A judge has freed a bipolar prisoner from custody after the man complained that he was being abused by other inmates, according to the Associated Press.

Anne Arundel County Circuit Judge Michael E. Loney ruled that the man, who is bipolar and developmentally disabled, could live with a friend until a suitable treatment program can be found for him.

Mallinger to discuss treatment resistant mood disorders

Dr. Alan G. Mallinger, M.D. will be speaking this Thursday -- July 19 -- at the Auditorium at George Washington University Hospital at 900 Twenty-Third St, Washington, DC. at 7:30 p.m. Dr. Mallinger will be speaking about Pathophysiology of Affective Disorders and Potential New Treatments for Treatment Resistant Mood Disorders. The event is sponsored by DBSA-National Capital Area.

Dr. Mallinger is the unit chief of the Adult Outpatient Clinic's Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program at the National Institute of Mental Health. He was a professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the director of the Psychopharmacology of Mania and Depression Program at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

During his career, Dr. Mallinger has pursued parallel interests in clinical psychiatry and basic psychopharmacology research related to mood disorders. His areas of basic research interest include laboratory studies on cell membrane phenomena and intracellular signal transduction processes, specifically, as these relate to the biological aspects of bipolar disorder and to the therapeutic mechanisms of mood stabilizing drugs.

His clinical research interests include therapeutic options for treatment-resistant mania, mood stabilizer treatment during pregnancy, and pharmacokinetic studies of MAO inhibitors. He has been involved in various clinical trials on antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and psychotherapy. Dr. Mallinger has authored or co-authored 56 scientific articles and book chapters. He is currently Director of the Psychopharmacology of Mania and Depression basic research program at WPIC, as well as medical director of the Maintenance Therapies in Bipolar Disorder study, and the Stanley Center for the Innovative Treatment of Bipolar Disorder. He also served as chairperson of the Merit Review Committee for Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, D.C..

He is course director of the Pharmacotherapy Training in Mood Disorders Clinic and the Mood Disorders Seminar for psychiatry residents at the University of Pittsburgh.

Bipolar and eating disorders

Susan McElroy, M.D., a professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, looks at data from studies about the relationship between obesity and bipolar disorder.

The National Comorbidity Replication Study clearly highlights the prevalence of eating disorders in those with bipolar disorder. Another report indicated that Bipolar disorder had the highest odds ratio of all psychiatric disorders studied in patients with obesity. It is also noted that a great deal more investigation is needed.

This article, Bipolar Disorder and Its Comorbidities, is available through Medscape (subscription required).

Depression may weaken the brain

In findings that highlight the importance of mood and stress to maintaining a healthy brain, researchers say that a bout of depression may raise the risks of developing dementia later in life, The Wall Street Journal reports.

People who have experienced a major depression even once in the previous 10 years in late middle age are twice as likely as those who haven't to develop problems in concentration, memory or problem-solving ability after the age of 65, according to several studies.