DBSAlliance

In this podcast, Gail Cutler of Rebecca's Dream speaks with Julie A. Fast, author of Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder and Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder: Understanding and Helping Your Partner, about why family support is crucial to recovery for those living with depression or bipolar disorder. This intimate conversation offers insight to both consumers and families, underscoring the importance of communication and understanding to create a supportive environment for loved ones with mood disorders.

Rebecca's Dream is an organization founded by Gail and Norman Cutler in memory of their daughter, Rebecca Cutler. In addition to this podcast, Rebecca's Dream is the sponsor of "At Home with Wellness: Families and Recovery," a workshop scheduled for Friday, September 12, during the DBSA 2008 National Conference in Norfolk, Virginia.

DBSA’s Cindy Specht speaks with Susan Polis Schutz about her latest book, Depression and Back: A Poetic Journey Through Depression and Recovery, which was written after Susan’s three–year struggle with depression. Susan also talks about her second documentary film, The Misunderstood Epidemic: Depression. The film takes an intimate look at how depression affects its victims and their families and explores how depression can strike anyone, regardless of age, race, or socioeconomic background.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can occur after you have been through a traumatic event. It is affecting a never–before–seen number of U.S. military who are traumatized by combat experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. In this podcast, DBSA speaks with Laura Prescott, Executive Director and Founder of Sister Witness International and Advisory Board Member of Mental Disability Rights International. Laura offers a general overview of PTSD for anyone who has endured the horrors not just of war but also of abuse or a terrible accident

Dr. Joseph Calabrese speaks with DBSA's Dr. Daniels about the differences, in terms of symptoms and treatment, between depression and bipolar disorder, especially bipolar II disorder. He explains the subtle symptoms of hypomania (bipolar II disorder's "mild high"), which is often overlooked by both mental health professionals and individuals living with the illness. He also addresses the several elements of treatment, including medication (traditional antidepressants versus mood stabilizers) and the importance of mood tracking, as well as family and peer support.

Dr. Calabrese has written more than 200 scientific publications focusing on bipolar disorder and has presented his research on this illness and other psychiatric conditions to medical students and physicians in 11 different countries. In 2004, he received the National Alliance for Research Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD) Lifetime Achievement Award for Psychiatric Research in mood disorders and was chosen by psychiatry residents as "Best Teacher of the Year" three different times. Dr. Calabrese has also received five NIMH federal research grants that have helped to improve clinical outcomes in underserved populations suffering from bipolar disorder.

Darby Penney speaks with DBSA's Cindy Specht about "The Suitcase Project" (www.suitcaseexhibit.org) which documents the lives of a dozen patient residents at the Willard State Hospital in New York and her book, The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic, profiling the individuals featured in the exhibit. She explores both the tragedy of their stories and the catharsis that comes from giving them a voice…finally.

DBSA's Jim McNulty interviews SSA Ticket to Work (TTW) Program Specialist Sallie Rhodes and David Jones, an account manager for TTW Recruitment & Outreach, specializing in mental health, about this program—how it works and what it has to offer. The TTW program is free and helps those eligible for SSDI or SSI benefits to enter, or re–enter, the workforce. This podcast addresses the following: what type of employment and job search services/supports are available; what an Individualized Work Plan is; whether TTW affects disability benefits, health insurance coverage, and Medicaid or Medicare; the Social Security Administration's 2009 hiring project; and more.

DBSA's Karen Kraft speaks with freelance writer Michelle Roberts and Skip Treaster about bp Magazine's Winter 2009 cover story, "Making Amends, Asking Forgiveness." Skip was one of the people Michelle profiled in this article which explores the difficult and yet healing, transformative process that individuals go through to repair relationships wounded in the wake of a mental illness, such as bipolar disorder. Michelle discusses her experience as interviewer, and Skip shares his personal story of the ups and downs of making amends with his now–adult children. Read an excerpt from the article at www.bphope.com/Issue.aspx?id=25.

This podcast is the first in a series brought to you by a partnership between the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) and the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP). The questions addressed were selected from an online survey conducted by DBSA regarding the interest and concerns of individuals living with depression or bipolar disorder about research surrounding the cause and treatment of mood disorders.

This podcast is the second in a series brought to you by a partnership between the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) and the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP). The questions addressed were selected from an online survey conducted by DBSA regarding the interest and concerns of individuals living with depression or bipolar disorder about research surrounding the cause and treatment of mood disorders.

Dr. Glenn Treisman presents the notion that all treatment for mood disorders should strive towards the goal of being "all the way well." Dr. Treisman discusses alternatives for treatment, consultation, and follow–up, information that is invaluable for those with TRD or who are supporting family and friends with mood disorders.