Expert: Jurriaan Plesman, Nutritional Psychotherapist - 7/22/2008

Question
I have a very close friend that I'm worried about. She's on prescriptions for Ambien, since she can't sleep, and Xanex (sp?) for her extreme anxiety. I'm not sure if there's anything else, but she tried to kill herself about a year and a half ago and went into a local rehab facility for the summer. She came out better, and now goes to a therapist, but she's bipolar and sometimes life's difficult for her. I understand that. What scares me, though, is that she has told me that taking the pills makes her feel numb, so she has found a cocktail that will make her feel--but I get phone calls every night saying she is feeling, but she doesn't want to feel THIS way. She has looked into her actions and has self-diagnosed herself as being addicted to her pills; cutting them in half to save them, etc. Her therapist knows about this and will not give her a new prescription, and she only has two refills left.

I don't know how to help her. I try to just listen and talk her through things with rationale and calm her down, but it scares me. What if she tries to kill herself again? What if I didn't help the right way?
What can I do?

Answer
Dear Brittany,

Whatever happens there is little you can do, except support her and try to understand what is happening. If she is Bipolar she should be in the hands of a therapist who should know her personal circumstances. She should be counselled not go against the advice of her therapist and to discuss any problems she may have with her therapist.

As a Nutritional Psychologist I know tat Bipolar people can be helped in many way by  nutritional means. Bipolar patients do generally benefit from going on a hypoglycemic diet, that tends to stabilize her moods.

Please read:
Nutritional Aspects of Schizophrenia at:
http://curezone.com/upload/Newsletter/Hypoglycemic_He/HYPONL2001_06.pdf
and go to page 7 of Newsletter.

which applies also to Bipolar people. Please search our web site for LECITHIN.

Also read:

Treatments for Bipolar Disorder at:
http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/default.htm#B

Beating Anxietiy and Phobias at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/beating_anxiety.html

The Biochemistry of Insomnia at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/insomnia.html

Some of the medications she may be on, may interfere with the absorption or cause nutritional deficiencies such as vitamin B12 and folic acid.

I suggest that the therapist also refers the person to a Nutritional Doctor or a Clinical Nutritionist or Nutritional Psychologist.

Also read the chapter on Bipolar Disorder in

Werbach,M.R.(1991), NUTRITIONAL INFLUENCES ON MENTAL ILLNESS, A Sourcebook of Clinical Research, Third Line Pres, Inc.Tarzana. Cal.
Reviewed at:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0961855010/qid=1137899472/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103...  

It may be available in the local library.

Other articles can be found at:

Self-help Personal Growth Psychotherapy at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/self-help_personal_growth.html

and discuss with a Nutritional Doctor, a Clinical Nutritionist or a Nutritional Psychologist if you want to.

I hope i have been of some help.

_______________________________________________
Jurriaan Plesman
Editor of
The Hypoglycemic Health Association of Australia.
www.hypoglycemia.asn.au
Author of "Getting off the Hook"
Freely available at Google Book Search
Skype: jurplesman