Expert: Jurriaan Plesman, Nutritional Psychotherapist - 2/5/2011

Question
Hi Jurriaan Plesman

I have a question, concerning my daughter 40yr, I am not sure if she is biopolar.

She has had years of not 'normal' reactions compared to her behaviour earlier in her life:  

She has not told me what the doctors have diagnosed her with, but did say they wanted her to go on lithium and B12 liquid supplements, and she rejected their recommendation.  

When she was in her early 20's.
. putting blankets up around her room to keep out the light  
. threatening suicide and threatening to kill me
. depression, anxiety

We lived in a country town in New South Wales and had to go to the psychiatrist in Tamworth.  She would put on her good behaviour and they would tell me there's nothing wrong, just depression, and she'll be ok in a few months.

. She said she had to get out of Moree, she went to live in Sydney and stayed in a hostel for young women, and only working here and there, but didn't have a permanent job the majority of the time.

. I would stay with her and she would get upset and have rage attacks
. She was admitted to North Shore Mental Health unit locked ward, she managed to escape and they brought her back and medicated her
. She was then medicated with prozac  for some time

She then went to Cairns to stay with family because I ran out of money paying for her rent in Sydney.

She seemed to be okay for a while, she got a responsible job and living with a stable boyfriend, and doing okay for two years.

Then it started again, she moved in with her sister and had numerous boyfriends staying with her.  He gave her marijana and she had a adverse reaction and had to be taken to emergency.

Her sister told them move out.  So they moved into a unit together.  He was a compulsive gambler and spent all the rent.  They used to have really bad fights and he hit her a number of times, and she said she felt she was mildly concussed at one point.

In one situation they had a really big fight, she bashed his car and the threatened to commit suicide and slashed her thighs.

Other family members were present and distressed to see she her in such a rage.  

Then she got pregnant and moved to Brisbane to live with me.  Her ex boyfriend lives in Sydney and has been taking drugs since he was a teenager and drinks excessively.  When he would visit to see the kids, they would have terrible rows and he would verbally and physically abused her, she never charged him.

The 5 years she has been living with me there has been nothing but verbal abuse and physical abuse between the pair of them and police being called.  A DVO being put on the boyfriend, but they didn't take any notice of it and ended up living together again for 4 months, until she left due to the physical and verbal abuse.   

In Dec 2009 she was charged with domestic violence against her ex boyfriend and the court told her to stop drinking and to attend an anger management course and didn't record a conviction.  

She is in the court process of filing for parenting orders for the ex boyfriend's access under supervised access.   

She fears for her safety when he is around.  Last Nov he forced his way into the unit and began to trash it with a knife.  She didn't charge him.

She said she doesn't get the rage attacks she used to get.   

I have noticed she still gets angry with the kids that is not 'normal' and she still has 'high' moments, and spending sprees, and doesn't appear to be aware how to save money.

She has large debts in comparison to what she receives on the pension and continues to use the credit provider services accumulating further debt, because the money goes on the repayments.   The ex boyfriend was paying $400 a month, but has applied for minimum payments of $30 per month due to no work.

She's on a single mothers pension and rents an expensive unit next door to me.   Her pension will be cut by $100 for fortnight, and she will not be able to afford the rent.  She can't move in with me because there is no room.   

I am very concerned for the children, as they are the ones who are exposed to her mood swings and they are only 4yrs, 5yrs, they don't eat properly because the money goes on rent and repaying the debts.

She is not well with a staph germ infection that is not healing and she won't get help for it and the kids get sick a lot, the little one is displaying symptoms of leukemia, but she won't take her to the doctor.   Last time we threatened to call dept child safety if she didn't take her to the doctor.

I have spent a lot of money on her in the last year, paying for her rent, car registration and food for the kids, to the point I have taken out a reverse mortgage on my unit and now will have to sell it to pay off the loan.  I can't afford to lend her any more money.  She is in financial crisis with the creditors wanting their money.  I have suggested she seek financial counselling and to apply for a hardship with the creditors.  She keeps saying she will do it, but doesn't, and I am wondering is this part of her disorder, not seeking help.  We have given her names of counsellors to help her with the domestic violence experiences and to help the kids, but she doesn't do anything.  As a consequence of this she rings her sister, who drinks, and seeks 'advice' from her, she gets on a high when she's talking with this sister.   She can't solve the problems, and doesn't seek help.   For example, the ex boyfriend turned up drunk on her doorstep at 11.30pm, she let him in because she didn't want a scene, because the unit complex manager has threatened to evict her if there's another scene with her and the ex boyfriend.  The solicitor reprimanded her because she didn't protect the kids.

My health has deteriorated over the last 2.5 years, more recently I had a small stroke TIA, and recovered with some memory problems, and I have had arterial fibrillation for 2.5 years. More recently I am being investigated for cancer in small intestine.   

I am worried for my daughter and her kids future if I've got cancer and they don't give me long.   My unit is in my will to leave to her, but if I have to sell to pay off the loan, she won't get much.

My friend is very good friends with my daughter, she has suggested my daughter see a doctor who specialises in nutritional supplements for mental health.  She didn't go because it was expensive and she didn't have the money.

Sorry I didn't plan to write so much, but there is so much going on.

From your opinion do you think she has bipolar, and is there any help available other than drugs.

Thank you
Frances

Answer
Hi frances,

This is a very difficult situation. It is no point to try to guess a diagnosis, because most of the mood disorders that people suffer from are very difficult to treat according to conventional medicine. Drugs will only mask symptoms without treating the root causes of the illness. Most people with mood disorder suffer from hypoglycemia - which is a sugar handling problem - and affects the way the body lacks biological energy to produce feel good neurotransmitters and hormones. I suggest that she see a nutritional doctor. If this is too expensive, the best thing for her is to be on hypoglycemic diet.

Our web site is designed in such a way that people with mood disorders can treat themselves. This is done by way of educating people and explaining why some people have mood disorders and others have not. It matters little whether the main problems is addiction, mood swings, or uncontrollable violence: they all involve hypoglycemia. It all requires a lot of reading by people, if they cannot afford professional counsellors.

Please read:

Depression is a Nutritional Disorder at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/depression_disorder.html
Depression: a Disease of Energy Production at:
http://curezone.com/upload/PDF/Articles/jurplesman/depression_energy32.pdf
Drug Addiction is a Nutritional Disorder at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/drug_addictions_nutritional_disorder.htm...
Conquering Anxiety, Depression and Fatigue Without Drugs - the Role of Hypoglycemia by Prof. Joel H. Levitt
http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/hypoglycemia.htm
Silent Diseases and Mood Disorders at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/silentdiseases.html

and ask for a referral to a Nutritional Doctor, Clinical Nutritionist or a Nutritional Psychotherapist, if self-help therapy fails.
Going on Hypoglycemic diet (look up at our web site) is the first step in treatment. Please search our web site for more information at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au

I certainly would get the DOCS involved for the protection of the children.
_______________________________________________
Jurriaan Plesman, Nutritional Psychotherapist.
Hon. 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