Expert: Jurriaan Plesman, Nutritional Psychotherapist - 6/29/2007

Question
I was diagones with Bipolor awhile ago, and was put on lamictal. I am also being treated for Alcholism.I was drinking to the point of needing detox, and even was in the hospital twice for drinking household products that had alchol in it. I took the meds for about six months. I was feeling pretty down on the meds and had no real desire to do much off any thing, so i went off my meds. My doctor didnt seem real upset about it. He started to question if I was bipolor. I told him that i was treated for ADHD when I was younger with Ritalin 20 mg 3 times a day. He put me back on it, same dose as before.
The med seems to help, but almost to much.I enjoy taking it, and somtimes I take more than what im supposed too. Could I be addicted to it. It calms me down, and gives me focus. Somtimes though i get real nervous, so I up the dose.It calms me down, again. Im a little worried about this all, I dont want to become a drug addict, im already an alcholic with 9 months of sobrity. But on the other hand this is the clostest to feeling normal, as I ever have. (taking ritallin) When I took ritallin years ago, i didnt take it on a regular basis, and I was heaving into drinking.So I didnt really get any thing out of it.Can someone be bipolor and adhd and have post tramitic stress ?I am also taking Paxil 30mg a day for the pts. I had a very bad child hood full of trama. I guess I just want some answer on whats wrong with me.I go to the doctor and it doesnt seem like he even knows whats wrong. he even told me I might have border line personality.WOW! Whats next! With all that has happen to me in my life, im not real sure if i could ever work through all of it. Im in therepy, but we never really touch on any of my past, because im so over whelmed with current family issues. During my drinking days, my 16 year old sexually abused my 13 year old and 6 year old. this happen about three years ago, when the kids where alot younger. After that my drinking just got worse. I am so busy trying to pick up the pieces of my shattered life, that I caused. I have no time to reflect on what happen to me as a child. Im not trying to sound dramitic,really, but my life was the worst a kid could have. Any thing that you can image happened. The doctor says that why I dont get close to any body including my children. And let me tell you what it hurts. I want to be like every one else, but I dont see that happening. It seems I have to be on a drug of some type, that includes alchol, to feel good in my own skin.On the ritallin I dont feel so bad. I dont think about what happen or any thing. Kind of like when I would drink. That scares me, because I have read up and ritallin is very addictive. Im not sure why i wrote this letter, but thought maybe you might be able to sort out some of this for me. It is very hard for me to talk to my doctor, because im sure he will take my meds and I will be left high and dry, tying to find the new pill thats going to take this deep pain away from my heart.They say councling works, but not for me. As I said I have to much on my heart and mind and one hour to express my self. I just cant do it. I also want to add that I did start going to church, but I started having trouble keeping myself together during service,because of thing from my childhood. I went to a Boarding school in La. It was southern Baptist and thay reallly messed me up emothonly. The school is named New Bethany. Bro. Mack Ford ran the place. You can find out more info on the internet about the school. Many girls have committed sucide. Drug addicts, ect. It is very sad. The school was raided and classified as a cult compound. Any way its very hard for me to go to church and keep it together. I just cry and cry. Its very embarresing. I hope you dont think im crazy or any thing, under the sicupstanses in my life I do preetty good. Im just trying to fix whats broken before its to late.

Answer
Dear Kyra,

Well, you do have a long story to tell. My approach to mental illness is that it is basically biological in nature and this needs to be treated BEFORE any consideration of psychotherapy.  Most therapists think that it is "all in the mind".   Your emotional upsets are not due to past experiences but mainly to a biological abnormality that prevents your body to produce feel good neurotransmitters such as serotonin in the here-and-now.

The idea that drugs can "cure" the illness is not supported by evidence. They can only mask the symptoms. The problem needs to be treated at the root cause, namely an underlying biochemical abnormality, that in ,most cases can be treated by nutritional means.

I don't know whether you are bipolar or ADHD. This needs to be properly assessed and diagnosed by professionals. The fact that you were an alcoholic means that you may have hypoglycemia. This can be treated nutritionally. Bipolar people respond very well to te hypoglycemic diet.

In my opinion  you need to be treated by a Nutritional Doctor or a Clinical Nutritionist.

Please read the following articles for an explanation and discuss this with a Nutritional Doctor or ask to be referred to a Nutritional doctor.

What is Hypoglycemia? at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/what_is_hypo.html

The Serotonin Connection at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/serotonin_connection.html

Drug Addiction is  Nutritional Disorder at:
http://forums.delphiforums.com/clinutrition/messages/?msg=183.1

Depression is a Nutritional Disorder at: http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/depression_disorder.html

Also have a look at our

Self-help PSYCHOTHERAPY course at;
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/i-psychotherapy.html

_______________________________________________
Jurriaan Plesman BA (Psych) Post Grad Dip Clin Nutr
Editor of
The Hypoglycemic Health Association of Australia.
www.hypoglycemia.asn.au
Author of "Getting off the Hook"
Freely available at Google Book Search