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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Julie on March 9, 2000, at 22:20:56
I posted a couple months ago about a friend who'd started Serzone and was feeling "up"-- and hostile-- on it. Well, she continued taking it, and since then she's gotten extremely agitated and hostile. She's talking very, very fast and very angrily, picking verbal fights with co-workers and bosses, and saying paranoid things. I'm thinking maybe she is bipolar and didn't know it, and that her meds have flipped her into an irritable mania. Her co-workers- who interact with her more than I- are very worried about her. She has no family nearby and lives alone. Apparently, she's only seeing her psychiatrist every couple of weeks. What can we do to help her? Is calling her doctor with our concerns ethical? I have talked with depressed friends in crisis, and have been there myself-- but mania is something I have little experience with. I'd appreciate any feedback-- thanks.
Posted by Janice on March 10, 2000, at 1:18:18
In reply to Mania question , posted by Julie on March 9, 2000, at 22:20:56
Julie, have you talked directly with her about it? If you approach her gently and openly, she may very well tell you what is going on.
Manic depressives are usually completely aware (but unable to control) of what they are doing and how they are affecting the people around them.
good luck, Janice
Posted by Mark H. on March 10, 2000, at 14:37:55
In reply to Re: Mania question , posted by Janice on March 10, 2000, at 1:18:18
I respect Janice's viewpoint, but I tend to disagree about the level of self-awareness. From hormone replacement therapy for perimenopausal women to supplementation with amino acids such as tyrosine, it is quite easy to become irritable and even dangerously aggressive without knowing that one is acting in a "paranoid" fashion. Any psychoactive substance can have a similar effect with some people's body chemistry.
The living alone part is the most worrisome, since there's no one close and trusted to say, "Hey! You're acting like a paranoid jerk! What's wrong with you?"
As a manic-depressive myself, under those circumstances I would appreciate it very much if someone took the trouble to call my doctor and/or talk to me about it directly. The mild embarrassment or sense of invasion is certainly better than losing a job (or worse) because symptoms are going unreported and untreated.
This is the end of the thread.
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