Well, for those of you who question my statement that bipolar, type II illness is a less severe form of the illness, my information came from my psychiatrist who is a graduate of Duke University with a doctorate in psychiatry, who also lectures on the subject.

Now, I've had bipolar, type II illness for many, many years--never had a psychotic break, never been hospitalized and had the course of the illness altered by diet changes prescribed and now take only 10 mg Prozac to relieve symptoms of stress when that happens, and I take large doses of vitamin C to maintain effective levels of it to avoid illnesses associated with lower levels of C as a result of medication drain on vitamin and mineral levels. For me, a large part of altering the course of Bipolar illness was changes in diet and big changes in medication reduction.

I have known the wife of a Bipolar, type I patient whose husband ran up and down the streets nude when in an episode. That's what I mean by Bipolar type I behavior in a psychotic mood.

I am very aware that depression is painful.

Please allow for the degrees in illness that people have in Bipolar I and Bipolar II. There is a greater severity of illness in bipolar I than there is in bipolar II. The hypomania of bipolar II is not as severe as in bipolar I, and, I think, in many cases the depression is less severe, although it may not feel like it at times.

I'm sorry that some of you have had episodes of depression so severe that you were
hospitalized and had to lie there and stare out the window. Frankly, I almost think that some might have been misdiagnosed as Bipolar, type II, when they were actually Bipolar, type I. Diet has such a vital importance in bringing one out of the pain of depression.
(The medications affect the system so much that I think they sometimes exacerbate the
severity, as well.)

You may not believe this, but some psychiatrists make diagnoses based on first time interviews and make mistakes, as all humans do from time to time.

I wish you all the best health possible.

Please look into diet changes to help your illness. Read all you can about the use
of alkaline foods, acid residue of medications and their effects, the use of higher doses of Vitamin C to help relieve symptoms and avoidance of certain foods known to make the illness worse if one is sensitive to them: e.g., caffeine in any form, alcohol.

For example, read Ruth Whalen's article on "Caffeine Allergy" as it is posted on the forum DoctorYourself.com (Look for it in the left-hand index.) She is a retired medical laboratory
technician turned writer who has examined the brains of many in after-death analyses
to determine illness. Her observations on caffeine sensitivity are astounding and true.

My psychiatrist informed me not to use either which means no alcohol, no coffee, no tea (which has caffeine in it) no chocolate, or anything else with caffeine in it. I was also told to take my medications, establish a routine sleep schedule and adhere to it.

If there were anything else I could say that would help you understand why I write
and say what I do, I would be glad to write it. I can only tell you the truth as I was
told it by experts in the field of psychiatry.

Much of what happens in the course of Bipolar, type II illness is the direct result of one's care for one's diet and making sure that the lowest dose of medication possible to sustain correct brain chemistry should be used. Pumping high doses of chemicals to the system causes loss of important vitamins and both macro and micro minerals the system needs to remain healthy.

Try like the dickens to avoid stress; it really plays havoc with the emotions in bipolar illness.

Take an active role in care for yourselves and good wishes.

Genetic.