Asked to be in a Bipolar Study at the University

I knew there was a study on bipolar going on at the university hospital, but now I've been asked to be part of it. They're going to call me. Take some blood samples, ask questions... will be glad to give my $0.02.

I did participate in this study if it is the same one. The one I did was through universities throughout the country & they were wanting to interview & take blood tests from people who were dxed with bipolar & had family members with bipolar or diagnosed mood disorders. In my case, my mother had bipolar & both my children have mood disorders (depression though my daughter may have developed into bipolar as it looks like she is having some hypo mania).

It's been quite awhile but I seem to remember about 4-5 interviews (over the phone as the university was about a 2-hour drive, if closer it would have been done in person) lasting about 2 hours each, though the woman gave me the opportunity at any time to stop & reschedule to continue if I decided I had had enough for that session.

She was very polite & warm & scheduled the phone calls at my convenience. The questions did deal a lot with my background & my experiences with my mother, what I remember of her behavior & the treatment she received & ultimate result (suicide), then my own experiences & struggles, treatment, successes & ones that were not so successful (be prepared with a list of meds you have tried!!! Trying to remember them all was hard. I had to have her name them & I then would say "yes, yes, yes, yes" to pretty much all of them except MAOI's & no ECT's--unlike my mother).

She asked how I felt about my role raising my children, what did I do wrong or right, how did my illness affect my abilities as a mother, as a wife, as an employee, student, really all aspects of my life.

How I am doing now. At that time I was doing pretty well. I thought I was the "poster child (well, middle-aged woman)" for bipolar since I had been stable for 5 years. I was complacent.

They sent a script for me to go to the local hospital & get a blood test. Very easy. I think they paid $75.00 or $100.00 for your time.

She called back after about 6 mos. & I was no longer a "poster anything" as I had had a relapse & overdose.

They never mentioned I had to be a poster child for it. They said I just had to be myself. Not sure if this is the same thing, but it sounds similar.

I haven't been asked to be in a study...I have been fairly tight lipped in public.

Just something to consider...would it be possible for a question to push one of your buttons?...in a non-positive way?

How do you think they come up with all those stats of sudicide from taking diffrent meds . I wouldnt let anyone mess with my bipolar.Living with bipolar is hard enough without some one getting in your head for a study and you have to ask your self what are they studying .There a wide range of things they could be and I dont see any of them being postive . Just my 2cents .Becareful

Trippin' - I don't understand. They aren't going to give me any new meds or change my meds. They're just observing.

Oh no no--THEY didn't label me as anything like a poster child--that was my thinking--they were totally proffessional

I couldn't guarantee how I'd be on any given day over a five-year period. I'm sure they take this into account. You can be in total remission and six months, 1 year, 2 years later, etc. be hospitalized. (No personal experience with hospitalization, just an example.)

I tried several times to be in different mental health studies, but they told me you have to be surgically infertile (not just tubal litigation like I have).

huh?? I don't understand. Why?