DBSA-NOVA Weekly News

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Volume 1, Number 5

This Week

· 8/13 Teen Support Group Committee. Centreville Regional Library, 14200 St, Germain Drive, Centreville, VA 20121

· 8/14 Loved Ones Support Group. 14369 Round Lick Lane, Centreville , VA 20120. 7 p.m.

· 8/14 Centreville Bipolar Support Group. 6400 Old Centreville Road, Centreville, VA 20121. 7:30 p.m.

Later in the month

8/21 Centreville Bipolar Support Group

8/22 Woodbridge Bipolar Support Group

8/25 Free Back-to-School Depression and Mood Disorder Screen Day..

8/25 Ashburn Bipolar Support Group

Support Group Pages

Ashburn

Resources

This is the web page for our program to help those in the hospital and their loved ones

National DBSA

The web page for the national Depression Bipolar Support Alliance

Publications

DBSA publications for those with mood disorders and their loved ones

Suicide

Links to suicide prevention hotlines and resources

Support Groups

Links to our Loved Ones, Ashburn, Centreville and Woodbridge meetings

http://www.dbsanova.org

bipolarhope@dbsanova.org

The news in this newsletter is brought to you from novabipolarhappens.blogspot.com

Volunteers needed for psychiatric hospital outreach program

Backed by a national grant, DBSA-Northern Virginia has begun meetings with local psychiatric hospitals about having volunteers visit psychiatric to comfort patients in their time of greatest need and provide information to them, and their loved ones, about support available in the community once they are released.

Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute (NVMHI) has agreed to allow us to pilot the program at their hospital, which is located on Gallows Road on the Inova Fairfax Hospital campus in Falls Church.

Eric Anderson, the DBSA-Northern Virginia board member handling Community Outreach programs. If you are interested in training and volunteering, contact Eric at 540-551-0099.

NVMHI takes admissions from Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun, Arlington, Alexandria. Most of the patients start out on involuntary commitment status, but NVMHI works with most patients to have them stay for some period of time on a voluntary status. In addition, about 20 percent of the patients are there at Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity (NGRI) status. These patients have previously found NGRI for felonies or misdemeanors, and are now starting the transition back into the community after having been through the state forensic psychiatric program at Central State Hospital in Petersburg. Patients in NVMI admissions ward have an average stay of 10 to 12 days, while patients in other units, including the foreinsic ones, tend to have longer stays.

DBSA volunteers will be trained and will have a chance to talk one-on-one to patients and loved ones, as well as give presentations. DBSA-Northern Virginia will also provide packets of brochures, sheets listing community support groups and contacts for local mental health agencies.

New research into atypical antipsychotic use late in pregnancies

It has long been known that certain bipolar drugs, such as Depakote and Lithium, were dangerous during certain stages of pregnancy. Now, new research is suggesting that atypical antipsychotic used to prevent post-partum mania may put babies at risk.

The study reviewed women who had taken an antypical antipsychotic or haloperidol during pregnancy. Maternal and umbilical cord plasma samples were collected and delivery and were analyzed for medication concentrations.

All foru antipsychotics demonstrated incomplete placental passage. The data suggested fetal exposure and wide variety of outcomes depending on the medications.

For more information:

http://novabipolarhopenews.blogspot.com/

Sleeping disorder pill examined for combating bipolar depression

A preliminary study of 85 patients with bipolar disorder shows that a drug used to treat patients with sleep disorders, according to an article in Science Daily, might also control the depressive symptoms associated with bipolar disorder.

At least 44 percent of the participants in the study reported improved symptoms, a noteworthy improvement for a disorder in which new treatments are needed, according to the study's author, Mark Frye, M.D., director of the Mayo Clinic Mood Disorders Clinic and Research Program.

The study appears in the August 2007 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

"There are very few treatments for the depressive phase of bipolar disorder and as a result there is an urgent need to evaluate potential new therapeutics," says Dr. Frye. "Mood stabilizers in general are better at treating mania than depression, but the depressive phase of the illness is far more common. We really need continued research in this area."

More information at:

http://novabipolarhopenews.blogspot.com/

Rosenthal to discuss seasonal affective disorder

Norman E. Rosenthal, MD, will discuss seasonal affective disorder, light therapy and other ways that those with bipolar and depression can fight the impact of season changes. The talk will be at the GWU Hospital Auditorium on Sept. 6 at 7:30 p.m.

More information:

http://dbsanova.org/events.html

Join us at any meeting

Just because you already attend one group does not mean you cannot attend another. Now that we are bipolar support groups meeting in Ashburn, Woodbridge and Centreville you are welcome to attend all of them – all you have to do is have the illness. You can finding meeting dates and times, as well as those for the Loved Ones Group, by clicking on the !Yahoo Calender at www.dbsanova.org.