3 Phases of Grief

Since working with other grievers as well as evaluating my own grief experiences, I have come to conclude there are 3 natural phases of grief. Early- Grief. Mid-Grief. Late-Grief. These phases don’t know an exact time line, but they transition when intentional healthy grief is taking place.

Early-Grief is when we are left with such massive changes in our lives that we are overwhelmed. The loss consumes us. We often lose our appetite, our mental capacity to focus, and sometimes even the will to keep living. We feel, but find ourselves detached from social connection, almost as if we are viewing ourselves from a distance. Tears may come at unplanned times, or worse yet, we find it impossible to cry. As we intentionally feel the feelings, engage with the reality of loss and begin to practice healthy self-care habits, we begin to transition. Early grief can last as much as 6 to several years. It really all depends if we are being intentional to grieve well or not.

The Middle-Grief phase finds us functioning a little better. Others looking in begin to think, “they are getting over it!” But we are not. We manage our exterior lives a bit better, but inwardly, we are feeling deeper pain. It is like the pain from a burn to the skin that keeps penetrating. We can find ourselves stuck in anger, depression, or despair. We might also begin to experiment with distracting ourselves, so we don’t have to deal with the pain. This is why it is all the more important to choose healthy grief options. We need to stay attentive to our loss and the long-term impact. Be gentle, understanding and nurture ourselves. Acknowledge the sorrow and loss, anger, despair, and tendency to isolate. We need to be purposeful about interacting with others who are emotionally safe. Choose to exercise and eat the healthiest we can to support our body as it supports our emotional wellbeing. Middle-Grief can last for months or even years, depending on how intentional we are to grieve well.

Late-Grief is the awkward transition of knowing we will best honor our deceased loved one by living a full and productive life. It is full of uncertainty and the excitement of our potential that is rising out of the ashes. Late-Grief feels like we are handling our loss story with meaning. We see hope and a future. We taste the flavor of food again and find joy in simple pleasures. We know that love will never died for the one we no longer have with us. We also know that new relationships, friendships, places to see and go are not a denial of our loved one. Late-Grief can begin as early as 13 months after the death or whenever we have come to healing for Middle-Grief.

Back to A Defining Moment

I am so glad you are still reading this and hope you have the notion to share it with a few friends before you get done. Just how does this holiday create a defining moment for you? Let me tell you. As a grief coach, I assist my clients in creating plans for every event on the calendar that they would otherwise wish to skip over. By planning for the day or season, they discover their own wishes and dreams for reflecting, remembering, and honoring, in their absence, the one they love so much. Therefore, whatever phase of grief you are experiencing, or whatever plan you choose will define the healing direction in your grief.

Preparing for the holidays produces a profoundly better option than not planning.

I am sharing just 4 samples of planned activities you can consider. Please keep in mind where you are in your grief experiences: Early, Mid, or Late Grief. If you can find your voice, use your words to tell others what is meaningful for you. I hope there is someone in your family or circle of friends you can share an idea or two that would help you manage the holiday better. I hope they will be supportive to help bring your plans into action.

Regrets to Flames

Henry Havelock Ellis said, “All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.” In addition to the memories and traditions you keep with you, you may also be holding onto things like regret, guilt, and feelings of resentment. Start a holiday tradition of lighting a fire, writing down your regrets from the past year, and then throwing your regrets into the fire to symbolize the power of God’s thorough forgiveness.

Holiday Dessert

Leave a box, slips of paper, and pens in a prominent place. Ask friends and family to write down their favorite holiday memories, memories of loved ones, or gratitude for them. Ask them to put their slips in the box and read them over dessert. If you feel as though your family has had an especially tough year, writing down general gratitudes might help the rays of light to be noticed and encourage one another.

Photo Booth

Well, not exactly a booth, but I think you get the idea. You, your friends, and family might enjoy a special corner of the house that has photo albums stacked high for the perusing. Possibly you have a video that was used at the memorial you want to watch. Maybe other family videos could run on a loop for the viewing. Or maybe a collection of framed pictures have been displayed so anyone could just sit and remember your loved one. Their physical absence should never suggest our memories have failed. By remembering, we grieve well.

Untraditional Events

Doing something new or different is another option for preparing for the holidays. Include family and friends to join you in going somewhere new, gather the family at a different location, volunteer at a local charity throughout the holiday season, attend a different church service, or select a new menu and try out new recipes. Covid might make this more difficult than at other times. However, doing new and different things allows space for our grief to take a little vacation, even if we find ourselves missing our loved one because we know they would have loved this new activity.

Please keep in mind that during your seasons of adjusting to life without your loved one, nothing is permanent. If what you planned didn’t work as you had hoped, you don’t need to do it again, or you can find ways to make it work better next year. The encouragement I want to leave you with is that you have control over how you wish to involve yourself with every holiday season in what ever grief phase you are in. You are free to mix it up, change, or add new dimensions to what creates a meaningful holiday for you, your family and friends. This is your defining moment.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has delivered the world into uncharted waters, and researchers, health-care workers and public health authorities are scrambling to keep up. “It’s a rapidly changing landscape,” says University of California, Irvine, psychologist Roxane Cohen Silver, PhD.

While the new pandemic is unique in many ways, there are lessons to be learned from a significant body of literature on the psychological and behavioral health responses and consequences of disaster events.

Those lessons include:

1. Social media may escalate anxiety more than traditional media
   Following the emergence of Zika virus in 2016, Man-pui Sally Chan, PhD, assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and colleagues investigated risk perception of the disease in the United States. They found that as people read more about the virus on social media, their perception of risk increased. When the volume of information about Zika increased on traditional media, on the other hand, people were more likely to engage in protective behaviors. The authors suggest that public health agencies might rely on social media to quickly raise awareness about new threats, but should work with traditional media to avoid confusion when sharing later developments and updates (Social Science & Medicine, Vol. 212, No. 1, 2018). In the current pandemic, however, the constant barrage of information on traditional media is distinct from the situation with Zika, says University of Oregon psychologist Paul Slovic, PhD. And that volume of news can be a problem.
2. Too much media of any kind can undermine mental health
   Amount of exposure matters too. In a forthcoming paper in Health Psychology, Silver and colleagues review research from past public health crises and describe how media attention can amplify distress. After the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013, for instance, she and her colleagues found a strong association between exposure to media coverage of the attack and symptoms of acute stress. People with the highest exposure to media coverage of the bombings had even more acute stress than people who were directly exposed to the bombings (PNAS, Vol. 111, No. 1, 2014). During the 2014 Ebola crisis in Africa, there was a flurry of media coverage in the U.S. Silver and colleagues found Ebola-related worry was associated with both a history of mental health diagnoses and with increased exposure to media reports about the virus. They also found people who had acute stress responses to the Boston Marathon bombings the year before were more worried about Ebola, despite the very low risk of transmission in the United States. (Thompson, R.R., et. al., Clinical Psychological Science, Vol. 5, No. 3, 2017). That suggests people who have experienced more distress during past disasters might be at increased risk of negative psychological outcomes during the current pandemic. “When risk information is communicated in a consistent and authoritative way, people learn and benefit from it. But stress and anxiety can be exacerbated by too much media,” Silver says. “Our message is to stay informed by authoritative sources, but to be mindful of the amount of time you’re immersed in the news.”
3. Trustworthy information sinks in
   Most people are pretty good at assessing risk when information is communicated accurately and effectively, as psychologist Baruch Fischhoff, PhD, at Carnegie Mellon University, and colleagues found in a survey of the U.S. public’s understanding of Ebola following the 2014 outbreak in West Africa. People also have clear preferences about how they like to receive information (Risk Analysis, Vol. 38, No. 1, 2018). “We found people can develop well informed risk perceptions—if they get good information from trustworthy sources. They very strongly endorsed the statement ‘Officials should provide Americans with honest, accurate information about the situation (even if that information worries people),’” Fischhoff says.
4. A lack of control fuels stress As psychological research has shown for decades, our sense of risk is driven by our emotions, says Slovic. “We judge risk by our feelings more than by looking at data and statistics and evidence.” While anger can lower one’s perception of risk, fear ratchets it up (Current Directions in Psychological Science, Vol. 15, No. 6, 2006). And Slovic’s research has found certain factors are likely to increase fear (and perceptions of peril): when a threat is new and unfamiliar, when people feel little sense of control over the threat, and when they experience a sense of dread — such as by being exposed to alarming stories about illness and death. In other words, the new coronavirus has all the major elements to make people’s alarm bells go off. That doesn’t mean they’re overreacting. “As we see in countries like Italy, this can become catastrophic extremely quickly, so we have to take it seriously,” Slovic says. “It’s uncertain how this is going to play out, and it is appropriate to be concerned.”
5. Managing stress ASAP can prevent long-term troubles
   A review by psychologist Dana Rose Garfin, PhD, at the University of California, Irvine, and colleagues found people who experienced acute stress in the weeks after a traumatic event were more likely to have negative long-term mental and physical health outcomes, including poor general health; increased pain, disability and mortality; increased depression, anxiety and psychiatric disorders; and more family conflict (Journal of Psychosomatic Research, Vol. 112, No. 1, 2018).
6. Don’t forget the needs of health-care workers
   The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 was associated with significant long-term stress in health-care workers, reported psychiatrist Robert Maunder, MD, at the University of Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital, and colleagues (Canadian Journal of Public Health, Vol. 99, No. 6, 2008). To improve resilience in health-care workers on the front lines of a disease outbreak, they recommended the stress appraisal and coping framework described by Susan Folkman, PhD, and Steven Greer, PhD, (Psychooncology, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2000) as well as principles of psychological first aid (Psychological First Aid Field Operations Guide: 2nd Edition, 2006).
7. Quarantines and isolation may increase the odds of negative outcomes
   Psychologist Samantha Brooks, PhD, at Kings College London, and colleagues published a rapid review of the research on the psychological impacts of quarantine, primarily in adults (The Lancet, published online, 2020). They found negative psychological effects including post-traumatic stress symptoms, confusion and anger. To minimize the psychological fallout, the authors recommend that officials should take steps to keep quarantines as short as possible, provide clear rationale and information about quarantine protocols, and make sure people in isolation have access to sufficient supplies. Research can also tell us something about how to support children and families when schools close or families are quarantined in their homes, as Guanghai Wang, PhD, a researcher at Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, and colleagues describe (The Lancet, published online, 2020). To reduce the risk of negative mental health outcomes for children during confinement, the authors recommend efforts such as close and open communication between children and parents, web-based educational videos to promote a healthy lifestyle at home, and online services by psychologists to help children cope with the tension and anxiety.

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1. Acknowledge your feelings. If you have lost someone or something, recognize that it’s normal to feel down. Give yourself permission to take time to cry and express how you feel. You can’t force yourself to be happy just because it’s the holiday season.
2. Reach out. If you feel lonely or isolated, seek out community, religious or other social events. They can offer support and companionship. Volunteering your time to help others also is a good way to lift your spirit and broaden your circle of friends.
3. Be realistic. The holidays don’t have to be like the TV commercial and the movies. In the same way people change and grow, traditions and rituals do too! Think of the people you’d like to be close to and choose to reach out to them. Be open to creating new contacts as well.
4. Set aside differences. Try to accept family members and friends as they are, even if they don’t live up to your expectations. This may be an opportunity to practice forgiveness and let go of the things that are toxic for you. Practice boundaries and set aside grievances until a more appropriate time for discussion. Be understanding of others feeling overwhelmed or defensive. Chances are they’re feeling the effects of holiday stress and depression, too.
5. Stick to a budget. Before you go gift and food shopping, decide how much money you can afford to spend. Then stick to your budget. Think of those gifts that are priceless that you can give without needing to spend. Here are some ideas:
   • Donate to a charity in someone’s name.
   • Give homemade gifts.
   • Start a family gift exchange.
6. Plan ahead. Set aside specific days for shopping, cooking, connecting with friends and other activities. Plan your activities and then make your shopping list. That’ll help prevent last-minute scrambling to buy forgotten items. And, make sure to ask for help as you prepare.
7. Learn to say no. Saying yes when you should say no can leave you feeling resentful and overwhelmed. Friends and colleagues will understand if you can’t participate in every project or activity. If it’s not possible to say no when your boss asks you to work overtime, try to remove something else from your agenda to make up for the lost time.
8. Practice self-care. Don’t let the holidays become a free-for-all. Overindulgence only adds to your stress and guilt. Try these suggestions:
   • Have a healthy snack before holiday parties so that you don’t go overboard on sweets cheese or drinks.
   • Get plenty of sleep.
   • Incorporate regular physical activity into each day.
9. Take a breather. Remember to give yourself a break. Invest just 15 minutes a day to take care of what is important for you. This will refresh you enough to handle everything you need to do. Find something that reduces stress by clearing your mind, slowing your breathing and restoring inner peace. Some ideas may include:
   • Taking a walk outdoors.
   • Listening to uplifting music.
   • Getting a massage.
   • Reading something that inspires you.
10. Seek professional help if you need it. Despite your best efforts, you may find yourself feeling persistently sad or anxious, plagued by physical complaints, unable to sleep, irritable and hopeless, and unable to face routine chores. If these feelings last for a while, talk to your doctor or a mental health professional.

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Your mental health is inseparable from your physical health. While this might be obvious to many, it is still an incredibly stigmatized topic of discussion. This is especially true for men, who are often ridiculed for daring to talk about mental struggles.

Men who are honest about mental issues they are facing are often considered weak or inferior and are ostracized for their behavior. It is common in our culture to say “Man Up,” “Get Over It,” or other dismissive comments when men share their feelings.

This is very unfortunate, as 10% of men suffer from depression daily. In other words, more than six million men are experiencing depression in any given day, and more over the period of their lifespan. Further, more than 3 million men struggle with anxiety daily. Anxiety is often dismissed as crankiness, and depression as being tired, antisocial, or otherwise. Men also suffer from schizophrenia at a much higher rate: 90% of people diagnosed as schizophrenic are men. Surprisingly, 10 million men in the U.S. suffer from an eating disorder in their lifetime. Men are also much more likely to develop alcohol or drug dependencies than women, and suicide is the second-most common cause of death for men between the ages of 10 and 39.

Mental problems are killing men. How can we stop this?

As a society, we must work together to overcome our tendency to tell men to ignore their feelings. It’s common, and it’s okay to experience sadness, anxiety, and any other emotional or mental trauma that can affect us all as humans. And it’s okay – and necessary – to talk about it and seek help.

No one should suffer in silence.

A few courageous men have opened up about their own suffering to help us all.

Famous singer Zayn Malik openly discussed his struggle with anxiety and his battle with an eating disorder.

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kevin Love wrote an op-ed entitled “Everyone Is Going Through Something,” detailing his panic attacks.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recently revealed his battle with depression after his mother attempted suicide when he was a teenager:

“[It] took me a long time to realize it but the key is to not be afraid to open up. Especially us dudes have a tendency to keep it in. You’re not alone.”

Together, we can work to fight this stigma and protect our men from the consequences of ignoring mental health.

For general information on mental health and to locate treatment services in your area, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Treatment Referral Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Originally adapted in part from Men’s Health: Not Talking About Mental Health is Literally Killing Men.

Evans, Sean. “Not Talking About Mental Health Is Literally Killing Men.” Men’s Health, 2 May 2018. https://www.menshealth.com/health/a20111514/men-mental-health-awareness-month/

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By Timothy R. Jennings

Have you ever struggled with loneliness? Have you ever been in a room full of people but felt isolated, disconnected, alone? Have you been tormented by an uneasiness within, a feeling that something isn’t right, a restless longing to fill some emptiness deep inside? And have you tried to fill this void, to find relief in television, video games, shopping, alcohol, drugs, sex, or allowing others to take advantage of you, just so they will like you—so you won’t be alone—yet the emptiness, loneliness, and uneasiness never go away?

If this describes your experience, don’t be discouraged. Don’t accept the feelings as facts. Don’t believe the lies that pound away inside your head. There is freedom, there is a healing solution. The truth will heal. The truth will set you free. And what is the truth?

YOU are loved! You are loved for who you are, because you are a child of God!

• It doesn’t matter whether you were abused, abandoned, or mistreated by people—God loves you and will heal your broken heart, if you let Him!
• It doesn’t matter whether you have made bad choices—God loves you and will teach you how to make healthier choices, if you let Him!
• It doesn’t matter whether you have been a prostitute—publicly thrown down on the street—Jesus said to just such a woman, “I don’t condemn you. I love you and want you to be whole. Go and live—live in harmony with how I have designed life to operate.”

Our worth, our value, is not determined by what we have done or what we will do, but by who we are. We are children of God, created by him to love and to be loved.

If you have struggled in your life to experience this love, if you have tried to read the Bible but found it hard to understand, filled with terms that seem legal or even harsh, then I invite you to explore God’s love in The Remedy New Testament an Expanded Paraphrase, which you can read for free here —or you can get The Remedy app for FREE in your mobile device’s app store (iOS) (Android) or as a printed softcover book on Amazon.

In The Remedy, you will discover God’s remedy for your soul—His infinite, constant, never-ending love. God’s love is real; it is powerful and life-changing, and God’s love is poured out for you! Drink it in!                                              

Timothy R. Jennings, MD is President and Founder of Come and Reason Ministries and author of The God-Shaped Heart: How Correctly Understanding God’s Love Transforms Us.

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In the following video, author Johann Hart challenges our common beliefs about addiction, concluding that we’ve got it all wrong.

Hart cites a fascinating study wherein researchers put two water bottles into rat’s cage: one with plain water and the other heroin-laced. The rats quickly drink much of the water and become addicted to the heroin. Subsequently, the researchers wonder if perhaps the stark and lonely cage itself contributes to the rats’ addictive tendencies. To test their hypothesis, they create a rat playground, complete with bits of cheese, colored balls, and lots of other rats to contrast with the stark cage. They place the same heroin-laced water next to plain water. This time around, the rats almost never drink the heroin water.

Or consider the following social experiment in Portugal: the only country that has made all drugs legal. They put all of the money that used to go to punishing addicts into building community in society and giving people meaningful work. The addiction rates plummeted by 50%.

One observer suggests that maybe we shouldn’t call this phenomenon addiction, but rather bonding. It just so happens that in the absence of healthy bonds, we bond with inanimate things that mimic the brain chemistry of relationships. Therefore the best preventative for addiction to drugs is “addiction” to healthy, loving relationships.

What if the opposite of addiction is not sobriety but connection?https://www.youtube.com/embed/PY9DcIMGxMs

To learn more about how Beautiful Minds Medical can help, or give us a call at (530) 889-8780

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The media depicts a very stark picture of mental health treatment, especially inpatient programs. Scenes involving mental health assessment and treatment in television shows, movies, and books often portray psychiatric institutions as brutal, prison-like, authoritarian places in which clients are treated inhumanely and have little to no freedom.

Almost a half-century after its release, the description of mental health treatment painted in One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest remains implanted in the minds of many Americans. Despite the many reforms that have occurred since this era, mental institutions are considered as bereft places of suffering that do more harm than good to clients. Modern-day television shows like Shameless and Orange is the New Black illustrate similarly dim and dreadful inpatient experiences which taint the opinions of mental health treatment for those who are in need are are an inaccurate description of the most current practices.

If you or a loved one is facing a mental health disorder and is in need of treatment, it is vital to realize how misleading and damaging this kind of imagery can be. By learning how mental health disorders are treated in person-centered, evidence-based settings, you can overcome the myths associated with the treatment experience and get the care you need.

Preparing Yourself to Consider Person-Centric Treatment

Today, the mental health community and its practitioners are moving towards person-centered, individualized care. This treatment model is meant to overcome past practices that made people suffering from mental illness fear losing a sense of agency, or being treated as if they cannot narrate or navigate their own lives. Now, clients are encouraged to take their lives into their own hands. Practitioners honor, listen to, and empower clients.

This person-centric care is a collaboration between the individual person and healthcare providers to determine and reach treatment goals. The individual is involved in setting the goals and configuring a path to healthy living.

Evidence-Based Therapy Combined with Person-Centric Treatment

Make sure your treatment center offers Evidence-Based Therapy in addition to person-centric programming. Evidence-Based Therapy has increased the quality of mental health treatment, as clients now only undergo treatments that have been proven to be effective in the past. This practice ensures that clients are receiving care that is time and cost effective.

Find Recovery by Overcoming Fear

Mental health treatment has improved tremendously in the last half a century. Psychiatric caretakers and doctors are compassionate and provide individualized attention to clients’ diverse needs. This person-centered and evidence-based approach is empowering to clients.

Furthermore, in the 21st century, it is possible to learn what a treatment facility or inpatient program is like before visiting. To determine if a facility or program is right for you, you can explore their website, read about the staff and offerings, and get an idea of what it is like to be a part of their community.

Ask yourself the following questions when deciding which is right for you:

• Do they offer individualized care in addition to group care?
• Is the facility comfortable and home-like?
• How large is the program? Will the environment be intimate and allow for a lot of personal attention?
• What is the curriculum like?

Once you’ve found a facility you think would be a good fit for you, you can reach out to the staff to ask questions and take a tour of the physical location. There, you can use the knowledge you’ve learned about the programming and an in-person experience to make an educated decision about your treatment.

Taking these steps will allow you to start the journey towards a positive treatment experience and a future full of joy and peace.

If you are interested in learning more about Beautiful Minds Medical’s intensive outpatient program, contact us today!

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When I came to the office it was like walking into a sanctuary. It was peaceful and serene. I knew I was where I needed to be. The addiction programs I attended before focused on what you’re not supposed to do. “Don’t drink.” “Don’t smoke.” “Stay away from your old playthings, playgrounds, and playmates.” This was good advice, but I needed more. In fact, I found that focusing too much on the drug problem and being surrounded by other people who weren’t strong in their recoveries actually made me more likely to relapse.

As I started the Intensive Outpatient Program at Beautiful Minds, the classes blew my mind. I learned a full range of tools to help heal my mind and body. These included nutrition, sleep, gratitude, and healthy thinking tools. I also learned the mental health benefits of doing kind things for other people.

I felt very safe at Beautiful Minds. Just going there every day was stabilizing. I love that the program covered everything about being human. Not just addiction, but everything that normal people need. They treated addiction like any other illness, and that’s the way it should be.

Last week, I celebrated 6 months of sobriety from drugs and alcohol. Next week, I’ll celebrate 3 months tobacco-free. For the first time in a long time, I’m looking for a job and making plans for the future. I couldn’t have made or maintained these choices without help.

I feel more grateful for things now. Before, my mind felt clouded and foggy, but now I can see things more clearly. I’m grateful for little things, like the air conditioning in the car or a green light. I’m grateful that my relationship with my mom has been repaired. She says she “has her daughter back.” I’m grateful because, for the first time in my life, I feel comfortable in my own skin.

*Name has been changed to protect confidentiality

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You can read the article here:

Beautiful Minds provides therapy, psychiatry, and wellness classes for those struggling with mental illness.

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After suffering from bipolar for 16 years, 51 year-old Brian was fed up. After six hospitalizations and multiple manic and hypomanic episodes, he was tired of struggling with the disease. “If I can just get these tremors to go away, it will help.” Brian thought.

But unfortunately, things got worse before they got better. Much worse. While titrating off of lithium, Brian went into one of the worst manic episodes of his life. He was hospitalized for two months. To make matters worse, Brian’s long-time psychiatrist closed his private practice and moved away.

After he was discharged from the hospital, Brian was referred to Dr. Daniel Binus, Auburn psychiatrist and medical director of Beautiful Minds Medical. “I barely remember my first appointment,” Brian recalls. “I was so out of it. My wife got me in the car and brought me in. I didn’t know it then, but that appointment saved my life.”

In the coming weeks and months, Brian experienced a psychiatric approach that was different than what he was used to. In addition to managing Brian’s medications, Dr. Binus also prescribed new lifestyle habits for him—habits like nutrition, exercise, and sleep. He also put Brian on several nutritional supplements, including Vitamin D and certain B vitamins.

This approach stabilized Brian’s mood and also greatly minimized the side effects he was experiencing from his medications. Even serious side effects were resolved, such as tardive dyskinesia, a condition which caused Brian to make spastic, involuntary movements. When Brian’s tongue started burning as another side effect, Dr. Binus worked with his pharmacist to come up with a special mouthwash concoction that cooled the burning and brought relief.

In addition to full blown manic episodes and hospitalizations, Brian had also become accustomed to hypomanic episodes about once every two months. These mood swings were hard on his life and his relationships, but he thought they were inevitable. Brian responded to these episodes the only way he knew how, by taking a medication that left him exhausted and incapacitated. Luckily for Brian, hypomania was soon to be a thing of the past.

With his mood stabilized and his side effects under control, Brian was able to start living again. He took up distance walking and lost 40 pounds. He was able to get quality sleep for the first time in many years. But Brian’s health isn’t the only thing that improved, his relationships did too. “It was so hard on my wife when I was in a manic or hypomanic episode,” Brian says. “I’m able to have a much more stable marriage now.”

“The long and the short of it is that I feel like Dr. Binus saved my life. I really do. I was not in a good place when I met him. And now I’ve been solid for three years. No mania. No hypomania. What he prescribes—the lifestyle, the medicine, all of it… it really works.”

Brian’s story highlights the encouraging reality that many people suffering from mental illness can experience dramatic improvements by following a comprehensive lifestyle approach while working closely with their healthcare providers.

“Before, bipolar was like this big monster that could creep up and take me down,” Brian reflects, “but now, I’m not freaked out about my disease. I feel very confident. Just feeling stable helps me experience life in a whole new way.”

*Name changed to protect confidentiality.

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