INTRODUCTION

We in the United States and other countries in the developed world are in the midst of a mental health crisis. The psychiatric treatment methods we have been using are not working, as is clear from the dire statistics on mental illness. Here are just a few:

• 1 in 4 Americans aged 18 and older (26.2 percent, 57.7 million people) suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder.¹
• 1 in 17 (about 6 percent) suffer from a serious mental illness (“serious” means the mental illness interferes with major life activities).²
• Mental disorders are the number one cause of disability in the United States and Canada for people in the 15 to 44 age group.³
• Nearly 45 percent of people with a mental disorder meet the criteria for two or more mental disorders.⁴
• Between 1996 and 2006, mental disorders ranked among the five most costly conditions in health care, along with heart disease, trauma-related disorders, cancer, and asthma. The largest increase in costs over these years was for mental disorders and trauma-related disorders; the expenditures for mental disorders increased from $35.2 billion to $57.5 billion. The biggest increase in the numbers of people accounting for expenditures was in mental disorders, and that number almost doubled, increasing from 19.3 million to 36.2 million people. Of these five costly conditions, mental disorders also had the highest out-of-pocket costs.⁵
• Admissions to public psychiatric hospitals in the United States rose by 21 percent from 2002 to 2005.⁶

A large reason why treatment of mental illness has a poor success record and is costing more all the time is that the overwhelming emphasis is placed on pharmaceutical drugs. Not everyone in the psychiatric field is happy with the ever-increasing governance of psychopharmacology (the science of drugs used to affect behavior and emotional states). Here is what one psychiatrist had to say about it. In December 1998, in a letter of resignation to the president of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), Loren R. Mosher, MD, former official of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), wrote:⁷

After nearly three decades as a member it is with a mixture of pleasure and disappointment that I submit this letter… The major reason for this action is my belief that I am actually resigning from the American Psychopharmacological Association….

At this point in history, in my view, psychiatry has been almost completely bought out by the drug companies….

We condone and promote the widespread overuse and misuse of toxic chemicals that we know have serious long term effects …

While psychiatric drugs (prescription drugs used for mental illnesses) may control certain disorders, and in some instances save lives, they do not cure the disorder, and they often compound the person's problems with disturbing side effects in the short term and the risk of permanent damage in the long term. If we are going to solve the current mental health crisis, we are going to have to turn to other approaches to treatment.

The state of affairs in psychiatric treatment is reflected in the focus of quite a few of the books on mental illness aimed at the general public. The help they offer involves information for the patient on coping with hospitalization; for family members on how to live with the illness in a loved one; and on how to work with side effects of psychopharmaceuticals (psychiatric drugs)—that is, what other drugs you can take to reduce those effects.

The focus of The Natural Medicine Guide to Bipolar Disorder is healing from bipolar disorder (formerly known as manic-depression and characterized by often disabling mood swings), not learning how to endure it. The book explores the contributing factors and triggers and offers a range of treatment approaches to address them and truly restore health. Only by treating underlying imbalances, rather than suppressing the symptoms as most drugs do, can lasting recovery be achieved. And only by considering the well-being of the mind and spirit as well as the body can comprehensive healing take place.

The therapies covered in this book approach the treatment of bipolar disorder in this way. They all also share the characteristic of tailoring treatment to the individual, which is another essential element for a successful outcome. No two people, even with the same diagnosis, have exactly the same imbalances causing their problems.

With the increase in the number of people who are using natural therapies, the public has become more aware of this medical approach. When many people think of natural medicine, however, they think of supplements or herbal remedies available over the counter. While these products can be highly beneficial, natural medicine is far more than that.

Natural therapies are those that operate according to holistic principles, treating the whole person rather than an isolated part or symptom and using natural treatments that “do no harm” and support or restore the body's natural ability to heal itself. Natural medicine involves a way of looking at healing that is dramatically different from the conventional medical model. It does not mimic that model by merely substituting a nutritional supplement for a psychiatric drug. Instead, it uses the comprehensive approach described above, which offers you the possibility of health.

Before I tell you a little about what's in the book, I have some comments about the terms “mental illness” and “mental disorders,” or “brain disorders” as they are more currently labeled. All of these terms reflect the disconnection between body and mind—much less spirit—in conventional medical treatment. The newer term, “brain disorders,” reflects the biochemical model of causality that currently dominates the medical profession.

I use the terms “mental illness” and “mental disorders” in this book because there is no easy substitute that reflects the true body-mind-spirit nature of these conditions. While I may use these terms, I in no way mean to suggest that the causes of the disorders lie solely in the mind. It is healthy mind, body, and spirit—wholeness—that is the focus of this book.

While I'm at it, I may as well dispense with one last linguistic issue. As natural medicine effects profound healing, rather than simply controlling symptoms, I prefer the term “natural medicine” over “alternative medicine.” This medical model is not “other”—it is a primary form of medicine. The term “holistic medicine” reflects this as well, in that it signals the natural medicine approach of treating the whole person, rather than the parts.

As I said, the focus of this book is on comprehensive treatments. While there are a number of natural self-help medicines that can be useful in alleviating mild or moderate depression or anxiety associated with bipolar disorder, they do not address the underlying causes; for that reason, I don't cover them in this book, which is dedicated to the deeper treatments. In addition, bipolar states are often on the severe end of the mood spectrum and require care beyond self-help. (For self-help treatments for depression and anxiety, see my book Natural Medicine First Aid Remedies.)

Part I of this book covers the basics of bipolar disorder: what it is, who gets it, and what causes it. The natural medicine view is that it is a multicausal disorder, with a variety of contributing factors.

Part II covers a range of natural medicine treatments for bipolar disorder. The material presented here is based on research and interviews with physicians and other healing professionals who are leaders and pioneers in their respective fields. This is original information, not derivative material gleaned from secondary sources. The therapeutic techniques of these highly skilled and experienced healers are explained in detail and illustrated with case studies (the names of patients throughout the book have been changed). Contact information for the practitioners whose work is presented can be found in the appendix.

May the information in this book help you recover from bipolar disorder and find your way to greater mood stability.