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INTELLIGENCER JOURNAL
(Lancaster, Pa.)
Cover, Business Monday
Bi-Polar Illness: The symptoms, the stigma,
the treatment, the hope (Part two in a series)
In last
week's Business Monday, we followed the story of
Donna Thomas, 51, of Conestoga, Pa. who has suffered from
bi-polar illness for her entire adult life. Thomas's
early experiences with this illness resulted in a number of
psychotic events and hospitalizations. Once she was
diagnosed and treated, however, and stayed on her medication, she
has enjoyed a whole, happy, and productive life.
She works
as a nurse as a local hospital and serves as an advocate for
bi-polar disorder, teaching others about mental illness
whenever she can.
Treatment
centers abound throughout Lancaster County and neighboring
communities. One location is the Penn State Milton S.
Hershey Medical Center, where Paul Brettschneider, M.D.,
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, treats individuals with
brain disorders.
Brettschneider serves as clinical director for the Medical
Center's Bi-polar Disorder Program, which he helped to
create over the past year.
"We set up
a day in our out-patient practice to focus on treating
patients with this disorder," Brettschneider said.
"We
provide a range of services, including individual and group
psychotherapy tailored especially for adults with this
illness.
"On the
educational side, this program provides a focused experience
for training our resident psychiatrists in working with this
patient population."
According
to Brettschneider, bi-polar disorder is a serious illness,
but the vast majority of patients do quite well with a
combination of medication and supportive therapy.
"It's like
treating any other significant illness," Brettschneider
said. "Diabetes is a good analogy. If people with diabetes
take their insulin, watch their diet, exercise, and see all
their different doctors, they can do quite well.
"Likewise,
if people with bi-polar illness get educated about their
illness, take their medicine, and see all their doctors,
they can do quite well too ... "
Symptoms
Treatment
Stigma
Hope
Resources
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