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South Africa's ex-President Sums Up the Country
I have mixed opinions about South Africa's ex-President, F.W. de Klerk, but this is a fine speech that makes interesting reading for anyone wishing to understand our country simply and quickly.
I've listed some points below but you can find the full article HERE.
Our weaknesses are the subject of nightly dinner party discussions:
* We have made virtually no progress with the elimination of inequality since 1994.
* Linked to inequality is poverty. 42% of our population lives on less than two dollars a day. Almost 15 million South Africans subsist on child, old-age and disability allowances.
* One of the root causes of poverty is unemployment. Between 35% and 40% of black South Africans are unemployed or have given up their search for employment. One of the main causes of unemployment is our dysfunctional labour system. According to the World Economic Forum's latest Global Competitiveness Report we are in the bottom eight countries in terms of labour-employer relations; flexibility of wage determination and hiring and firing practices.
* Poverty, inequality and unemployment create an environment in which violent crime can flourish. South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world – and the highest rape rate. The World Economic Forum gives us very poor marks for the reliability of police services, for the prevalence of organised crime and the business cost of crime.
* The failure of our education system is inexorably intertwined with inequality, poverty, unemployment and crime. Only 22% of children who entered the school system in 1995 passed matric in 2007 and only 5.2% did so with university exemption. Only 1.5% passed maths at the higher grade. According to the Global Competitiveness report our education system is the ninth worst in the world.
* A major contributor to all these weaknesses is the incapacity of many government departments and institutions, particularly at the provincial and municipal levels. This weakness is a major constraint in the Government's ability to tackle new challenges and implement new programmes – such as the proposed National Health Insurance scheme 4.
Under strengths we can list the following:
* We have the 24th largest economy in the world. We produce 35% of the GDP of sub-Saharan Africa with only 6.5% of its population.
* Our public debt is less than 36% of GDP – and external debt is only 16% of GDP.
* Our natural resources are legendary – including gold and diamonds, platinum group metals and abundant and inexpensive coal.
* Nevertheless, tourism now contributes 8.3% of GDP – considerably more than mining. We have superb game parks, mountains and beach resorts. Cape Town is one of the world's premier destinations with great facilities including three of the world's top 100 restaurants.
* Automobile production now contributes almost as much to GDP as mining. In 2008 we produced 600 000 vehicles of which 170 000 were exported.
* According to the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report our auditing and reporting standards and regulation of securities exchanges are the best in the world. We are also in the top3seven with regard to the soundness of our banks, financial services and the efficacy of corporate boards. The Report also gives us high marks for the quality of our management schools, our anti-monopoly policy and local supplier quality.
* We are a constitutional democracy with an effective Bill of Rights; independent courts and a media that is still free – despite current threats.


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Post # 1
- Earlybride
- 6 years ago
- Wedding: October 2012
My husband and I are going to a wedding this Saturday. Would like to curl my hair for the occasion. What heated rollers do u use?
Plus do you put any hair products in your hair before u put the rollers in? If yes, what is it please?
Thanks for the help. 🙂

subset: commoncrawl


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Apologia: Exploring Creation with Botany Junior Notebooking Journal
$ 27.00
Paperback; ISBN: 9781935495635
Love the regular Apologia notebooking journals, but find the writing a bit too advanced for your student?
Apologia's Botany Junior Notebooking Journal provides grade-appropriate activities specifically geared towards younger students who aren't as advanced in their writing abilities. Almost the same length as the regular journal, the notebooking pages are designed to suit students struggling with their handwriting and writing skills; dashed writing lines, cut-and-paste, coloring pages, and fewer writing activities make the junior notebooking journal perfect for struggling older students or for younger students in grades K-3.
Coloring pages, scripture copywork, "dig in deeper" ideas, diagrams to label, word bank/fill-in-the-blank, book suggestions, and other fun lapbooking pages are included, as well as full-color minibooks. While some activities are designed for those who can go out and experience nature outdoors, alternate activities for those in colder climates are also included.
A fantastic way to accompany the sold-separately Exploring Creation with Botany. 221 non-reproducible pages plus 57-page full-color section.


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Experience the tranquillity of Exmoor, the spectacular South West Coast and the warm hospitality of Croft House
Welcome to Croft House Bed and Breakfast in Exmoor's spectacular small coastal town of Lynton. A charming Lynton & Lynmouth Guest House always noted for its great hospitality and unique character, offering a superb Lynton bed and breakfast experience.
Enjoy a warm welcome, a charming house built in 1828, character en-suite rooms, hearty breakfasts topped with a smile and a wealth of local information for a memorable stay.
Croft House is one of only a few of Lynton's Guest House's located in the quiet old village. Discover Exmoor National Park's unique landscapes and wildlife, walk the South West Coast Path, stroll to the Valley of Rocks, ride on the famous cliff railway and indulge yourself in rural restaurants, pubs and shops all minutes away.
Take a moment to view our web-site with details of our unique Lynton Guest Accommodation and information on the wealth of attractions, activities and events to choose from during your holiday in Exmoor and North Devon.


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Saturday, January 31, 2009
Have Our Treatments and Therapies Failed Us?
"What best describes your condition in the past 30 days?" I asked my visitors, here at "Knowledge is Necessity." Nearly 200 people replied over late Dec and Jan. The results were not exactly encouraging:
Nearly one in four (24 percent) replied they were in crisis or close to crisis. Four in ten (42 percent) reported that they were stable but not well. Thus, a full six in ten of those who responded to my poll indicated that they are in pretty bad shape.
Contrast these results to the mere 14 percent who were evenly divided in being back where they wanted to be or better than they ever could have imagined.
In the middle, one in five (18 percent) reported they were on the way to recovery. Hopeful or false hope? Who knows? Perhaps we can split the difference.
No matter which way you parse the totals, the results are not encouraging. Granted, the poll is unscientific. Granted, the results could be totally skewed. But even accounting for all the distortions in the world we have clear evidence that our treatments are failing us, our therapies are failing us, and - let's apportion blame responsibly, here - we are failing us.
One advantage of this simple poll over far more sophisticated surveys is that those who responded were the judges of their condition. Patients, themselves, defined success or failure by their own criteria. In clinical trials and other studies, doctors typically fill out a symptom checklist (with patient input) and interpret the results. Having few illness symptoms typically means you are well, even though you may not feel well.
The world we live in is far different. For a lot of us, we have other things to deal with besides just our illness symptoms. On the flip side, a lot of us have learned to lead very enviable lives, despite a huge panoply of symptoms.
"Well" is how we define well, not how others define it for us. Even accounting for the fact that people who go online to find out more about their illness may be worse off than those who don't, we are dealing with an astronomical 86 percent who reported feeling well short of well.
Something is clearly wrong.
Posted by John McManamy at 7:44 AM 4 comments Links to this post
Labels: John McManamy, mental illness, poll, well
Friday, January 30, 2009
Illness or Personality?
I answer questions as an "Expert Patient" at BipolarConnect. Two days ago, Dark Angel asked, "Why does bipolar seem like your personality?"
The question goes right to the heart of how we see ourselves, and is central to every issue we discuss here at "Knowledge is Necessity."
"Welcome to a lifelong quest for self-knowledge," I began. Okay, let's see if we can figure this out:
The experts distinguish between "state" and "trait." A state equates to an illness episode whereas a trait is part of your personality. Let's use hypomania as an example:
People tend to pair "exuberant" with "personality." Exuberant is seen as beneficial, and, most important, people see YOU as in control.
In hypomania, for the purposes of this conversation, we are talking about over-exuberance. Not only that, hypomania is often a sign that we are really about to lose control of our brain, or that we have already lost it.
I would contend that for many of us hypomania is a normal part of our personality, only in this case we're mixing bad with good. For some, it may be a rational choice to accept the bad with the good. Others understandably want no part of hypomania.
The DSM sheds some interesting light on the topic. According to the DSM, we are in hypomania when we experience "unequivocal change in functioning that is uncharacteristic ... "
In other words, we are talking about a "state" that is not a true part of our personality.
I would argue that for many of us this is not necessarily the case. Nevertheless, the DSM is making a valid point. Keep cranking up the volume, and, at a certain point, we are definitely not ourselves. We are not in control of our brains.
Think of two individuals who are "up." They are thinking alike, they are acting alike. But one is behaving rationally and in character while the other is not. Same behavior, yet a profound difference. One may be on his game, the other may need meds. On and on it goes.
Hypomania is just one example. We need to apply this ruthless self-examination to all our behaviors, as well. This includes our depressions and anxieties, as well as a range of personality quirks.
For many people, our illness is fully integrated into our personality. Others rightfully view their illness as an interloper. Well-meaning experts, including friends and family, are not hesitant to proffer advice, but, in the end, you are the only expert in knowing where you stand. But this kind of wisdom only results from responsible self-enquiry. Welcome to "Knowledge is Necessity."
Posted by John McManamy at 10:52 AM 2 comments Links to this post
Labels: bipolar, John McManamy, mental illness, personality
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Are Bipolars Smarter than Everyone Else?
A study published in January's American Journal of Psychiatry found a strong correlation between people with lower childhood IQ scores and an adult diagnosis of mental illness.
The study was performed on the "Dunedin Cohort," a thousand-strong group of New Zealanders who have been tracked since their births in 1972-73. It was from this population that we got the first strong evidence involving the link between genetic vulnerability to stress and depression, which has led to a lot of re-thinking into cause and effect across the whole panoply of mental illness.
The current study involved a lot of the same researchers as the stress-depression study. The cohort was administered IQ tests at ages 7,9, and 11. Psychiatric evaluations were made at ages 18, 21, 26, and 32. The researchers found that "lower childhood IQ was associated with increased risk of developing schizophrenia spectrum disorder, adult depression, and adult anxiety."
Intriguingly, "higher childhood IQ predicted increased risk of adult mania." The authors of the study do caution, however, that this particular finding may represent a statistical anomaly.
Back in the 70's, Nancy Andreasen MD, PhD of the University of Iowa spotted a measurable bipolar-creativity link, and Kay Jamison's "Touched with Fire" of 1996 put the issue out in front of the public. But she also noted that:
"Thinking can range from florid psychosis, or madness, to patterns of unusually clear, fast, and creative associations, to retardation so profound that no meaningful activity can occur."
Indeed, the psychiatric literature is full of studies pointing to serious cognitive flaws in bipolar patients. In a study published in 2004, for instance, Deborah Yurgelun-Todd PhD of Harvard and her colleagues scanned the brains of 11 stable bipolar patients while performing a mental processing task, and found significant delays in their ability to respond with correct answers compared to 10 healthy controls.
The study also found decreased activation of the brain region responsible for processing the task compared to the controls.
That same year, at the APA annual meeting, I heard Dr Yurgelun-Todd propose that cognitive deficits should be regarded as a core feature of bipolar disorder.
In the current study, the authors point out that "lower childhood IQ may be a marker of neuroanatomical deficits that increase vulnerability to certain mental disorders." They also note the debilitating effects of stress and trauma.
What to make of all this? Some days our brains are running on rocket fuel; other days, molasses. Neither state is solely good or bad. Our best work often occurs at either pole. So do our worst moments.
Technically speaking, if our brains were manufactured goods, there would have been a product recall ages ago. But, here's the rub: Knowing that's the case, are you ready to turn yours in?
Further reading from mcmanweb: The Thought Spectrum
These days, my internal operating system is far and away the worst aspect of my illness I have to contend with. Moods, shmoods – I actually follow some of the advice in my book, "Living Well with Depression and Bipolar Disorder." But when my brain unexpectedly cuts out on me, what am I to do? These are no mere senior moments. The software simply isn't loading right. When it happens, I know it and the people around me know it. This has been going on for as long as I can remember.
If you don't think this is any big deal, then ask yourself: Knowing what you now know about me, how safe would you feel with me as an air traffic controller?
Posted by John McManamy at 1:28 PM 10 comments Links to this post
Labels: bipolar, creativity, intelligence, John McManamy
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Happy Birthday, Jackson Pollock
Today, Google reminded me it's Jackson Pollock's birthday.
"Fuck Picasso!" Eddie Harris as Pollock shouts in a alcoholic stupor one minute into the film, "Pollock."
Seems Pollock had an attitude.
Pollock was the great abstract expressionist artist, part of the vibrant post-war New York bohemian scene that totally changed how we view the world and relate to it. His breakthrough moment in the movie shows Pollock laboring in the barn that is his studio in the Hamptons (back when Long Island's Hamptons was a cheap place to live). His wife Lee Krasner (played by Marcia Gay Harden) looks approvingly at her husband's canvas - lustrous Zen drips - and remarks:
"You've cracked it wide open."
Don't ask me why, but I instantly connected to those drips. Even as a kid, those drips spoke to me.
A couple of years ago, I experienced the joy of touring New York's MOMA with my grown daughter from New Zealand. We stood in front of a Pollock. I watched her face, resisting, quizzical. Suddenly her expression changed, she lit up. She "got it."
Pollock was a notorious alcoholic, and a strong case can be made that he was self-medicating his undiagnosed bipolar. He would have been 97 today. Instead, one summer night in 1956, in a drunken stupor, he drove his car off the road killing himself and a woman passenger. He hadn't done a painting in two years.
Further reading from mcmanweb:
"The paintings are like a reverse Rorschach test, where nothing bears the faintest semblance to anything we can see, yet each drip, each splatter, individually or as a grouping or as a whole, seems to act as the perfect register to how we think and feel."
Posted by John McManamy at 8:54 AM 5 comments Links to this post
Labels: bipolar, Jackson Pollock, John McManamy
Monday, January 26, 2009
Another Trick Question
You are depressed. The DSM checklist reveals you have nine depression symptoms out of nine. Question: Is your condition diagnosable as a depressive episode?
Not necessarily. "Checklist psychiatry" tends to influence how we view ourselves, but beneath the symptom menu to every Axis I DSM entry we find other qualifying criteria, such as a time period (two weeks for a major depressive episode). Also, before a diagnosis can be made, other possible causes (such as bereavement or a general medical condition) need to be ruled out.
The most intriguing qualifier, though, concerns functionality. With regard to depression, the episode must be severe enough to cause "significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning."
Virtually identical wording appears across the Axis I panoply of episodes and disorders, including mania, anxiety, and schizophrenia. The prominent exception is hypomania.
So, in theory, it is possible to walk into a psychiatrist's office looking like a DSM basket case and yet obtain a clean bill of health. In practice, this is unlikely to happen. But suppose, just suppose, that we could have depression and not be depressed, that we could have a panic attack and not panic. And so on and so on.
Wait! I know what you are about to say. But before you call me crazy, I ask you to indulge me for a moment or two. Just suppose ...
Posted by John McManamy at 11:44 PM 5 comments Links to this post
Labels: depression, diagnosis, DSM, John McManamy
Is Bipolar Cool?
Something major has happened in the ten years since I've been diagnosed with bipolar. Back then, it was an illness you concealed. It was a shame you hid. Friends, family, and colleagues had a way of only seeing the diagnosis, and what they chose to see was not good.
To disclose your diagnosis was to risk everything: friends, relationships, livelihood.
Then something started to change. Over time, bipolar morphed into something that could be "cool" to have. Mind you, those struggling mightily with their illness saw nothing cool about it. Neither did their suffering families. But the flip side was the stigma was diminishing, and this had to be good news.
Part of the trend had to do with the recent recognition of bipolar II and various forms of "soft" bipolar. In other words, bipolar wasn't an all-or-nothing disease. You could be a "little bit" bipolar. And a little bit was cool. Even the way-out-there bipolars could make a claim to cool.
Van Gogh, Hemingway, Woolf - how cool was that? Okay, they all killed themselves. But maybe if they were alive today - the thinking goes - that wouldn't have happened.
Over the years, I have urged individuals to embrace their entire illness - the good as well as the bad. If we simply viewed ourselves as patients who suffered, I kept saying, we would always wind up stuck well short of recovery.
Last night, I went to Facebook and searched under "bipolar." If the word appeared anywhere on a profile page that a member created, Facebook would find it for me.
My results revealed "more than 500" finds. I suspect many thousands. There were a great many examples to choose from, but let's go with three:
First, there were those whose lives seemed part of a weird Andy Warhol movie. These weren't exactly people you would be seeking out as Facebook friends. Then again, their bipolar credentials carried an air of exclusivity, as if to challenge the world. In the past, these people would have been shamed for failing to meet the standards of society. Now, there was an air of pride and defiance. They weren't about to please you. You had to please them. Too bad if you weren't good enough.
Then there were young hotties who advertised themselves as a bit on the wild side. Most of them, I suspect, had never seen a psychiatrist. But they proudly proclaimed themselves as "semi-bipolar" or "must be bipolar." Forget for the time being the dangers of romanticizing one of the worst illnesses on the planet. Instead, focus on the fact that these young women - part of a new generation - view bipolar as something positive, as a credential they can use (and misuse) to make new friends.
Finally, there were those I like to call bipolar role models. The image that stuck with me is that of a very attractive woman in her thirties or forties. She is in a smart pants suit, in stylish heels, posing in front of her Cadillac Escalade. I'm bipolar, is the underlying message, and not only am I making it in your world, I'm really kicking ass.
These are just some of the new faces of bipolar. They are a reflection of a changing world, a world that they (we) are changing. It is the face of a new bipolar cool.
A new generation - the Facebook Generation - is out there, in your face. They are not hiding in the closet. For good or bad, they are wearing their bipolar as if it were something to be embraced and envied rather than an entity to be feared and despised.
The rest of society is likely to embrace this change, as well, but possibly at the expense of being indifferent to our pain.
In the meantime, we are looking at tons of upside. Here's hoping ...
Posted by John McManamy at 11:58 AM 11 comments Links to this post
Labels: bipolar, facebook, John McManamy, stigma
Saturday, January 24, 2009
The Bipolar Time Warp
This is the most popular video from my YouTube Collection. The reason may have to do more with Rocky Horror fans searching "Time Warp" than the video's intrinsic worth. But viewer feedback to both the video and the mcmanweb article on which the video was based indicates I that I may have struck a chord.
I wrote the article sometime in 2000. I shot my video in early summer last year. It was my first venture into "acting," rather than simply narrating. It was also the first video where I started using studio lights - actually cheap work lights I picked up at the hardware store. For some reason, I thought lighting only applied to Hollywood. Then my orange face from my previous video forced me to rethink that notion.
Enjoy ...
From my mcmanweb article:
Bipolar is the equivalent of being stuck in bumper to bumper traffic in a race car. The world is simply too slow and people too dull-witted to accommodate you. The initial advantage over one's fellow man inevitably gives way to frustration and occasional rage. Sure, at first you experience the exuberation of weaving in and out of traffic as you leave the world behind in your rearview mirror, but now there are more cars, all closer together, backed up for miles on end. Your engine is revving hard, but you find yourself banging your head against the dash in utter despair because you are desperate to pop the clutch and floor it, but all you can do is hopelessly idle and suck other people's fumes.
Posted by John McManamy at 11:51 PM 2 comments Links to this post
Labels: bipolar, bipolar time warp, John McManamy
Ooh-Boy Ruminations
Francesco writes: "My thinking had and continues to be shaped a great deal, by the writings of Thomas Szasz."
Francesco's comments to a recent blog post here were very thoughtful and much appreciated, and I hope he continues to post. As for the S-name, one look at the photo above and you see why every neuron in my limbic system lit up like a Christmas tree.
Thomas Szasz is a giant in the mental health movement, a deep thinker, and an uncompromising champion of our cause. The catch is that these days I hear his name invoked in the context of various nihilist anti-science, anti-intellectual agendas.
Believe me, I hate these people.
Dr Szasz was a catalyst for the reforms of the 60s and 70s that put an end to institutions and their concomitant abuses, and for this alone he deserves our undying gratitude. Dr Szasz also recognizes that psychiatric imprisonment isn't just about walls and restraints. It can be a subtle state of coercion that gets us buying into the idea that unapproved behavior needs to be medicated out of us.
It's a complex argument, but trust me, Dr Szasz has a point. Too often, we simply assign values to symptoms with no thought to context. Yes, depression is a bitch, but it can also be a time of healing, of recouping and regrouping. I know - I have experienced this.
But Dr Szasz and his followers would have us believe that we actually choose to have depression - or psychosis or a panic attack. It's as if the brain were nothing more than undifferentiated tofu. It's one thing to take psychiatry to task for imposing a particular set of values on us. It's another to deny, as Dr Szasz does, that there is no biological component to our behavior.
Dr Szasz's influence has fallen by the wayside in the face of scientific discovery. But psychiatry may suffer a similar fate. Psychiatry shows every sign of embracing science, but to what end? As long as they fail to address the basic question - What is good? What is bad? - then Dr Szasz will remain relevant.
Perhaps science can offer an insight. In behavioral genetics, there is neither a good gene nor a bad gene. Depending on context, the same gene variation may be an asset or a liability. Can the same be said of symptoms? For instance, hypomanic behavior may yield bad results. But what if we learned to control the hypomania?
These are issues that go to the core of our beings, to what we experience, to what we want out of life. This is a conversation we need to have, that we need to own. Antipsychiatry would love to crash this party. So would psychiatry.
From mcmanweb:
The Two Toms
My totally surreal encounter with the Bizarro World parallel psychiatric universe of Tom Cruise and Thomas Szasz and how it didn't change my life.
Posted by John McManamy at 4:21 PM 7 comments Links to this post
Labels: John McManamy, Thomas Szasz
Friday, January 23, 2009
Name One Good Thing About Depression. Okay ...
My friend Tom Wootton has published a book called The Depression Advantage.
Whoa! I hear you saying. What can possibly be advantageous about depression?
Mania? The creativity, the productivity, the good times. You can make a pretty good case for some kind of mania advantage. Indeed, Mr Wootton's earlier book is called "The Bipolar Advantage."
But depression?
In my own case, depression has left me for dead more times than I can count. "Finish the job, yourself," Fred (my name for my depression) keeps mocking me. Fred has left me alone, washed up on a strange shore, lost, disoriented, isolated. He has stolen time from me, years of it, lost years, years I will never get back.
As for the years I have remaining, Fred says nothing, just gives me that look.
So, again, what can possibly be advantageous about depression?
Believe it or not, I have two concrete case studies from my own life. Case study number one:
My first marriage broke up in the 1980s. Because of a precious young daughter, the break-up was especially rough on all of us. This occurred several months into a new job. I was one year out of law school. It was my first management position. It involved a discipline (journalism) I had no training for, working in a field (finance) I had no inkling of.
In short, I was an impostor. I had no hope of keeping the charade going. Any second, I was going to call attention to my total incompetence and lack of experience. Any second, someone was going to lower the boom. Since the economy was in a severe recession, losing my job would amount to the equivalent of being pushed from a plane without a parachute.
The stress was getting to me. My behavior was bordering on unpredictable.
Then came my marriage break-up. Once I got over the initial shock, a numbing thudding depression settled in. Oddly enough, a protective depression. In my slowed-down state of mind, the rest of the world no longer seemed so threatening. Likewise, my equally slowed-down behavior brought me into sync with the people around me, allowed me to fit in, settle down, buy precious time.
Make no mistake. I was alone, unhappy, miserable. But my depression acted as vital mental ballast that steadied me, allowed me to keep my cool, to buckle down and learn on the job. I made it through my first year, then my second. After three years - with my reputation firmly established - I was able to move on to greener pastures.
Don't get me wrong. I hate depression. I wish I never had it. I wish no one ever had to experience it. Ever. But if you were to challenge me to name one good thing about depression, well, I just did.
Lots more on this in future blogs ...
Posted by John McManamy at 10:36 AM 13 comments Links to this post
Labels: depression, depression advantage, John McManamy, tom wootton
Thursday, January 22, 2009
My Loved One Doesn't Understand. Really?
"My husband gets angry," Abigail writes on BipolarConnect. "It makes no sense when I'm in crisis ... I can't help it when I'm crashing or in a panic. He cannot understand ..."
A loved one who doesn't get it - a good many of us have been there. Back in the old days, my response would have been along the lines of a suggested reading list for her husband. Then, perhaps, a dialogue could start.
But my thinking has come a long way since then. I am a patient, but I have also experienced first-hand the frustration of a loved one.
First I acknowledged Abigail's concerns, but then I suggested it would be more constructive to view matters from her husband's perspective:
"When YOU act up or act out," I wrote, "HE is the one who suffers." Even the most compassionate person in the world can only put up with this for so long.
Loved one's hate the "can't" word, I continued. "You may think you are asking for sympathy and understanding. A loved one interprets this as a complete lack of sympathy and understanding from you."
They need to be hearing that you are taking responsibility, even if you are having difficulty managing. Something along the lines of: "I really appreciate this makes life hard on you. It's not easy for me to control my behavior at times, but I'm working on it, and I could really use your help on this."
Now, instead of an adversary, you may have an ally. You've owned up to the problem. You've accepted responsibility. You've acknowledged your loved one's feelings. You've given him a reason to hope.
Believe me, this is music to a loved one's ears.
"If your husband is to understand you," I wrote, "first you need him on your side. You need his good will and support. For that to happen, you need to be the initiator, you need to set the good example. If he's smart, he will start to respond positively."
Coupled with this is the reality that loved ones need to see tangible signs of change. Talking a good game is not enough. If your loved one strongly hints at something, then you need to be acting on it. If this means putting the top back on the toothpaste, then put the top on the toothpaste.
You can also score brownie points by taking your own small initiatives, say by getting out of bed in the morning 10 minutes earlier.
Naturally none of this is easy when you are the one who is ill, but the stakes are enormous. There are no guarantees, but we are talking the difference between a sympathetic loved one who represents by far the best thing going for you and a stranger in your home and in your bed. Believe me, from one who has lived both sides of this equation, the effort is worth it.
As I concluded to Abigail: "Your old approach hasn't worked. Time to try something new."
I answer questions as an "expert patient" on BipolarConnect, part of HealthCentral. By far, the vast bulk of the questions involve living in personal relationships. Much more on the topic in blogs to come.
Also, please share your own wisdom and insight by clicking the "Comment" link.
Posted by John McManamy at 11:59 AM 7 comments Links to this post
Labels: bipolar, John McManamy, relationships
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Post Inaugural Reflections - Beyond Reason?
There were a zillion memorable images from yesterday's Day of National Jubilation, but the one that struck me most was that of a US Marine helicopter diminishing to a speck on the horizon.
The passengers on that flight were the former President and former First Lady.
Former President! It was over. The national nightmare had ended.
So can we now expect an era of rational government?
Not so fast. Two days ago, NY Times op-ed columnist David Brooks mentioned a book that came out in 1962, entitled, "The End of Ideology." The book reflected the thinking of the day, namely that the intense ideological-political schisms of the past were over. Now the country could settle down to rational governance and pragmatic decision-making.
The major flaw in the book, of course, was that this happened to be the Sixties. The Sixties! The Industrial Age and all its assumptions was numbered. The Information Age with all its uncertainties was crashing the party. Civil rights, Vietnam, women's rights. As David Brooks describes it:
"People lost faith in old social norms, but new ones had not yet emerged. The result was disorder. Divorce rates skyrocketed. Crime rates exploded. Faith in institutions collapsed. Social trust cratered."
The collapse of the old order intensified ideological conflict, as conservatives and liberals battled over whose values - social, moral, cultural, political - would prevail. For four decades, there was literally no let-up. Politics turned personal, nasty, ugly - crazy.
But nothing is permanent. Even before people had heard of Obama, a book by Rick Warren, "The Purpose Driven Life," implied that opposites were reconciling into a sort of probational equilibrium.
Obama's ascension to high office, Brooks argues, may be a reflection of this new order. Problems that were impossible to fix when people were at each other's throats - problems such as health care - may be doable now.
But here's the catch. Whether we are talking economics, politics, or personal relationships, the choices we make are never purely rational. We are in the thick of the worst economic-financial collapse since the Great Depression. Two things can happen:
The crisis may actually wake us up, concentrate our collective minds in such a way that, as a society, we actually start thinking rationally. Think of the limbic system on high alert, marshaling our frontal lobes into a state of preternatural clarity and awareness.
Or the crisis may stress us out in ways that throws reason out the window. This time think of the limbic system inciting our frontal lobes into a state of panic. We either blindly lash out or freeze like a deer caught in the headlights.
FDR's first one hundred days in office is the classic example of a rational response to crisis. Together, the country united to save Western Civilization.
By then, Europe was in the clutches of an irrational response. Fascist/Nazi governments were entrenched in some countries, Communists in others. The rest were flailing in pathetic states of conflicted indecision. Civilization didn't stand a chance.
Seeing that speck of a helicopter disappear into the miasma of a DC afternoon filled me with great - and admittedly irrational - joy. But that joy is tempered by my knowledge that our brains are not wired to think rationally. We are betting the success of the new Administration and the future of this country - our entire civilization, for that matter - on the totally opposite assumption.
Posted by John McManamy at 10:15 AM 2 comments Links to this post
Labels: brain, Bush, David Brooks, John McManamy, Obama, reason
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Bipolar Singing Blogger Smackdown, Part 2!
No question about it. My fellow bipolar blogger Therese Borchard of Beyond Blue came out swinging in Round One. In this - Round Two - she clearly decided to put me away. Call her butter 'cuz she's on a roll, this bipolar babe, she definitely smokin'!
But wait ... Little did she know - this manic mcman, he know how to turn smoke into B-B-Q!
Hope you got your rope-a-dope down for Round Three, Therese!
Soon coming to Pay Per View ...
Posted by John McManamy at 3:41 PM 3 comments Links to this post
Labels: John McManamy, singing bipolars, smackdown, Therese Borchard
Noon, Jan 20, 2009
Posted by John McManamy at 8:50 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Monday, January 19, 2009
Inauguration Day Reflections
I will keep this brief:
On the first Tuesday of Nov 2004, I went to my evening support group thinking I had fired the President. I returned to find this wasn't the case. Instantly, I spun into a depression. I couldn't focus on my usual work, so to keep busy I pulled out a book manuscript I had been working on. Two and a bit months later - this time four years ago - I had a draft I could show to people. In Oct 2006, HarperCollins published "Living Well with Depression and Bipolar Disorder."
I like to joke to people that I owe the book to George Bush.
Last November, I hired a new President. Let's just say I'm not working on another book.
Posted by John McManamy at 11:58 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: depression, John McManamy, Obama
We All Have a Dream
I have a dream ...
So does fellow mental health blogger Therese Borchard. Last year, on Martin Luther King day, she served notice that:
"I have a dream that one day I won't hold my breath every time I tell a person that I suffer from bipolar disorder, that I won't feel shameful in confessing my mental illness."
You might say we missed the civil rights bus. Ignorance, fear, stigma, discrimination - it's still out there. And every year, our society harvests a strange fruit:
"I have a dream that suicide won't take more lives than traffic accidents, lung disease, or AIDS, that together we can do better to reduce the 30,000 suicides that happen annually in the United States, and that communities will lovingly embrace those friends and families of persons who ran out of hope, instead of simply ignoring the tragedy or attaching fault where none should be."
A lynch mob of indifference. A broken healthcare system, pathetically little devoted to research, a society that turns its head the other way. We're on our own, facing the new day with unreliable brains, living in dread of the failed boot-up:
"Mostly, I dream about a day when I can wake up and think about coffee first thing in the morning, rather than my mood - is it a serene one, a panicked one, or somewhere in between? - and fretting about whether or not I'm heading toward the black hole of despair. I dream that I'll never ever have to go back to that harrowing and lonely place of a year ago. That no one else should have to either. But if they do (or if I do), that they not give up hope. Because eventually their tomorrow will be better than their today. And they will be able to dream again too."
A dream that we can dream. Against all odds, we are still standing. You, me, Therese. Think of your worst moments. Those dark days, when a dream that you could dream was all that kept you going.
A dream that we can dream. Our population, more than anyone, knows the power of a dream.
"We have some difficult days ahead of us," Dr Martin Luther King told a gathering in Memphis. "But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I have been to the mountain top ... and I've seen the Promised Land."
It was as if he knew what was coming next. The next day, a bullet raised him into Heaven.
I, too, have a dream. I dream a Martin Luther King will emerge from our ranks. He or she will unite us, lead us, shame society, break down barriers. We may not get to the Promised Land in our lifetimes, but he or she will get to the mountain top, give us a vision of the Promised Land.
And our children and our children's children will give thanks.
Posted by John McManamy at 12:44 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Saturday, January 17, 2009
The Bipolar Singing Blogger Smackdown
I just came across this from my fellow blogger, Therese Borchard of BeyondBlue.
Okay, Therese. You think you can sing, well I have an answer to that. As you can see from my video, not only do I sing, I sing very badly.
So if you're up to it, Therese - any time, any place - you bring your posse, I bring mine. The Bipolar Singing Blogger Smackdown. Bring your tap shoes, if you got 'em.
Posted by John McManamy at 11:23 AM 8 comments Links to this post
Labels: John McManamy, singing bipolars, Therese Borchard
Friday, January 16, 2009
It's a Mad World, After All
Way back when I was crazier than I am now but believed I was normal, I was a financial journalist. I worked in New Zealand and Australia and published three books. Two of them challenged the conventional wisdom of the day, namely that rational self-interest governs all individual decisions regarding money, and that the marketplace is the collective expression of an infinite number of common-sense decisions at work.
Needless to say, I was a voice in the wilderness.
Ten years ago, following my diagnosis, I started writing on my illness. Here, no one was trying to pretend they were normal. I was crazy covering crazy. I felt right at home. So much so that I could pass for normal, even when I told people I was crazy.
I think I was a financial journalist for a full year before I realized that a balance sheet and a profit and loss statement were two different things. To compensate for my obvious deficits, I developed an acute sense of logic.
Wait a second, I said to myself one day. Here, we have economists - nerdy mathematician types - trying to predict human behavior? Nuh-uh, I thought. We're talking psychology here, a discipline based on the proposition that people act irrationally, even against their obvious best interests.
As if to prove my point, one day I flipped out and quit my job on a daily newspaper. The rest of my time in Australia I was (rationally) treated as radioactive.
All you need to do is spend a day in a mall to see that the real world behaves far differently that the one imagined by PhD economists. The entire marketing and advertising industry recognizes this. Their practitioners work on the principle that consumers can be manipulated into making spectacularly irrational choices. If you don't believe me, take a look at all the SUVs on the road.
Conversely, marketers and advertisers are smart enough to know that consumers can make them look spectacularly stupid. That just when you think you have buyers all figured out, they will come at you with something totally out of left field, such as refusing to purchase safari suits, even at steep discounts. Imagine.
Needless to say, the advertising industry employs psychologists. People who know what dopamine can do to the brain, not to mention how our irrational fears and desires and impulses drive our decisions.
If only economists and financiers could be so smart.
In a New York Times piece published yesterday, op-ed columnist David Brooks finally 'fessed up. According to the old way of thinking: "The classical models presumed a certain sort of orderly human makeup. Inside each person, reason rides the passions the way a rider sits atop a horse."
More: "People respond in pretty straightforward ways to incentives. The invisible hand forms a spontaneous, dynamic order. Economic behavior can be accurately predicted through elegant models."
A funny thing happened on the way to 2009 - a complete financial-economic meltdown, an event that classical economics could not predict, much less explain. According to Brooks:
"Reason is not like a rider atop a horse. Instead, each person's mind contains a panoply of instincts, strategies, intuitions, emotions, memories and habits, which vie for supremacy. An irregular, idiosyncratic and largely unconscious process determines which of these internal players gets to control behavior at any instant."
It's a crazy world, after all. We crazy people had it right, all along.
Posted by John McManamy at 2:04 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: behavior, economics, John McManamy, markets, psychology
Thursday, January 15, 2009
When Your Meds Fail - Is Heidi Klum Lying?
Your life isn't going right. Your doctor diagnoses you with clinical depression and prescribes an antidepressant. The antidepressant doesn't work or partially works or makes you feel worse. What now?
The American Psychiatric Association in its 2000 Practice Guideline for treating depression suggests going with a different antidepressant. This recommendation is backed up by the NIMH-underwritten STAR*D clinical trial results of 2006.
Fine, but what about if your second antidepressant fails? The APA recommends keep trying, but STAR*D shows the success rates drop off dramatically at this stage. What gives?
For one, it may be time to revisit the diagnosis. Psychiatric treatment guidelines are based on the fallacy that your doctor has nailed your diagnosis on the first try. But, more commonly, those of us with bipolar tend to first get misdiagnosed with depression.
Even those correctly diagnosed with depression may be out of luck. Psychiatry tends to treat all depressions as alike, with one-size-fits-all antidepressants. There is, for instance, a clear distinction between chronic and recurrent depression, and a body of expert opinion that says antidepressants may be problematic for the latter.
This distinction is way too subtle for your average psychiatrist. But eventually they may wise up and try a bipolar diagnosis and prescribe a mood stabilizer (or antipsychotic). But what if a series of trials on mood stabilizers fail? Or only yields partial results? What now?
Way too many of us are struggling. Check out the poll at the top left corner of this page. At the time of writing this, of 58 people who have responded so far, 25 say they are stable but not well and 12 that they're in crisis or close to crisis. Only eight are where they want to be or feel better than they ever could have imagined.
This is where the frustrated clinician often starts blaming the patient. The meds are supposed to work. That pharm rep who looks like Heidi Klum said these meds work, and she wouldn't be lying, right? It has to be your fault.
Time to revisit the diagnosis? Again?
More in my next blog ...
Further reading from mcmanweb: When Your Second Antidepressant Fails
Posted by John McManamy at 2:12 PM 2 comments Links to this post
Labels: antidepresssant, Heidi Klum, John McManamy, misdiagnosis, psychiatry
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Mindfulness - Living in the Present
Here it is, my latest video.
I wrote my script on Sunday, spent Monday morning plotting my shots, Monday afternoon actually shooting it, and Tuesday editing it.
The message to the video is simple: "We forget. The present is where life is happening - here, right now."
Producing my three-minute, 24-second video was a lot more complex.
I did my first video on mindfulness at the end of June, but it was only last week when the idea for a second one congealed in my head.
The first part of my video is based on an ancient Zen parable. "Getting" Zen, though, poses a major problem, which explains the long gestation for the script. Then it occurred to me to explain the Zen thing with reference to an earlier Zen experience of mine. Zen explaining Zen. That's why it's Zen.
I live a mile and a half from a state park in southern California. A natural boulder formation was perfect for my purposes. But I was shooting in 50 MPH wind conditions that posed special problems. I performed one difficult stunt jumping from a boulder only to discover the wind had blown my camera and tripod to the ground.
Then two indoor scenes before going back outdoors to recreate my Zen experience from two years before. The setting sun had to light up a distant peak just right. One cloud in the wrong place and I could forget about shooting. After waiting 30 minutes, the peak lit up like someone had illuminated it from the inside. I was a very happy boy.
Back in the "editing room," my rough cut showed as much promise as a fallen soufflé. I refined my cut into 28 clips spanning three minutes, four seconds. (From memory, the shower scene in "Psycho" involves something like 55 edits.) One of the clips, spanning five seconds, involves nine rapid-fire images of paintings, representing the mind in turmoil.
The wind gusts had played havoc with my "live" narration, so I had to go with more voice-over than I had intended. I picked two classical pieces and a surfer instrumental from my royalty-free library as my soundtrack music, and suddenly I had air in my soufflé. One of my scenes involved five layers of sound, and for dramatic effect in my "distant peak" shot I "turned up" the wind.
Then tweaking and more tweaking. My final major decision for any video I do involves whether I roll with short credits or long credits. I decided to go with long credits, 20 seconds worth.
As you can see from the video, I'm having way more fun than any human should be allowed to have. I shot my first video in March last year, using only a webcam and the primitive film-editing program that came with my new iMac. In late April, I made the leap to a high-end camcorder and FinalCut Express.
The 16 videos I have done so far represent my own healing. Learning something new helped pull me out of the extreme burn-out I was feeling last year. Suddenly, I was motivated. Suddenly, I was having fun.
I had also found a new way to reach out to people with my illness.
If Spielberg calls, tell him I'm busy ...
This video is based on my mcmanweb article: Mindfulness - Living in the Present.
Posted by John McManamy at 12:27 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: John McManamy, minfulness
Monday, January 12, 2009
Borderline Personality Disorder - No Them, Know Them, Know Thyself
In two of the last blogs I did for BipolarConnect, I brought up the topic of borderline personality disorder. The second piece drew 25 comments, so apparently I struck a chord.
People with borderline manifest symptoms that superficially resemble bipolar, but in an explosive and unpredictable manner that people at Ground Zero describe as something akin to walking on eggshells.
My main point was that it is nonproductive to think of borderline as a separate diagnosis that affects other people. There is no true "us" and "them." Regardless of our diagnosis - or whether we even have one or not - we all have personality issues in abundance. These issues can make our lives hell (as well as for the people around us), plus they pose major obstacles to our recovery.
In the context of bipolar disorder (my diagnosis), it pays to think of ourselves as having bipolar "with other stuff going on."
By understanding borderline, we are in a better position to understand ourselves and make the appropriate course corrections. It's part of the "Know Thyself" philosophy here at "Knowledge is Necessity."
My initial enquiry into borderline began about three years ago, when I joined the board of a state mental health group and immediately encountered a steady progression of people who made my life miserable. For my own emotional safety, I had to resign my position.
When I started connecting the dots, I realized my recent bad experience was no exception. That all my life I had been a regular borderline magnet. My first reaction was I hated these people. I hated their illness, and I wanted nothing more to do with them.
Then I realized that the very thing we hate most tends to be the thing that resides deep inside of us. Jung called it the shadow self. I may not have had borderline, but I was forced to confront my personality issues.
"I am Joseph, your brother," reads a line from the Bible. I'm not quite ready for that, but I'm working on it.
Lots more in future blogs.
Further reading from mcmanweb: Borderline Personality Disorder
"Those who live with individuals with borderline describe the experience as akin to walking on eggs. By contrast, Anne compared her dealings with people to 'walking on shifting boards.' The world is far from a safe place, and the ground beneath her could collapse any second."
Also from mcmanweb: Poisonality
"Distinguishing a bad hair day from a mood episode from a personality disorder meltdown is notoriously difficult. Even Mother Teresa had her off-moments, and no doubt Gandhi had unresolved issues he needed to work through."
Posted by John McManamy at 11:42 AM 5 comments Links to this post
Sunday, January 11, 2009
FDR and Lincoln
We are one week away from inaugurating a new President. Reference has been made to both FDR and Lincoln regarding the challenges facing Barack Obama.
FDR was cut down in the prime of life with polio or a polio-like affliction. Not only is he unquestionably the greatest President of the twentieth century (by virtue of saving western civilization), his story of how his disability changed him into a better person is inspiring.
My FDR video is the first I shot using a camcorder. I was in Washington DC at the time - early May, 2008 - trying out my new camcorder at the FDR Memorial.
I shot my Lincoln Memorial footage later in the evening. My visits to both memorials were like a religious experience. I felt myself in the presence of something far greater than me. I read the words of both men inscribed on their respective memorials and felt the tears flowing.
Lincoln, as most of us know, was depressed nearly all his adult life. Of all things, his unremitting sadness and despair ennobled him, filled him with rare insights, and prepared him for the grim task ahead.
The crisis we are facing today equates to those that kept FDR and Lincoln awake late into the evening. There are many lessons to learn from these two great men, but the big one is the example they set in their devotion to a higher purpose and their empathy for the suffering of others. Their virtues are saintly ones, tempered by down-to-earth realism.
Hopefully, this is the example that the incoming President chooses to follow.
From mcmanweb: Lincoln and His Depression
"In Lincoln's depressions, we see the illness in its full destructive horror, one that nearly succeeded in cutting short the life of a promising young man and made the rest of his existence miserable. This is the side of depression with which we can all unfortunately identify. But we also see an aspect to his depressions that equally resonates with us – how our suffering can strengthen us, ennoble us, and embolden us, often to achieve the impossible."
FDR was cut down in the prime of life with polio or a polio-like affliction. Not only is he unquestionably the greatest President of the twentieth century (by virtue of saving western civilization), his story of how his disability changed him into a better person is inspiring.
My FDR video is the first I shot using a camcorder. I was in Washington DC at the time - early May, 2008 - trying out my new camcorder at the FDR Memorial.
I shot my Lincoln Memorial footage later in the evening. My visits to both memorials were like a religious experience. I felt myself in the presence of something far greater than me. I read the words of both men inscribed on their respective memorials and felt the tears flowing.
Lincoln, as most of us know, was depressed nearly all his adult life. Of all things, his unremitting sadness and despair ennobled him, filled him with rare insights, and prepared him for the grim task ahead.
The crisis we are facing today equates to those that kept FDR and Lincoln awake late into the evening. There are many lessons to learn from these two great men, but the big one is the example they set in their devotion to a higher purpose and their empathy for the suffering of others. Their virtues are saintly ones, tempered by down-to-earth realism.
Hopefully, this is the example that the incoming President chooses to follow.
From mcmanweb: Lincoln and His Depression
"In Lincoln's depressions, we see the illness in its full destructive horror, one that nearly succeeded in cutting short the life of a promising young man and made the rest of his existence miserable. This is the side of depression with which we can all unfortunately identify. But we also see an aspect to his depressions that equally resonates with us – how our suffering can strengthen us, ennoble us, and embolden us, often to achieve the impossible."
Posted by John McManamy at 8:42 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: depression, FDR, John McManamy, Lincoln, Obama
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Trick Question
Here's a question I used to pose to my audience when I was giving talks in 2006-2007:
Emil Kraepelin was the pioneering diagnostician who coined the term manic-depression back in the early twentieth century. These days, we use the term bipolar. Question: What was the term Kraepelin used to describe unipolar depression?
Answer: Manic-depression.
That's right - manic-depression. To Kraepelin, both illnesses were part of the same phenomenon, or more precisely the same recurring phenomenon. People cycled in and out of depression. Some just happened to cycle up to a higher level than others.
In the 1950s, Jules Angst and others separated out a class of individuals with CHRONIC depression. These are the true unipolars. They don't cycle. They stay in their depression, often year in and year out.
Those with RECURRENT depression, on the other hand, exhibit a similar pattern to those with bipolar. The leading researchers of the day were pretty much in agreement on this. Then along came the DSM-III of 1980, which completely got it wrong.
The DSM lumps chronic and recurrent depression together and separates out bipolar. The treatment implications are enormous. These so-called unipolars are treated the same, regardless of their depressions, and given antidepressants while the bipolars get mood stabilizers.
Thus, a large population of unipolars are being treated with meds that not only may not work, but may, in fact get them worse.
Jim Phelps MD describes this very well in his 2006 book, "Why Am I Still Depressed?" For the clinician view, check out Goodwin and Jamison's definitive text, "Manic-Depressive Illness." Fittingly, the subtitle reads: "Bipolar Disorder and Recurrent Depression."
In my talks, I was speaking to very smart people. Yet, of the thousands I wound up addressing, not one came up with a correct answer to my question. The DSM is propagating a myth, aided and abetted by modern psychiatriy. Patients and loved ones are paying in full measure for this mistake.
Further reading from mcmanweb: The True Meaning of Manic-Depression.
Posted by John McManamy at 8:36 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: bipolar, depression, John McManamy, Kraepelin, manic-depression
Friday, January 9, 2009
Mindfulness - My Ultimate Mood Stabilizer
Around this time 10 years ago, a crisis intervention team was figuring out what do do about my antidepressant-induced mania. Changing my diagnosis to bipolar and putting me on a mood stabilizer was a good first call. They also recommended cognitive therapy, once I stopped bouncing off the walls and ceiling.
"Cognitive therapy," I recall myself saying between bounces. "What's that?"
The psychiatrist on the team briefly explained.
"Ah, mindfulness," I replied.
Three blank stares.
"You know," I said, kind of floating above my chair. "The Buddha. He came up with this stuff 2,600 years ago."
Humor him, said the look on their faces. A Buddhist maniac - they come in all shapes and sizes.
The cognitive therapy, needless to say, turned out to be applied mindfulness, and proved very useful to my recovery. No one, of course, gave the Buddha any credit. Later, I learned about dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), which loudly champions the Buddha and mindfulness.
These days, needless to say, mindfulness is all the rage. There's even something called "mindfulness-based cognitive therapy," which I can assure you is a redundancy.
Anyway, here I am, not bouncing off walls, still singing the praises of mindfulness. Think of the mind watching the mind. Think how useful the art of being aware can be in nipping baby mood episodes in the bud, managing stress, and otherwise reeling in a runaway brain.
Mindfulness is my number one recovery tool. It is my real mood stabilizer. But practicing mindfulness requires considerable discipline, and, if you're like me, takes years to achieve a certain level of proficiency. So please think twice before changing your relationship with your chemical mood stabilizer.
My mindfulness video is one of the first I shot shortly after buying a camcorder and film-editing software last year. I hope to shoot more mindfulness videos once I work up some more scripts.
For more on mindfulness, check out these two articles on my mcmanweb site:
Mindfulness - The Ultimate Mood Stabilizer
"'Mind precedes its objects,' reads the first line of the Dhammapada, the best-known of the Buddhist scriptures. 'They are mind-governed and mind-made.' ... "
Mindfulness - Living in the Present
"Life is a bitch. No one gets off this planet alive. We have to savor our good moments while we can. But, of course, we will miss them completely if we keep getting stuck inside our own heads."
Posted by John McManamy at 10:37 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: bipolar, Buddha, John McManamy, mindfulness
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Making Peace With Our Loved Ones
At least half of the correspondence I get from readers comes from loved ones, including family members and sweethearts. Without exception, they are at a loss and their stories are heart-breaking. They are the innocent bystanders of our illness.
I've also had ample opportunity to listen to loved ones at various mental health venues, plus I am forever engaging them (or, rather, they are engaging me) in conversations in coffee shops, on public transport, everywhere. More recently, by virtue of a broken marriage to a woman with bipolar, I've have had an opportunity to sit in with a DBSA-run friends and family support group.
Believe me, our loved ones see our illness far differently than we do. We may complain that they don't understand us, but far too many of us fail to recognize the horrible abuse we have put them through.
Believe me, to live with a person with a mental illness is to live in an abusive relationship. Until we own up to this hard cold truth, we will never make peace with ourselves and our loved ones. We will always be stuck in our recovery, perpetual victims, always finding fault in the people who love us, always blaming our outrageous behavior - illness-related or not - on our illness.
I cannot disclose what takes place in our friends and families group, but I can mention this much: A father was in tears, at the end of his rope. I felt I needed to jump in, but as a patient. We put you through hell, I said, or words to that effect. But you are the best thing we have going for us. We can't do it without you ...
I noticed the look on his face. I noticed the others in the room were listening intently. No doubt, they had heard this before, but from fellow family members. What made my little homily significant was that this time the words were coming out of the mouth of a patient.
At last, came the thought, someone who understands.
Understanding. Isn't that what we are all looking for?
Much more in future blogs, including what loved ones need to know about us ...
From mcmanweb: Family and Relationship Fallout
Posted by John McManamy at 9:58 AM 6 comments Links to this post
Labels: family, friends, John McManamy, mental illness, relationships
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
My Utterly Realistic Cole Porter Dream
Last night I dreamed I interviewed Cole Porter. The fact that Cole Porter has been dead for 45 years did not at all diminish the realism of my dream.
Cole Porter is arguably the leading contributor to that world cultural treasure we refer to as the Great American Songbook. Without him and the likes of Gershwin and others, just about every singer and quite a few musicians would be out of a job.
To add to the realism of my dream, my cell phone connection was bad and I had to keep walking from place to place to hear his voice. I can't recall a single word he said, but I can assure you he came across as the urbane and witty guy who wrote these lyrics:
Birds do it, Bees do it,
Even educated fleas do it,
Let's do it, let's fall in love.
Of course no one disputes that the greatest moment in all cinema is Fred Astaire wooing Ginger Rogers to "Night and Day" in "Gay Divorcee." Pure silver screen magic, is all I can say.
The song also represents Frank Sinatra's first hit as a solo artist. In all, Sinatra recorded "Night and Day" four times. Porter much preferred Astaire as a singer to Sinatra. Clearly, Astaire was the embodiment of Porter's urban sophisticate, but Sinatra's muscular version of "I've Got You Under My Skin" makes a strong case for swinging vulgarity.
A horse riding accident in 1937 at the height of his career resulted in compound fractures in both thighs, complicated by a bone infection, that left him a cripple and in excruciating pain the rest of his life. Still, in public at least, he maintained his upbeat persona and continued to produce hits until his health seriously deteriorated in 1958. He died in 1964.
Must movie rental: "Gay Divorcee" starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
An MGM classic: "Kiss Me Kate," based on the Broadway hit. Anne Miller's seductive song and dance to "It's Too Darn Hot" is one of many show-stoppers.
Recommended listening: "Frank Sinatra Sings the Select Cole Porter." Make sure you're getting Sinatra from his incomparable Capitol Records years, accompanied by Nelson Riddle. It doesn't get any better than this.
"Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook." Okay, okay. It does get better - delightful, delicious, and de-lovely, in fact.
A jazz master: Pianist Art Tatum's masterful interpretations of "Begin the Beguine" and other standards would have you believe that Cole Porter wrote specifically for him and other legendary jazz instrumentalists.
Plus: "De-Lovely" soundtrack from the recent film based on Cole Porter's life, starring Kevin Kline. Reinterpretations by Alanis Morissete, Elvis Costello, Natalie Cole, and others demonstrate why Cole Porter's appeal is timeless, that, literally, he is "the top ... the steppes of Russia ... the pants on a Roxy usher ... "
For articles on composers with mood disorders (Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Liszt, Chopin), check out the Famous People section of mcmanweb.com.
Posted by John McManamy at 11:49 AM 2 comments Links to this post
Labels: Cole Porter, dream, John McManamy
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Noncompliance - Time for Psychiatrists to Practice Real Medicine
In my most recent blog, I mentioned a grand rounds lecture I delivered last year to a psychiatric facility on meds compliance. In the talk, I made two comparisons: 1) A psychiatric drug trial to a cancer drug trial, and 2) A hypothetical oncologist appointment to a psychiatric appointment.
The first clinical trial was an Eli Lilly trial of bipolar patients on the antipsychotic Zyprexa. These were patients who responded well to the med in the initial going. Despite that, 79 percent dropped out of the study after 48 weeks. Believe it or not, Eli Lilly actually found a way to put a positive spin on the findings.
This study is all too typical of long term studies on virtually all classes of psychiatric meds, with drop-out/noncompliance rates averaging about 70-80 percent. In one trial, 100 percent of the patients dropped out. In other words, no one finished the study.
The second trial I referred to was an AstraZeneca study of breast cancer patients on tamoxifen. In that study, 26 percent dropped out after one year, almost the exact inverse of the Zyprexa study. But rather than put a positive spin on the finding, AstraZeneca was so alarmed by the high drop-out rate that they stopped the study.
What is going on? Both drugs have horrible side effects, but one group of patients is obviously buying into long term treatment and the other isn't. Could the difference lie in what doctors are telling their patients?
Consider the gist of the message the oncologist gives to a patient:
"It's going to be hell, but there's an excellent chance your cancer will go away."
I made sure all the heads in the room were nodding on that point before proceeding to my next PowerPoint. Now here's what I know too many psychiatrists are telling their patients, I said:
"What are you complaining about? These meds work. Something must be wrong with you. You're much better off than you were before. You need to stay on these drugs for the rest of your life."
I sensed the hackles in the room rising, but plowed straight into my next PowerPoint:
"What the cancer patient may be thinking: One year of hell - if that's what it takes to get my old life back, I'm willing to put up with that.
"What I know the psychiatric patient is thinking: This is the best you can do? You mean I am going to have to spend the rest of my life - like this?"
By now, my audience of clinicians was turning into a lynch mob. But it was only going to get worse. Up until now, I had only been presenting the facts. Now I was about to tell this group of highly-educated and highly-experienced clinicians how to do their jobs:
There is the crucial "window of opportunity" phase in the doctor-patient relationship, I said. The patient has been brought out of crisis and has been reasonably stabilized, but is clearly not well. For many patients, a long hard road lies ahead. You have one chance to get your patient to buy into long-term treatment, and you need to be brutally frank about presenting the bad news along with the good.
First the bad news: These meds are not magic bullets. You may have to put up with significant side effects in the short term. It may take time to dial in your meds just right. You may not feel like yourself. You may want to quit altogether.
Now the good news: I am going to work with you on your recovery. As your knowledge and skills improve, I will be in a better position to help you. You will also be in a better position to help yourself. Trust me, there is light at the end of this tunnel.
So how did this go over? No sooner did I wrap up my talk than I was looking at empty chairs. Literally, it was as if the fire alarm had gone off.
I rest my case ...
Posted by John McManamy at 9:47 AM 2 comments Links to this post
Labels: compliance, John McManamy, noncompliance, psychiatry
Monday, January 5, 2009
Clinicians - The Worst Purveyors of Stigma?
In a previous blog, I mentioned an email interview I recently completed with I Am Bipolar.
"Have you ever experienced negativity or stigma from people who have become aware of your condition?" Michael, who runs the site, asked.
Hmm. Interesting question.
"Ironically," I replied, the worst stigma came "from clinicians and fellow patients, the very people who are also my best supporters."
Clinicians have long accepted me as a journalist. In 2007, in fact, they even honored me with a major international award. But I am not one of them and never will be. Last year, I was invited to give a grand rounds lecture at a psychiatric facility in Princeton. I accepted with some trepidation. It is not my place as a journalist to tell others how to do their jobs.
I showed up with a talk on medications compliance. I'm sure the 50 or 60 clinicians in the audience expected me to blame patients for being too stupid to work the child-proof cap to their meds bottles and such, and indeed I did touch on that. But I also blasted the pharmaceutical industry for aggressively marketing meds that often made us worse rather than better, as well as clinicians who should know better, at the expense of the individuals they are supposed to be serving.
I wasn't just some antipsychiatrist spouting off. My PowerPoint contained reams of citations from the leading psychiatric authorities, including conferences I had attended and first-rank journal articles and editorials. But it was also my duty to wrap it all up and tie it in a bow. With reference to the fact that over the long-term some 70 to 80 percent of patients either drop out of clinical trials or are in some degree noncompliant on antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and antipsychotics, I pointed out the obvious:
"Just sending a patient out the door with a prescription is not treatment."
I wasn't all negative. I mentioned how compliance rates could be improved upon by employing psychoeducation, support groups, various talking therapies, books, websites, and so on. But this did involve the need to build trust with patients and spending time with them, plus being proactive in referring them to other services and sources of information. Again, just sending a patient out the door ...
As soon as my lips stopped moving, the room emptied faster than a high school Latin class at the three o'clock bell. No one approached me for a polite handshake or to follow up on any points I made, or to request more information. Only one person bought my book.
As I said, it is not my place to tell others how to do their job, particularly when nothing I said could be interpreted as a pat on the back, and my discomfort clearly showed in my talk. But even taking all of that into account, I was truly amazed by the magnitude of this group snub. Had I a PhD or an MD or an MSW to my name, I would have been treated with far more civility. But I happened to be a journalist who was also speaking as a patient.
The biggest complaint I get from my readers, I said in my talk, doctors who don't listen. Boy, did they prove me right.
Future blog: Stigma from patients. Stay tuned ...
Posted by John McManamy at 11:10 AM 2 comments Links to this post
Labels: John McManamy, stigma
Saturday, January 3, 2009
There is Always a Somewhere
In September last year, suicide claimed the life of my good friend Kevin. He was all of 28. This is the video I did soon after, "The Road to Nowhere." Don't be fooled - there is always a somewhere.
Posted by John McManamy at 8:02 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: John McManamy, suicide, suicide prevention
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Some Observations on Stigma
Today, I completed an email interview with Michael, a patient who has recently set up an excellent website, I Am Bipolar.
"What more do you think can be done to change the public's perception of mental illness?" he asked.
That one really got me thinking. "We (patients) have to take more responsibility and stop blaming others," I responded. "We need to recognize that our behavior has put those around us through no end of grief and that they have every right to never want to associate with us."
That was just my warm-up. We tend to think of stigma as something we have to put up with from the general population - and, believe me, there's more than enough of it to go around - but we're not going to get very far doing nothing for ourselves and waiting for others to change.
I've seen far too many patients on the cusp of recovery but going nowhere - stuck - and I can't help thinking a victim mindset has a lot to do with it. Not only do these patients hurt themselves, a lot of them hurt the rest of us. All it takes is just one person to play the bipolar card on someone once too often to turn a would-be sympathizer into a one more reason my life is difficult.
Fortunately, people are capable of forgiving us for our outrageous behavior, but first we need to ask, and second we need to demonstrate good faith.
Meanwhile, we need to make an effort to become role models, to start acting as if we have something to offer the world. An enlightened public is more than willing to embrace us and put up with some of the craziness that goes with the whole package, provided that we set out to become a positive force in their lives.
There has been a major sea change in public attitudes since I was diagnosed 11 years ago. Yes, we are still exposed to a lot of, "He's acting weird, must be bipolar." But we're also hearing more of, "Wow, she's so amazingly smart and creative and personable, must be bipolar."
Next thing, we'll have a bipolar President. Wait, we've already had at least at least three (John Adams, TR, LBJ). More on stigma in a future blog ...
Complete IamBipolar Interview
Posted by John McManamy at 11:19 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: bipolar, John McManamy, stigma
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The artwork of CSAIL staff member Sally Lee will bring holiday cheer to many this year, as one of Lee's illustrations has been selected for the Dana-Farber Holiday 2011 Collection. Lee's illustration, Santa's Glee, will be available for purchase as a holiday greeting card, and all sales will benefit Dana Farber and the Jimmy Fund.
Lee is an award-winning author and illustrator and has published over 20 books for children. She recently released a new book called A Cat's Alphabet Book.
As for the design behind Santa's Glee, Lee explains that she has an affinity for Santa, cats and presents.
For more on Lee's work, please visit: http://www.sallyleebooks.com/. To purchase one of her holiday cards, visit: http://www.kintera.org/site/apps/ka/ec/product.asp?c=9rKLIXMGIoI4E&b=7511315&en=cqLHJONxFdKGIOPCJjIHLOPALkLWL3NEIiJRI4NBKiLZLdK&ProductID=1502707. All proceeds will benefit Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund.


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Introduction: The Sock Ball
Does your dog ever eat, or chew your socks, well, mine does, Im Macky D and I've created the Sock Ball..... wait, this sounds like the Pack It luch box thingy commerical. Well, you get what I mean through this cheezy advertisement. Heres my instructable on how to keep your dog or dogs happy.
Teacher Notes
Teachers! Did you use this instructable in your classroom?
Add a Teacher Note to share how you incorporated it into your lesson.
Step 1: The Sock Ball's Inners
1. 3 socks.
2. A tennis ball.
3. Dog treat, optional.
Step 2: Putting It Together
First, shove the tennis ball into the first sock. Then shove that into another sock, leavin gboth ends touching, like in the picture. Shove the tennis ball into the sock necks, making it a weird looking circle. Shove that (I know, theres a lot of shoving) into the last sock.
Step 3: Your Done!
Now, you can play tug-a-war, throw it, or use the optional dog treat, and put it in the neck. I would supervise though, only if you put the treat in there. You don't want them to chew off the neck! But if my dog can get it out, your dog probably can too.
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4 Discussions
We made something like this in the Army for beating troublemkaers.
This is a great idea, very simple and didn't have to buy anything. A great way to reuse unwanted or unmatched socks.
I made this for my 2 year old Pitbull. At first he didn't want to touch it, I guess he thought, it was just a sock, but once he was given the go ahead, he was all into it.
We played fetch, we played tug of war, I turned my back and he destroyed it. I didn't really care because I didn't have to come out my wallet and buy him a toy for him to destroy five minutes later. He had so much fun with it, I made him another one.
Why didn't I think of this, loved it!
Thank you so much for the kind comment!!!!! My dog loves this too, and I'm glad you liked it too!
Please leave me a comment and rate it!


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Understanding whether the vegetation on your site represents the new Banksia Woodland TEC
The 'Banksia Woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain' ecological community was listed as a Threatened Ecological Community (TEC) under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) in September 2016.
An information guide was released in January 2017, and is available at:
Approved Conservation Advice, the definitive source of information on the TEC, is also available online at:
Clearing, dieback, fire, and groundwater decline are listed as the key threats to the TEC. Referral to the Commonwealth Department of the Environment and Energy (DEE) may be required if clearing of the TEC is proposed.
Technical Aspects to Consider
Native vegetation may represent the TEC if it:
- Is dominated by one or more Banksia species;
- Is dominated by other species e.g. Tuarts and Peppermint but contains Banksia species; and
- Meets the minimum patch size versus condition requirements (e.g. ≥ 0.5 hectares of Excellent condition vegetation).
Vegetation Assessment
A thorough vegetation assessment is required to determine whether all or a
portion of a site's vegetation represents the TEC.
Principal Botanist Narelle Whittington is experienced in the assessment of
native vegetation, and since September 2016 has completed numerous
assessments of vegetation considered likely to represent the TEC.
Lessons Learnt
- Recent Referral of the clearing of <1 hectare of the TEC resulted in a 'Not Controlled Action' outcome (several referrals for larger clearing footprints are currently in process);
- Vegetation to be conserved, as an offset for the proposed clearing, needs to represent the same sub-community as that to be cleared;
- The requirement for survey of the proposed offset vegetation has not been confirmed by DEE, but may be prudent to avoid later issues; and
- Unlike offsets for the loss of Black Cockatoo habitat, there is no maximum separation distance between vegetation to be cleared and that to be conserved as an offset.
Note: The 'Tuart dominated woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain' is currently under assessment by the Minister and is expected to be listed as a TEC in mid to late 2017. Further details can be found at:
If you think you may have this community on your site, please feel free contact us now for advice.


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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – A 71-year-old woman has been arrested for a gruesome collision that killed a pedestrian in San Francisco's Sunset District on Tuesday, police said Wednesday.
San Francisco resident Jenny Ching was cited on suspicion of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter and failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, and was then released, police spokesman Officer Gordon Shyy said.
Police said Ching was driving a red Toyota Corolla that struck and killed 78-year-old Isaak Berenzon as he walked west across Sunset Boulevard near Yorba Street shortly before 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Berenzon, also a San Francisco resident, went through the car's windshield and remained there, covered by a yellow tarp, until a medical examiner's crew came to retrieve the body hours later.
Ching and two female passengers in the car were taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries that are not life-threatening, police said.
Shyy said Ching was cited at the hospital for the alleged offenses and then released.
Police Chief Greg Suhr called the incident a "horrible collision" and asked residents and visitors to be more careful when driving, biking and walking around the city.
"Everybody needs to slow down, chill, take an extra second to get where you're going and pay attention," Suhr said.
The chief said police have stepped up enforcement following a recent spate of pedestrian deaths in San Francisco, which had 21 such fatalities last year—the highest number since 2007.
Suhr said citations for traffic violations in January were up 43 percent compared to the same time last year, and each of the city's 10 police stations is focusing enforcement on the five most dangerous intersections in their districts.
TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bay City News Service contributed to this report.
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Acrylic Lens Clip-On Sunglasses
We do have clip-ons; they may be ordered through the office. They are all acrylic lenses, except for one size of our square flip-ups that has a polycarbonate lens. They are all 100% UVA and UVB rated, and have the HAZEBUSTER high-def brown non-polarized lenses.
If you are replacing a clip-on you purchased through the office, we should have the shape and size in our records. If you have bought from us at a show, the shape and size would be recorded on the back of the business card you were given at that time. Otherwise, you need to determine a shape/size, and here's what we need from you:
1) a picture of your glasses OR a picture or scan of a tracing of your glasses, so we can see the shape and general proportion.
2) measurements taken at the middle of ONE Lens of your glasses. "Eyeball" one lens and determine the midpoint of the lens. Measure there—
....in millimeters, if possible
....horizontally and vertically, all the way across the lens,
INCLUDING the frame on both sides
We will take this info and make an "educated guess." We have been doing this for many years, and we promise not to send out something unless we think it has good chance of fitting well.
Pleeeeeease, DO NOT send a picture of your glasses next to/on top of a ruler, as even slight perspective differences when taking the picture make it almost always impossible to get an accurate reading.
About the way we measure—
Typically, eyeglass vendors/frame manufacturers note the lens measurements when describing their products. The frame is not included in these measurements.
We ask you to include the frame—we want the measurements from the outside edge of the frame surrounding the lens to the other outside edge of the frame surrounding the lens. Why? …for a proper fit, we want the clip-ons to fit completely around the lens AND the frame. Generally, plastic frames are thicker than metal frames, and, sometimes, the fashion metal frames can be thicker than typical, as well. We ask for you to "guess" where the middle of one lens is and to measure there, because we consider it an easy-to-determine value, and that improves the chances that we (you and HZB staff) are measuring in the same way.
We need the picture of your glasses in order to pick up more general info, like the shape, e.g., you say oval, I think it's more rect (toMAYto toMAHto)….is it symmetrical? does it taper at one end? etc., and also to get a look at the temple area---on rare occasions, an unusual frame may require a re-think on our part.


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107.8 Radio Jackie - Bulletins aired each hour
Wednesday, 25 January 2017
Fly tipper from Croydon jailed
A notorious drive by fly-tipper in Croydon has been jailed for a year at Camberwell Magistrates Court.
40 year old George Smith was captured on film as he dumped three tonnes of building waste on Croham Manor Close last March.
He pleaded not guilty claiming the waste was dumped by someone else using duplicate plates.
posted by Radio Jackie News Team @ 3:31 pm
Top of Radio Jackie News page here.
of many reasons why we are so useful to South West London...
our very own news team bringing you stories that are relevant to you
and your area.
If you have a press release
or would like to send in news then pop off an e-mail to [email protected]
Follow Jackie News at twitter.com/jackie_news.


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After the last big update in the world of Sphere 3 there appeared new caskets of item upgrades that you can loot from the defeated enemies. To open the casket and get its contents you will need a special key!
You can buy these keys in the special section of the Shop.
Depending of the type of the casket you may need copper, iron, silver, golden or platinum key! You may see the list of the casket contains in the key description.


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Review: Welikande Villas in Kandy, Sri Lanka
But first we wanted to see if the midland had anything to offer us. The area around Kandy seemed very appealing to us, so we chose Welikande Villas as our base camp.
And as always, Google Maps is your new best friend in remote areas like these.
We had the opportunity to stay in the Deluxe Double Room; If you've ever been to Sri Lanka before, take the average room you've slept in, multiply the size with three, add a couple of chairs, a king size bed and an impressive bathroom and you'll get an idea of the luxury we experienced.
Every room comes with complementary breakfast which is above standards (and that's an understatement).
Wherever you want to go and whatever you want to see, Michael (the owner) and his wife (a licensed tour guide) will provide you the best options. Other than their own trekking center they have a great network in the local community and they'll help you create your itinerary for the region at decent prices (which is rare in the Kandy area).
Add to that a number of warm and friendly Sri Lankans enquiring about your stay in their country and giving you tips for a shortcut to the next waterfall or advising you about the best rice and curry of the area and you'll get an idea.
He'll give you a ton of information about the area and about Sri Lanka in general, mixed with stories of his own adventures which will keep you at the dinner table until long after bed time. But we're sure (although he won't admit it) that he relies a lot on his wife Tish, who was a tour guide in her previous life, about the accuracy of his advice.
By the way, other than a resource for valuabe information, Tish is also an amazing cook. Make sure you try her Sri Lankan rice and curry, it's the best one you'll ever have.
Well, nudism is prohibited in Sri Lanka and nudist resorts are non-existent. This place is not an exception. But Michael and Tish knew that we were nudists from before we arrived and are very open minded about it. If you happen to be the only visitors around, you could perfectly be naked in the garden or at (we forgot to tell you about this amazing place) their own lookout point. Just have a towel ready when you hear a new guest or someone from the local staff walking up the hill (or ask Michael to give you a call).
In any case, whether you are a nudist or not, if you want to explore the area around Kandy, Welikande Villas is by far your best option!


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Olin College of Engineering is a new school by most standards. It was founded in 1997, and graduated its first class in 2006. The campus itself, though, was built before the curriculum, culture, or even the size of the student body was fully established, which means the buildings have some major flaws.
"Retrofitting a college" features selections of work from from my 4-year engagement as a student working to make Olin's built environment work for its people: realigning our resources with the needs and culture of the Olin community.
I started this work in 2014 when I joined the Olin Workshop on the Library (OWL), a group aimed at rethinking our campus library. This engagement helped spark a movement of other similar projects across campus, including my work reinventing the library during the OWL Summer Design/Build, my work branding for levity in the Machine Shop, and my try at fostering slow conversation via a pop-up coffeeshop project. I have been proud to be a part of this student-driven institutional change throughout my college experience additionally through my work on the Library Staff and as a Fabrication Instructor in our Machine Shop.


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2011 ISN Annual Users Conference: ISN 10.0 Preview
Welcome to the 2011 ISN Annual Users Conference. At this conference we will be previewing ISN 10.0, the latest version of ISNetworld, scheduled to be released December 2011. We look forward to providing this more intuitive and user-friendly version of ISNetworld to you and your company. These updates have been made to ensure all subscribers can easily navigate the system, while also maximizing the additional benefits included in an ISNetworld subscription.
We are hosting breakout sessions focused on 10.0 tutorials and demonstrations at our ISN Annual Users Conference. During these sessions, we are discussing several new features and enhancements of ISN 10.0. Here are some of the new enhancements:
- Comprehensive To-Do List
- Breadcrumbs allow for fewer clicks when navigating
- Advanced Reporting Tool
- Localization (time zone, miles/km, date format, spelling)
- Compatible with Microsoft IE7, IE8, IE9, and the latest versions of Safari, Firefox and Chrome browsers
- Homepage features a comprehensive To-Do List highlighting items requiring immediate attention
As we prepare for the release, we have provided a number of ways for you to preview the new look and enhancements of ISNetworld, including an online video of ISN 10.0.
If you are interested in providing feedback on ISN 10.0 enhancements, please contact the ISN Customer Service Team. We look forward to sharing ISN 10.0 with your company.


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For almost 2 years, I have been submerged into the world of eczema. Day to day skin regimens, flare ups, removal of allergens, scratching, scars, skin discoloration and many trial & error situations. You name it, we've tried it or are about to! I'm even in the process of mastering "The Uncontrollable Scratching Toddler".The thing is, I look at my friends with children with nothing more than hay fever and wonder what it would be like to have a "eat whatever you want" child or better yet a "scarless" child with an occasional boo boo. As a parent dealing with Read More
Can this trump eczema?
Last Updated October 4, 2012 By Andrea in Allergies, Itchy Skin, Scratching, Skin, smnblog with 1 Comment
For the Love of Food! Nursing & Eczema
Last Updated May 20, 2017 By Andrea in Allergies, Food, Scratching, Skin, smnblog with 2 Comments
In honor of the coming National Breastfeeding Month in August, I wanted this post to cater to mom's nursing children with eczema. It's a crazy world of eczema and moms of itchy babies must stick together! When my daughter was younger, around 2 months old, she was diagnosed with eczema. I had NO idea what journey we were about to walk down. As I read up on eczema, what it was and what triggered it, I was surprised to find out that there are so many unanswered questions! So many 'if- then' statements. While I'm not expert or doctor on Read More
Last Updated July 19, 2016 By Andrea in Itchy Skin, Scratching, Skin, smnblog with Comments Off on MOMMY MONDAYS: TIPS FOR THE UNCONTROLLABLE SCRATCHING TODDLER
I love how the 'Incredibles' movie finally showed moms as we truly are: Super Heroes! And this coming Monday will be the start of "MOMMY Mondays". A chance for moms to share with other moms who may be new to eczema or may have run out of ideas on our SMN Facebook page! With every Monday comes a new topic, idea or question. Most of us can imagine this: Walking past your little one's room and you can't help but hear your uncontrollable scratching toddler at work! And as you get closer, you notice new red patches. Immediately, you move into action (like the super Read More
Last Updated October 4, 2012 By Andrea in Allergies, Scratching, Skin, smnblog with No Comment
What is that? How does it start? When does the madness end? Does it end? These are some of the many questions that cloud parents' minds after their child has been diagnosed with eczema. If you have never experienced eczema before, it can be shocking to see the inflammed patches take over your little ones body. And the scratching can be literally nonstop! Not to mention, the bewildered looks from strangers looking at your child's skin. So what's a parent to do? So what exactly is eczema? Eczema goes far beyond dry skin or a bit of an itch. Read More
Last Updated October 29, 2014 By Andrea in Allergies, Food, Itchy Skin, Scratching, Skin, smnblog with Comments Off on DAIRY ALLERGIES JUST GOT EASIER
In the US, the American cow has taken over. We are addicted to dairy: cheese, yogurt, and especially milk. Yet, having a toddler with dairy allergies can prove to be challenging unless you're open to new ideas and flavors. Today's technologies and innovations has given us many alternative options: rice, soy, almond and goats milk. New to some and known to others, I've recently come across hemp milk. There are pros and cons to any milk outside of breastmilk. Will it have enough nutrients? Is it medically healthy? Does it contain omega-3 and 6s? Is it safe? What are the Read More


text: MOVIES 'Lovesong,' Starring Riley Keough and Jena Malone, to Kick off Sundance Next Fest 11:42 AM PDT 7/6/2016 by Gregg Kilday FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Courtesy of Sundance Institute 'Lovesong' The mini-fest, featuring six films from this year's Sundance Film Festival, is set to run Aug. 12-14. So Yong Kim's Lovesong, a love story starring Riley Keough and Jena Malone, will kick off Sundance Next Fest, which is set to run Aug. 12-14 at the Theatre at Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. The fest will present the the Los Angeles premiere of six films from this year's Sundance Film Festival, and each pic will be paired with a music act, live performance or conversation. Lovesong will screen alongside a performance by Shamir. In advance of the mini-fest's kickoff, on the Night Before Next, on Aug. 11, The Birth of a Nation director Nate Parker will receive the Sundance Institute's Vanguard Award. An outdoor party following the dinner will feature a live musical performance by White Sea, fronted by Morgan Kibby, formerly of M83. The Next Fest lineup also includes the coming-of-age comedy Morris From America, starring Craig Robinson and directed by Chad Hartigan, and a local teen talent show, hosted by Robinson; the New York-set White Girl, about a college student trying to get her drug-dealer boyfriend out of jail, followed by a conversation with its writer/director Elizabeth Wood; Andrew Neel's fraternity drama Goat, starring Nick Jonas, which will be paired with a performance by the band Sunflower Bean; a showcase of comedy short films from the Sundance Festival, hosted by comedian Nick Kroll, followed by a Short Film Master Class for filmmakers; Babek Anvari's Iranian horror movie Under the Shadow; and, as the closing film, Jim Hosking's The Greasy Strangler, accompanied by a live performance from a surprise music artist to be announced as well as the world premiere of Flying Lotus' directorial debut, the short film Royal. "This year's Sundance Next Fest showcases stories from all over that still hit close to home," John Cooper, director of the Sundance Film Festival, said Wednesday in a statement. "Tied to music performances by breakout artists and extended conversations with prolific filmmakers, this weekend celebration is an indie oasis in a summer of big-budget blockbusters." The fest also will include Next Door, a free outdoor entertainment venue next to the theater for attendees to mingle and enjoy drinks, snacks and sponsor activities before or after a screening. Tickets for the Next Fest events, which range from $15-25, go on sale to Sundance Institute members today and the general public on Thursday at sundance.org/next. Tickets for the Night Before Next outdoor party start at $150 and include an Institute membership at some levels. FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Gregg Kilday firstname.lastname@example.com @thr