Bipolar Disorder

For generations, Tamoxifen has been the gold standard in treating breast cancer. Now there are indications that the manic cycle of bi-polar disease can also be treated with Tamoxifen.

Almost 6 million American adults have bipolar disorder, whose symptoms can be disabling. They include profound mood swings, from depression to vastly overblown excitement, energy, and elation, often accompanied by severe irritability. Children also can develop the illness.

Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness. People who have it experience dramatic mood swings. They may go from overly energetic, "high" and/or irritable, to sad and hopeless, and then back again. They often have normal moods in between. The up feeling is called mania. The down feeling is depression.

Bipolar disorder can run in families. It usually starts in late adolescence or early adulthood. If you think you may have it, tell your health care provider. A medical checkup can rule out other illnesses that might cause your mood changes.

Anti-Stigma: Do You Know the Facts?

Stigma is not just a matter of using the wrong word or action. Stigma is about disrespect. It is the use of negative labels to identify a person living with mental illness. Stigma is a barrier. Fear of stigma, and the resulting discrimination, discourages individuals and their families from getting the help they need. An estimated 22 to 23 percent of the U.S. population experience a mental disorder in any given year, but almost half of these individuals do not seek treatment (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2002; U.S. Surgeon General, 2001).

Some have suggested that Mozart suffered from Tourette's Syndrome, characterized by verbal and/or motor "tic" outbursts.

The Mozart-had-Tourette's camp may be right, according to a study led by Melvin Lyon, research professor of biological sciences in USC College. Lyon's team sifted through sonatas by Mozart and four other composers for the musical versions of "T-patterns": highly unlikely, repeating combinations of specific notes separated by a constant time interval.