Thursday, November 11, 2004

In Case You Missed Dr. Lelek's Visit

Dr. Lelek was a pleasure to have as a speaker as usual. He is a great supporter of self-help groups. He encourages everyone diagnosed with a mood or mental disorder to seek the help of those who have been there. Dr. Lelek feels that it is important to have the right medication for your disorder or disorders, a good plan of therapy with a therapist that you're comfortable with and that you trust, and last but by no means least...a support group. DBSA offers support, advice, and can direct you to professionals in the area that can help you.

Dr. Lelek says that he seldom sees patients with single diagnoses anymore. He is seeing more and more not only duel diagnoses, but also poly-diagnoses of two or more disorders. Many of us with bipolar children know that bipolar disorder often goes hand in hand with ADHD or other learning disorders. Dr. Lelek said that is why it is so important to use a psychiatrist that is familiar with all of the many psychotropic medications. These medications change so rapidly and new ones are being developed everyday. A general practionaner or your child's pediatrician just can't keep up with the combinations and the side effects. If you have a duel or poly-diagnoses it is often necessary to find a medication that will treat each of the diagnoses. This often requires taking a combination of an SSRI to fight depression, a GABA for the mania, a mood stabilizer to keep the bipolar symptoms at bay and depending on what else is going on perhaps another medication to address that issue.

We often think that we are going to become addicted to all these drugs we are taking, but Dr. Lelek assures us that we will not become drug addicts from taking medicines that our brains need to function at its full ability. This does not mean that you should ever just stop a medication suddenly. It is important to have your psychiatrist assist you in any decision to stop or change a medication. You may not go through psychological withdrawal, but you could become very manic or depressed suddenly and it will be much harder to control this episode if you stop a medication suddenly on your own.

Many of these medications also need time to start working. It is not uncommon to expect a month to pass before you really notice a difference. After that you need to give the medicine a chance, to see if it will be the correct medicine and dose for you. The medication rule is "go slow” when working with psychotropic medications. Doses need to be increased slowly and given time to work. It is also important to know the possible side effects and when to call the doctor. It is a good idea to let your doctor know immediately if you experience a rash or other unexpected side effects.

We always seem to get Dr. Lelek off his true lecture and onto a discussion about medication.
He is a Doctor of psychology, he also holds state and national accreditation as a drug and alcohol therapist, but he is not a prescribing psychiatrist. He has been working with drugs and their devastation since 1976. He is wonderful to talk to and very knowledgeable about the workings of the brain and how medications can affect those workings. So we tend to take advantage of his ability to put things in lay terms when it comes to medications.

We did discuss therapy with Dr. Lelek. He says he occasionally sees cases of SBS...Spoiled Brat Syndrome. Many of we parents might admit to seeing this syndrome in our own children. Even children who suffer with mood disorders can have this co-morbid syndrome. I know, I am guilty of giving into my child when he is behaving because it is so much easier than having him explode if I don't. Dr. Lelek told us that "Consequences and Stability" are two of the most important steps in regaining control over our children. I have tried to think of every possible "action" my child is known to commit and have made a list of the punishment these actions will result in. It is posted on the refrigerator to remind both of us to stick with it and be consistent.

Most of us probably attend or send our children to the old standard of "Cognitive Behavior Therapy." Dr. Lelek practices this, but has some new ideas that he is finding better results with. Like "RET" Rational Emotive Therapy... the main premise is "Change the thinking and control the feelings." Consistency+ Time = Change. I know many of us just wish our children would think, what we think of as, "normal." An example would be the child that has to buy the shoes NOW and will die if she doesn't get them. The "all or nothing" thought pattern that so many bipolar people, young and old, get into at times.

Dr. Lelek suggests using "Reality Therapy" with teens. Make them responsible for their behavior, and the consequences of that behavior. It is important to let a teen feel that they have some control of their life, but let them know that with that control comes responsibility. With all these therapies it is important to encourage the self-esteem of a child or teen. This is often a stumbling block for those afflicted with a mood disorder.

Dr. Stanley Lelek has an office in Valparaiso at 8 N Morgan Blvd. 219-464-9495. He takes most health plans and government subsidized plans. He also believes that treatment is the most important issue and he is there to help people not to get rich. We at DBSA want to thank him for coming to speak to our group once again.