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Bipolar Disorder/Expert Profile

Libby Bonner

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Expertise

I can answers questions from family members of adult patients with serious mental illnesses. I am most familiar with bipolar disorder [manic-depression] and schizophrenia. I use principles of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill to provide clinical info, emotional support, and practical suggestions, including finances/insurance. Emphasis is on family health; family preservation and functioning; coping skills; and effective communications with patients [consumers] and with providers of services. I am not qualified to help families with patients under 18 I cannot answer questions about herbal remedies.

Experience in the area

I have a daughter w/ bipolar illness. Have experience with clinical medicine/psychiatry through my work in a hospital library. I have taken and now monitor the NAMI Family to Family educational program and I facilitate NAMI family caring and sharing evenings.

What do you like about this subject?

There is nothing to like about mental illness but much to be admired about patients and their families as they struggle to reconstruct their individual and family lives after diagnosis.

What do you still hope to achieve/learn in this field?

Hope to train other NAMI caring/sharing facilitators. Hope to become a better help to my daughter. Hope to enlarge my NAMI affiliate's outreach services.

Something interesting about this subject that others may not know:

The symptoms of brain disorders [mental illnesses] are disordered thoughts, moods, and behavior. The 'bad' behavior that is symptomatic of mental illnesses is not chosen behavior, under the patient's control, and is not being directed to, nor caused by, those around him/her. Mental illnesses are caused by problems of brain chemistry; medicines are directed toward correcting these neurochemical p

Something controversial or provocative about this subject

Brain disorders should be, but are not, covered by insurance equally with other illnesses, surgeries, and accidents [insurance parity]. The seriously mentally ill who are so symptomatic that they can no longer make reasoned decisions should be treated whether or not they agree; however, they can make an advance psychiatric directive so that their wishes will be honored when they are ill as to who

Average Ratings

Recent Reviews from Users

User	Date	K	C	P	Comments
E. Myles	04/26/10	10	10	10	Thank you for your time and advise .....
Ken	03/19/10	10	10	10	Very good, I really needed the help .....
tai	03/06/10	10	10	10	The best advice on AllExperts.Thanks Libby .....
Selina	03/06/10	10	10	10
Paula	01/22/10	10	10	10

Recent Answers from Libby Bonner

2010-03-21 Horror:

Panic attacks, if it was one, are horrible experiences. And Ritalin can be a cause. [I, by the way, am NOT a doctor.] Have you not had this entire conversation with your own doctor? Does s/he think

2010-03-16 Bipolar and agressive behavior:

Then you are doubtless bipolar. Are there any free clinics near you? They probably won't have a psychiatrist, but often can fill psych Rxs.........and might be able to assist you in connecting w/ a

2010-03-15 Bipolar and agressive behavior:

You need to be prepared to go to an ER if needed, and you must find out if there are one or more crisis lines you could call. Your wife needs to identify women's shelters and be prepared to use them.

2010-03-14 Bipolar g/friend wants 'space'. How to handle?:

Uh oh - do you have NAMI affiliates in au? You need to be in a nami.org support group and to take their FAmily to Family class. Your girlfried in pretty sick and is uninterested in getting better.

2010-03-06 bipolar progression:

Thanks much. Keep learning and reading, so that you can be part of the treatment team. You should be informed and reasonably assertive w/ docs. Passive OR aggressive aren't the only choices. Politeness

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