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Thanks to Jason Reynolds, who sent me an mp3 of a podcast interview with author John Gartner (pictured). Sadly, my tech skills are lacking, so I can't post the mp3. But please do click below and listen to the interchange. It's fascinating, and for those of us with loved ones who have hypomania, it helps explain a lot.
Liz Spikol is senior contributing editor of Philadelphia Weekly. She writes the award-winning column The Trouble With Spikol, which began as a chronicle of her struggle with mental illness, and has since expanded into humorous musings on everything from graphic novels to how to use a mop. She also writes the paper's book review column, Lit Gloss. This blog -- named one of the Top 10 Bipolar Blogs of 2007 by PsychCentral -- is about mental illness policy, news, personal journeys and more.
Comments
I didn't listen to the whole podcast. I was too irritated. First, the lead-in to the interview was really offensive. Could they be more stereotypical in describing people with mental disorders?
Second, Gartner is a psychiatrist, correct? He states that hypomania is not an illness, but a temperament. Well, actually, hypomania is classified as a mood state, which is part of the larger illness, bipolar disorder. Most researchers draw a distinction between bipolar disorder and temperament.
Finally, what made me stop listening was Gartner's insistence on focusing on euphoric hypomania. It also can be dysphoric. So Garnter's description of hypomania as a happy fun time is dangerously misleading. What a shame. It's bad enough when laypeople put out bad information. When experts do so, it's disgusting.
Posted by: spotted elephant | September 26, 2006 09:34 PM
Have you heard anything about the book "Shock" by Kitty Dukakis and Larry Tye. They were interviewed today on NPR and it was very interesting to hear her story. I sent along the URL http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6145727
Posted by: sandy | September 26, 2006 10:19 PM