Psychiatrist Claims That Many Bipolar Adu | ADHD Information

Very Interesting stuff . . .

From my ex-perience PARADIGHM's can be bad, but in this case they look like they can be COBAD.

DENVER/EWORLDWIRE/Sep. 27, 2005 --- Dr. William Niederhut, a Denver psychiatrist and Harvard Medical graduate, claims in a new book that many adults with bipolar disorders have ADHD and are suffering from an inherited disorder that he calls the Childhood-Onset Bipolar Attention-Deficit, or "COBAD," syndrome.

"These adults typically experience episodic depression, irritability, and anxiety beginning in their childhood years, along with symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)," said Niederhut. "The ADHD is an integral part of their bipolar disorder, and prevents them from responding fully to conventional treatment with mood stabilizers and antidepressants."

Researchers at Harvard first identified the syndrome in children a decade ago, but, according to Niederhut, "Psychiatrists studying bipolar disorders have been slow to recognize and successfully treat the syndrome in adults. Until now, the adult form of this syndrome has not even been clearly named in our literature."

Niederhut became interested in the Harvard research literature on children with the syndrome two years ago after both of his daughters were diagnosed with childhood bipolar disorders. He then recognized a mild form of the syndrome in himself and began to identify its features in many of his adult patients.

"I found that the syndrome is quite common in adults and can be successfully treated, often with dramatic results," he said. "Many of my patients with the syndrome feel well now for the first time in their lives, without symptoms of depression, ADHD, or mania. They are also functioning much better at work and in their personal lives."

For the past two years Niederhut has been refining his approach to treating adults with the syndrome. He has published his findings, together with a summary of the research data on the subject, in his new book, "The COBAD Syndrome: New Hope for People Suffering from the Inherited Syndrome of Childhood-Onset Bipolar Disorder with ADHD."

"My book calls for a paradigm shift in bipolar diagnosis and treatment," stated Niederhut. "Psychiatrists need to do more than stabilize moods for people with this syndrome. They must also identify and treat the ADHD that is an integral, disabling part of the disorder."

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CONTACT:
William Niederhut, M.D.
650 South Cherry Street
Denver, CO 80246
PHONE. (303) 331-0662
FAX. (303) 377-3849
EMAIL: WNiederhutMD@aol.com [QUOTE=Wordwoman]OK, so he's come up with a new label. What I want to know is how is the
treatment different? [/QUOTE]

Actually not a new label according to my therapist, but new information for me and another avenue of inquiry. Treatment is different for one than the other.

[QUOTE=Wordwoman]
ADHD and bipolar describe particular symptoms. If you have enough of
the symptoms on a predefined checklist, you "have" a disorder.
[/QUOTE]

Is that how they do diagnosis? Hmmm. I thought something was wrong when my therapist asked me to leave the room while my wife took off her clothes. At the time I just put it down to scientific progress. Now you're telling me that diagnosis is based on my symptoms!?!?!!? HA! No one could ever believe such a far fetched story!

[QUOTE]
The links are to the doc's own press releases, by the way, and there is
nothing in pubmed about this new discovery. Red flag![/QUOTE]

Hmm. Man releases book. Man writes press release. Conspiracy or fact?

In shadowy business circles they name this dark art - 'Marketing'.

It would appear that you're taking life a little too seriously again. Please report to Dr Ornado for re-education.

Fallen38628.1993402778

Looks like they are working on creating a disorder with every letter in the alphabet! LOL Wow long disorder.

I know they are always saying you have to determine which it is - bipolar or ADHD. Now I guess they are being like us - too lazy to figure it out so merge the suckers! ROFL!! Sorry - but that's just so funny!

I never got the bipolar - I told the psych when he started to screen me for it - "believe me it's not bipolar. My moods go from down to ok. Just ok. I don't get happy I get content". Until I got medicated I thought the emotion content and happy were almost synonymous. Seriously - happy wasn't in me since about 5 and that I'm told is very non- bipolar. They go from super happy to ready to commit suicide. My ex was bipolar. She was either happy in a cleaning frenzy or we had to get her food in bed because she couldn't get out. Sometimes for a month at a time.

I don't know how they are going to merge them. Not good as most of us - we get legitimately sad but to be bipolar?? Maybe a few. I guess we'll wait and see I suppose.

- Glen

OK, so he's come up with a new label. What I want to know is how is the
treatment different?

ADHD and bipolar describe particular symptoms. If you have enough of
the symptoms on a predefined checklist, you "have" a disorder.

If you make a new checklist, then you can put people into a new category
-- voila. If enough people accept it, eventually it becomes a standard and
it gets its own diagnostic code.

The links are to the doc's own press releases, by the way, and there is
nothing in pubmed about this new discovery. Red flag!

One of my closest friends is a neuropsychologist who told me that in the psychological community, they're beginning to talk about a complex of symptoms rather than specific disorders. In other words, bi-polar disorder, ADHD, and ADD are often discussed in terms of common symptomology and treatment.

I haven't followed up with either her or the literature to find out more about this trend but expect we may see more about it when the DSM V comes out or before.

While ADD (I really don't have much, if any "H" in my mix) fits me better than my original bi-polar II diagnosis, I definitely have some fairly mild (and less frequent since I started learning to manage them) mood swings as well, so this combination fits pretty well for me.

I've also noticed that most people who fit into this mold also have some form of OCD, although in my case, it's very limited. Although I'm a complete slob (although that's now changing), you'll never find an unfolded towel in my otherwise messy house nor do my hands ever stay dirty for very long--and haven't since I was a wee lass! Perhaps everyone has a few OCD-like habits which are "normal." But I have noticed some degree of it in most people who have these other conditions.

I expect that once they're able to do more fMRIs and the like on these disorders, they'll find an underlying brain physiology that explains a lot. Until then, it remains more theory and anectdotal evidence than hard science.

Damn. that fits me to a T. My doc's notes ARE the first part of the second paragraph. Spooky. it is scary stuff .. the more research they do, the more ominous it sounds..

Yeah I dont think it's an everyone thing. I was only interested because I also suffer from depression. I like the theory that ADD is like Schizophrenia, in that its a big jumble of various mild/moderate neurological disorders that are all catagorized under one umbrella.

this doc is not far from me. (cherry creek in denver is one of the ritzier areas, high-end shopping, huge homes, gated communities...) i am definitely going to look into this more.

the docs i have seen all thought bi-polar was me. the problem is, in what should be the manic phase, the only thing that sticks out in my behaviour is the multi-night insomnia. staying up for the better part of 3 or 4 days. other than that, it is just the absence of depression, and a mood that looks like adhd- can't sit still, hop from idea to idea, start projects w/great exuberance..)

my 15 y.o. son has been diagnosed bi-polar. i do not see adhd in him, though i do in his 1/2 bro. and mother. it's possible that if he is adhd, then i am writing those aspects off as having learned them from his parents, esp. me.

maybe i'm 'cobad'. i like that! i'm bad!, and even the dr. thinks so!

interesting theory nickled... my daughter, 10, is a compulsive liar.. maybe this could be a reason behind it... [QUOTE=seeker63]this doc is not far from me. (cherry creek in denver is one of the ritzier areas, high-end shopping, huge homes, gated communities...) i am definitely going to look into this more.

maybe i'm 'cobad'. i like that! i'm bad!, and even the dr. thinks so![/QUOTE]

Hi Seeker,

Do you mind fonting in a larger type? My readers don't focus well on your originals.

Thanks,

My spouse used to think I was a compulsive liar. we realized that all my live,
I've had to 'cover' that is, smoothly explain why I didn't have what I was
supposed to have in school, etc. People would think I was stupid beyond
belief if they knew everything I forgot.

when it rains, i wonder what windows i left open. everyday at school i
tensely wondered what surprises i would get.

I think it made me anxious! and it made me mask my true responses.

Maybe I am BP- but could I get that way from being totally stressed out as a
kid?

That's a good way to look at it. Obviously - when you look at all of us there's more than one thing going on in our noggins. Goes to show that it's more complex than one thing - but very much a particular disorder.

I wonder Fallen - maybe you're genuinely sad - life not going all that well? Many times we label times when we are justifiably unhappy as "depression" - very different from when we fall into that melancholy for no reason at all. I have asked many with ADHD if it's coming from a particular event or from something unknown and many times there is a good reason to feel sad. Hmmmmm..

- Glen

[QUOTE=GlenW]

- Glen

[/QUOTE]

And maybe we're all just forgetful, stupid and lazy :) I've suffered from depression for over 20 years, at this point I'm pretty sure it's not just because I'm having a rough day ;) I was diagnosed with it at age 14 after being depressed for 2 years and getting suicidal for no discernable reason, and have learned to deal with it over time. I can catch most of the episodes before they spin out of control. I've also found that a very low dose of wellbutrin helps a great deal with smoothing out the peaks and valleys.

I've been working with the Hallowell clinic using meds and psychotherapy to help combat both the ADD and to go through a lot of backed up crap in an attempt to clear whatever I can out.

You know, this makes allot of sense and I believe it,

I am being treated for Bipolar as well as ADHD. WIth this combo of treatment I do very well.

My son was being treated for ADHD, it sort of worked. Then they figured out he was bipolar as well, and added that to his treatment. Now he is doing much better.

It does not surprise me that there are parts of the brain that overlap, and if it missfunctions it effects several thought processes. I would imagine the nay sayers will state that BP people are just getting symptoms that appear to be ADHD, but are actually manic or Depression. The only trouble I have with that is when I get my bp meds yet don't take my add meds, My moods stabilize, but yet my adhd problems do not change. But when I stop my BP medication, but take my add medication. My moods go nuts, but my add gets better.

They are two seprate enities, yet related.. If my BP was causing my add, then taking my bp medication should improve it at least, not.

My psych first thought I was bipolar & keeps watching me for mania. But My hyper excited times are usually situational (like parties) and I sleep most nights although interupted.

Anyway, I read somewhere that bipolar & ADHD are kissing cousins. The same part of the brain is affected? What are the biggest differences between the two?

Should this be a different thread?