Jayson Blair

Army soldiers committed suicide in 2006 at the highest rate in 26 years, and more than a quarter did so while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to military reports. An increasing number of soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen are also returning with traumatic brain injuries, which often result in psychiatric and psychological problems. Failed personal relationships, legal and financial problems and the stress of their jobs were factors motivating the soldiers to commit suicide, the report shows. The Army has come up with materials to help friends, family members, commanders, colleagues and others to see the signs that a serviceman or servicewoman is at risk .

I often get questions about what can be done, in addition to medical therapies, to help with depression. Here are a couple of recommendations. First and foremost, regular and full sleep is perhaps the most important factor in preventing manic episodes and it has been shown to contribute to preventing depressive relapses. Another excellent tool is exercise, particularly exercise that promotes overall wellness and meditation, such as yoga. The fitness center website at McLean Hospital in Cambridge, Mass. has two good articles on the topic . In addition, adding omega-3 fatty acids -- found in fish and fish oil, as well as flax seed oil -- can be of great assistance. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry has a nice piece on omega-3s.

Good news -- I'm taking my life coaching work to one of the area's fastest growing psychological and psychiatric practices, Ashburn Psychological Services , a team of psychological and psychiatric professionals in Ashburn, Va. The team is run by Michael Oberschneider, Psy.D, a well-regarded clinical psychologist, his wife, Liz, a financial wunderkind. The other clinician-contractors are: Mehul V. Mankad, M.D. , a adult and forensic psychiatrist who was the former chief resident at Duke University, is considered one of the two top area psychiatrists by members of the bipolar support groups (he blends medication management and psychotherapy in a manner that is rare these days; and his ; Susan Hamilton, PhD ., a psychologist who is well-regarded by members of the group who have been treated by her and a former mental health chief at the American Red Cross; Margaret Wong, PhD., a very funny and nice child psychologist that I had met several months before when Michael helped the D...

I don't write much these days about my own past unless it has some relevance to the work I'm doing to help people now as a life coach and through the Depression Bipolar Support Alliance-Northern Virginia . But, for those of you have e-mailed with questions about the role that bipolar disorder played in my previous life, I should say that it did not cause my problems, mania and depression just added fuel to a fire that was already burning bright. You can read more in my book "Burning Down My Masters' House: A Personal Descent into Madness that Shook The New York Times" or you can read the free, cliff-notes version at The New York Times Company's About.com website article called "Jayson Blair has Bipolar Disorder."

Went to a fascinating talk last night by Dr. Alan G. Mallinger, a psychiatrist and unit chief of the Adult Outpatient Clinic's Mood and Anxiety Disorder Unit at the National Institute of Mental Health . Dr. Mallinger presented interesting findings and discussed research into medications that help reverse brain cell atrophy caused by repeated exposure to mania and depression.

Just finished listening to Frederick M. Jacobsen, MD, a psychiatrist-scientist and clinical professor of psychiatry at George Washington University, give a cool talk last night at the GWU Hospital auditorium on research on the response of people who have bipolar, depression and ADHD/ADD to strong emotional stimuli, a surgical treatment for depression, diagnosing bipolar disorder, the bipolar spectrum and the degenerative nature of mania and depression (e.g. more episodes increases the likelihood of more and worse episodes). Dr. Jacobsen pioneered research into the use of Trazadone, an anti-depressant, as a sleeping medication, and has a special interest in bipolar. He is a researcher, a teacher and treats patients. Dr. Jacobson discussed research by Helen Mayberg, M.D., a professor at Emory, into the reactions at patients with bipolar, depression and ADHD/ADD have in the amygdala portion of the brain when given stimuli. The amygdala is the region of the brain that governs memory and em...

Just came back from Politics and Prose bookstore in Northwest Washington where I attended a talk and question and answer sessions by Kay Redfield Jamison, PhD, the noted researcher and author of a memoir of her struggles with bipolar disorder, and her partner in the definitive book on bipolar disorder, "Manic Depresssive Illness: Bipolar Disorders and Recurrent Depression, " the former National Institute of Mental Health director, Frederick Goodwin, MD. Two women who are close friends of mine from the Depression Bipolar Support Alliance-Northern Virginia came along and we had a blast being able to ask specific questions of Drs. Jamison and Goodwin. I thought the discussion of recurrent depression -- a sort of bipolar-like depression that goes up and down often but never gets above quote-unquote normal -- was particularly illuminating. Got a copy of the book and plan to use it in treatment (mine and my clients).

Bebe Moore Campbell died recently. Campbell is a noted fiction author who strayed into semi-non-fiction in her book 72 Hour Hold , a story that was based on her own life and the life of her daughter, who has bipolar disorder. Campbell's novel explores the difficulties for parents attempting to help children with bipolar, and how family history can become clouded by the stigma of mental illness to the detriment of all involved in the process of helping someone recover. It's an excellent book that rings true with many of the loved ones I've worked with. Check it out.