Comments on: A Quote from 1747 Just As True Today

By: Jerry

Jerry — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:11:00 +0000

I am looking for a little direction here… I have a granddaughter in a very bad position inwhich she is becoming (in my opinion) a victim to medical malpractice. She”s had a history of unusual reactions to meds, for example Ridlen actually hyped her up and triggered outbursts. At the age of 16 she became addicted to streetdrugs and stole her cousins car to go get her drugs and was arrested for Grand Theft Auto while her drug dealer escaped on foot. She was placed in the custody of Okla Juvenile Affairs (OJA) and sentence to 7 mos in the Juv. Detent. system. Since no beds were available she spent months in a holding facility where she was diagnosed “in depression” and given Prozac that triggered irratic behavor and violant outbursts and she made comments about hearing voices. When she finally got a bed in a private JUV Detent Center she was refered to a mental health facility that added Abilify to her presciption. She than become suicidal. She was then transfered to that mental facilty where she made several suicide attempts, one of which she was actually able to choke herself unconscious using a pillowcase while being under a 24 hr suicide watch. A little research on my part revealed a very real possibility that her medication was causing her problems. I showed her court appointed atty evidence that Abilify causes suicidal tendencies and that when Prozac is used with Abilify it literally amplifies the effects. The atty refused to use my evidence because neither he nor the judge were doctors. The judge ordered that she was to remain under OJA custody in the mental health center and that since she was uncapable of making rational decisions on her own that the Mental facilty was authorized to adminster any medications that they deemed suitable. So now she is 17 in a mental health facilty, heavily sedated under the influence of medical doses that would knockout an elephant, under the custody of OJA, still exhibiting irratic behavor and violant outbursts but she is no longer considered suicidal and says that her anger makes her want to hurt herself. OJA says that she cannot begin her 7 month program until she is deemed mentally competent… Also when she was arrested she was very skinny, now living under sedation her pants size has gone from a Jr 4 to a Ms 14. What can be done to help this poor girl ??

By: Jeffrey Scott Bell

Jeffrey Scott Bell — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 05:07:20 +0000

A little more follow up – the basal gangia were also hypometabolic so there is evidence for subcortical involvement.

I should mention I had two possible internal head trauma events.

1. MVA with C2 and C3 fractures requiring a Halo brace for two months but no screening for or diagnosis of concussion other than the CT on my neck.

2. A bad fall on the ice with the back of my head hitting the ice first and everything else in the air as I was coming down. I’m pretty sure I had at least a mild concussion because I knew I was with a group of friends in general (acutally one of several youth leaders and a large youth group at an ice rink) but I could not remember my name or which people withing the group I knew. I went to check my blood sugar I think out of ingrained habit associating confusion with hypoglycemia and then started to take an insulin shot (again mechanical habit my glucose was not high) and fortunately another leader knew I had already taken my insulin earlier and saw the dazed look on my face.

A group of leaders prayed for me at that point and I started to regain normal awareness and I did not think much about it after that.

In both above cases there were no acute lingering effects and both predated my education for a BS in Sonogrpahy from the OUHSC which is a very demanding program. My grades and success were much higher for this than for my BBA in Marketing that happened before the Whipple and the two possible internal head trauma events.

The excessive daytime sleepiness and some mild forgetfullness began around two years after the two events above and around six years after the Whipple procedure.

By: Jeffrey Scott Bell

Jeffrey Scott Bell — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 03:17:26 +0000

Dr Amen. I saw your Improve Your Brain… show on OETA shortly after being forced to go on a medical disability due to “Brain Fog”, memory problems (MAJOR absent mindedness) and excessive daytime sleepiness all attributed to a confirmed diagnosis of Idiopathic Hypersomnia. I am only 45 years old and until a year or two ago was a highly respected cardiovascular sonographer at a leading heart hospital and on adjunct faculty for the local Sonography BS program.

MRI and EEG were normal so I requested a PET scan which was severely abnormal but I can not find a Neurologist or Psychiatrist in Oklahoma that knows what to do about it or believe the PET scan means anything without other diagnostic abnormalities.

My temporal, parietal, thalamus and posterior most occipital lobe all showed marked hypometabolism consistent with what is seen in advanced AD but I don’t have AD as far as they can tell and my psychological cognitive function tests mostly came back normal to above normal except for areas of attentiveness and mental focus which were well below normal.

I have done extensive research and know that the thalamus (especially SCN) is the major player in promoting either sleepiness or attentiveness and the amygdala and hippocampus are important pathways for the temporal lobes, parietal lobes are indicated in time perception (mine is way off) and my memory problems are mostly specific to recall of declaritive memory and although I never had ADD symptoms before the stimulent therapy I need to stay awake also seem to make it impossible to maintain an uninterupted train of thought.

I equate the symptoms and normal anatomic tests along with the mostly normal cognitive test results as my individual hardware components each check out as individual components but my “software” or “operating system” has crashed and remains unstable.

I also have brittle IDDM post Whipple procedure at 24 years old so there are blood glucose and gut digestive cofactors involved as well.

Any ideas? My insurance will not pay for out of state elective treatments etc as it is an EPO but I think your people are the only ones that might be able to help my brain to work again.

By: Terri

Terri — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:07:24 +0000

Our nation has an entire generation (and now on our second) of youth that are addicted to LEGALLY prescribed drugs: Xanax, Prozac, Lexapro, Seroquel….. and the list goes on..

This is frightening to say the least. Until oor unless our medical / psychological / hhealth providers begin to make different choices on treating the individual by including the BRAIN in a more holistic approach to various psychological, mental and pysiological disorders, I fear our nation is doomed to become a society of mindless, drug addicted zombies …… completely under the control of ‘the powers that be’.

Just my two cents.

Thanks for the opportunity to share.

By: Miriam Clevelandl

Miriam Clevelandl — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 02:05:26 +0000

I am mother and housemate to a 48 yr. old son suffering from (variously described as) ADHD and OCD. Needless to say, I am suffering too. He is very bright and taking a college course on the computer, has recently lost a job, and has a failed marriage in his history. He has trouble staying focused, which might well explain dropping out of college numerous times and spending habits that lead to more than one bankruptcy. I will read these books but he probably won’t.