Subscribe to our newsletter. On the day when the United States remembers its war dead, we remember the people who lost the war with manic depression and committed suicide.
Dual diagnosis is defined as a chronic mental illness coexisting with a substance abuse disorder.
Abby's bipolar mother showed viewers a harrowing look at a major depressive episode followed by a suicide attempt. This portrayal continues to be one of the most accurate to date on American television - but has some serious flaws. A study published in April 2001 finds that there is a significantly higher risk of major birth defects when one or more drugs such as Depakote or Tegretol are taken during pregnancy. Tests and Toxicity Tests have to be run before starting lithium therapy to make sure it is safe and appropriate for the patient. More tests have to be done throughout the course of therapy to make sure blood levels are within the safe and effective range, because lithium overdose can be very dangerous.