It's Where I Am with Zandra Polard

Unknown Speaker 0:00
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Zandra Polard 0:44
Good morning Las Vegas. It's Zandra Pollard. It's where I am. Welcome to the show. We are on 91.5 jazz and more. It's where I am as a show that is about understanding and supporting and being aware of mental health issues and wellness. Okay, so today we are talking about depression, depression as it relates to those who are diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and today we have Brianna Hines, who is the president of the Depression bipolar Support Alliance. Brianna, thank you and welcome to the show.

Unknown Speaker 1:36
Thank you so much for having me.

Zandra Polard 1:38
Now I want to explain bipolar disorder as dB essays, what is this? Brochure? Explains it, and it is mood disorders such as bipolar disorder, formally known as manic depression. I didn't know that. And depression have affected millions of people during depressive phases, people feel very sad, lose interest in things, feel low in energy, have insomnia or too much sleep, feel worthless and may become suicidal. During those manic stages, they may be elated, high in mood, or very irritable, with an increase in activity and energy, grandiose beliefs, fast pressured speech and a decreased need for sleep. Well, hell, do I have bipolar disorder? You know, a lot of people do these self diagnosis right? And it's really not safe to do that. Or people will say things like, Oh, I'm just so bipolar, or she's just so bipolar, let's not flippantly, you know, throw that around. So part of this show is to educate the public about these disorders, right, right? So again, I appreciate you being here tell us about being diagnosed with bipolar.

Unknown Speaker 3:14
Yes, absolutely. So I was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder and bipolar disorder, with the bipolar type one disorder, to be specific, with depression and psychotic features after I graduated college in 2017 so I got diagnosed right after that in 2018 Okay, so I am originally from Prince George's County, Maryland. I graduated from Howard University. Hey, you know, yes, graduated from Howard University with a Bachelor's of Science in Elementary Education. Moved to Vegas with my family at the end of 2019, and I joined dbsa Around that same time by attending our in person support groups. Okay? And then we when covid happened, we moved to, you know, 100% online zoom meetings. So eventually, during that time, I became a facilitator for the group, and then I took over as president in 2022

Zandra Polard 4:10
okay, yes, because I am an ally. Yes. You know, my sister in law is diagnosed, and she was the previous, or the former president of dbsa, and so that's how I met you online, right? Yes, okay, so I have a family member who is diagnosed, and when I tell you, when one is in crisis, the whole family is, for sure, it's very difficult to support someone you know with this illness. And so what was it like for you on the other end of that, and what did you see with your family? What did you let's say, what would you accept? Except that you put them through.

Unknown Speaker 5:03
I think the metaphor that we were using through my more later manic episodes was I'm on the roller coaster. You guys are on the ground watching the roller coaster happen. Okay, okay, so that's a pretty good way to put it. Yes. It's like, they're like, ah, and I'm like, I'm actually the one with the highs and the lows, but they're, you know, standing on the ground wishing that they could help, but they, you know, there's only so much they can do, right? So, yeah, it took them. I've been diagnosed about eight years now, so lot of learning and unlearning, accepting, yeah, being patient with each other and yourself, right? And ourselves, for sure, and yeah, just being knowledgeable on how to help, and just learning what it looks like for me opposed to what it might look like for someone else,

Zandra Polard 5:51
right? So you've been diagnosed, and then it's like you said, the acceptance stage, right? Yeah, so you were still learning what I mean, what you're even dealing with? Yeah, right back in 2018 Yes, yeah. So then was it like, Okay, well, that makes sense, not

Unknown Speaker 6:10
necessarily, because, um, yeah, the cause of bipolar disorder, like, is is unknown. There's no exact cause for it. So, like, when you meet with your therapist for the first time after an episode or whatever's happening, and they're like, oh, did you have this issue growing up? And I was like, I don't think I had any significant things that I can pinpoint that happened to me growing up. But yeah, when it happened my first year of teaching, I was teaching kindergarten in DC, and that's when I started to have symptoms with with anxiety, for starting out and then leading to depression, a really bad depression, to the point where I quit my job, and then when I got deeper into it, after quitting my job, feeling guilty about quitting my job, that's When I became suicidal, and, you know, my family and spouse at the time, they, you know, recognized that I wasn't myself, that I needed help, and that's when I started therapy, and that helped a lot. But then it felt like out of nowhere for me personally, when I had my first manic episode and then I had rapid speech, grandiose ideas, wasn't eating, wasn't sleeping, for about five days. And that's when my therapist, you know, encouraged my family, you have to take her to a hospital so that way they can evaluate her. And then that's when I got diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Oh,

Zandra Polard 7:33
wow, yeah. So they were able to diagnose you pretty quickly then, right? Well, yes, did it take, like, a couple of visits, or was it right away? Well, okay, so

Unknown Speaker 7:44
when I started with my therapist, she was like, Okay, you definitely have general anxiety. And then they she was diagnosing me and her as well as my psychiatrist diagnosed me with major depressive disorders, since my depression was, you know, really bad to the point of suicidal ideations and attempts. So it wasn't until I had the manic episode, that's when they said, Okay, she has bipolar type one. Okay, so

Zandra Polard 8:09
there's a bipolar type one, and then there's the bipolar type two. Yes, okay. What is the type two? Okay,

Unknown Speaker 8:16
so let's see. Okay, so there are three, actually main types of bipolar disorder. There's another one. The third one is kind of like rare, but it does happen. Okay, so bipod two, yes, then we'll go to three. Okay, so, well, we'll start with one. So that's the type that I have. I have bipolar type one. We discussed one. Okay, so one, okay, so bipolar type two involves depressive episodes and hypomania, a less severe form of mania, like we were discussing before with the rapid speech. So people with bipolar type two may experience a major depressive episode before or after a hypomanic episode. Okay, so that's type two. Cyclothymic disorder involves hypomanic and depressive symptoms that last for at least two years in adults in one year and children and teenagers, these symptoms are less severe than major depression.

Zandra Polard 9:10
Oh, wow, yes, it's

Unknown Speaker 9:11
a D. It's a deep rabbit hole. There's a little bit more, actually, really well. So wait, when does the three I didn't even know about psychothymic I forget about that one always, yeah. So

Zandra Polard 9:20
that's like being depressed for two years straight, yeah,

Unknown Speaker 9:24
I guess, and not knowing you know what to do about it, because that's the thing. They all kind of not mimic each other, but they have the same symptoms, and it's it looks different for everybody. I guess that's the best way to put it.

Zandra Polard 9:37
So if you're depressed more than a week or two, I think you should be evaluated right for anything like if you're depressed, if you're sad for more than a week, I believe it's more than a week.

Unknown Speaker 9:53
I think it's closer to months on end. That's when you are when you

Zandra Polard 9:58
get a physical. It's. They ask you have been more than a week or two, something like that. So I'm just saying, if it's been a week or two, just check in with your doctor. Yes. Don't wait a month. You don't have to wait a month. Please get checked out absolutely, because you want to start with your health care provider. Yes, absolutely, yeah, and then get that referral, yep, to that therapist, psychiatrist, for sure. And you know, the hard part that we talk about a lot on the show is getting that support, like getting a therapy appointment, finding a psychiatrist or a psychologist, that's tough. You know, either you gotta find someone who does if you don't have insurance, you gotta find someone who does a sliding scale, right? You have to wait and see if anyone can even take you, and if they can, it may not be right away, yeah,

Unknown Speaker 10:53
we gotta see if they're accepting clients. Do they meet in person? Do they only meet telehealth? Like there's so many different variables. And

Zandra Polard 11:01
do you know what else is tough is people who are dealing with depression, and especially those diagnosed with bipolar disorder, it can be very difficult to get them in to the appointment. So it's like, Do you know how hard it was to even get this spot open for you, and then you may be too depressed to take it right. That happened. That happens a lot, because I worked on the business side of mental health as a Director of Mental Health at a mental health agency, and that was a frustration that clients wouldn't come in?

Unknown Speaker 11:43
Yeah, no. It's very hard when you have a deadline or you have something coming up. So even today, for me, I had a lot of anxiety for most of today, and even now she sees I have my stress ball in my hand that's helping me. I did a lot of deep breathing on the way here, listened to music, did all my coping strategies to make sure I was good. But

Zandra Polard 12:04
that comes from therapy, learning, understanding, you have a toolbox, right? So there are things that you can do, but we have to know what they are and what works for you, right. Then there's also the issue of, does this therapist work with me? Well, exactly, yeah. Because it's like, well, you finally got an appointment, but that may not be the one for you. Yeah. Then there's the issue of, you got this medication, but that may not be the medication for you. Oh, yeah, yeah. So what I've learned is there's a lot of trial and error with the medications. It is, yeah, tell us what that was like for you. Like, you don't have to tell us what medication. No, no. You know the just the journey of trying to find the right fit,

Unknown Speaker 12:59
right? Yeah. So I normally see my psychiatrist, minimum, once a month, like, just to monitor okay. How was this month? Did you have any highs or lows? And if we need to do a med change, then we check back in within two weeks to make sure I didn't have any side effects while taking the med for that two weeks. And if it's okay, then we'll keep monitoring it. Because you never know how your body changes, or, you know, your environmental stressors and life stress, stressors in general, can affect, you know, the highs and lows that come with bipolar. Yeah, and

Zandra Polard 13:31
the other thing that reminds me, people will feel like, Oh, I'm doing better, so I'm gonna stop taking my medication. Oh,

Unknown Speaker 13:40
I've done that. I did that when I first became diagnosed, and it's definitely do not. I do not recommend do not,

Zandra Polard 13:46
please do not do that. Yeah, yeah. You want to check in. Always check in, like Brianna saying check in,

Unknown Speaker 13:53
yeah. So even for me, I've been in therapy throughout the whole, you know, diagnosis, and I usually go at least once a week. I know some people, it varies, but I know having that safe space to talk through my thoughts and then have you know someone to professionally help me find coping strategies get to the root causes of certain issues, it definitely helps a lot. Key word,

Zandra Polard 14:17
professionally, yes, yes. But you know you are the president of dbsa, the depression bipolar Support Alliance. And what's so great about this group is that it is peer led. So Brianna, would you run the meetings you are diagnosed, and you are in support of those who are absolutely yes, and there's a spectrum as well, right? It's not like, you know, everyone's the same if you have this as a one size fit, all right, yeah, it would

Unknown Speaker 14:52
be a lot easier if there was a pill for a bipolar and everybody was able to take it. But you know what works for me and my. Now work for that person like there's so many different treatment options out there outside of just the usual like psychiatrist med route. And

Zandra Polard 15:07
I appreciate you coming on and being brave enough to share your story, because a you know, we are not alone. These Peer, peer led group, peer led groups are known to be successful Absolutely, and we have to spread the word, and that's part of what I do, and why it's so important the work that I do is to give this information to the public. Okay, absolutely, I

Unknown Speaker 15:35
appreciate you having me on it. I am happy to speak about my experience, because I know when I first found dbsa, finding that safe space among other people who understood, oh, this is what my depression looks like. This is what my psychosis sometimes will look like. This is what my anxiety looks like. Having that safe space to find other peers definitely makes you feel less alone out there,

Zandra Polard 15:56
right? And it helped me to understand how to be a better supporter. Yes, yeah, definitely, because it was like I only knew what I was seeing and dealing with and not realizing that there were others. Like in my mind, I knew there were other people who dealt with it, but just listening to the different stories, it's like I could match it up, relate. I could relate like, Okay, this is what I saw. Okay, that makes sense. Now, before you know, I thought the answer was to do something. I thought was the right thing to do, right? But you learn better and you do better, yep,

Unknown Speaker 16:41
the learning curve for sure. My family has learned a lot over the few years, and like I said, they would work with my therapist and ask me, okay, well, what did your therapist think about this? Or what does your therapist recommend? Because yeah, that that is the person with the most knowledge, and they, you know, would communicate with her and just try and see how best they could help if something was happening and they didn't know what to do, right? Or, like I said, research it. You know, there's plenty of resources out there. The Mayo Clinic, they have good information about, yet, bipolar disorder as well as depression,

Zandra Polard 17:16
okay? And then also, you were talking about Nami, yes, yes. So Nami has something coming up really soon. Yes, yeah, tell us about that.

Unknown Speaker 17:28
So Nami is the National Alliance on Mental Illness, so the Southern Nevada chapter as well as, I think, Northern Nevada, but the one that's closer to us right now, they have Nami walks a mental health walk for all. So that is October 19, okay, yes, so that's coming up, yep. So dbsa will have a table at their event. They have a lot of mental health tables and other resources that resource nonprofit groups out there that are helping, you know, with this mental health journey. Yeah, so

Zandra Polard 17:58
that's where I bet, I believe it's Dr Jacobs, I'm not sure is it? Dr Jacobs, well anyway, shout out to Nami. Love them, but I attended one of the walks. Where is the one this year?

Unknown Speaker 18:12
Because I have it in here somewhere. I have, this is my dbsa notes.

Zandra Polard 18:18
I'm like, it's all over the place. Oh, okay, well, it's no problem when you find it, just let us know. But I think it's a great way to spend the day. You know, we're trying to break that stigma and those barriers surround it, around mental health. Yeah, and so there's all kind of walks this month, but namis is yes,

Unknown Speaker 18:41
so Nami walks with NAMI Southern Nevada is October 19, 2024 at Lorenzi Park, 9am to 2pm and you can find more information about the walk at WWW dot Nami walks.org/southern, Nevada.

Zandra Polard 18:57
All right, thank you for that, and we hope to see you all out there that day on the 19th. So now I want to talk about the different stages, right? So it explains with both that there is a Hypo and a hyper state, hypo meaning down, right. Hyper meaning up, high, up. And depression, okay, so if you're hyper, how do you have depression, too?

Unknown Speaker 19:33
It's a very interesting thing. Like, I know, like, what does that look like for me? Like, I'll be laughing and joking, singing, all that. That's the hyper. And then the next minute, I'll be crying. And, you know, sad, like, it really can go, it goes, you know, pretty quickly, like,

Zandra Polard 19:50
laugh, clown, okay, you're too young to know the clown is happy, but he's really sad inside. Yeah, yeah. Like,

Unknown Speaker 19:59
it. The littlest trigger can, you know, cause a manic person. That's why it is, you know, very sensitive when someone is having a manic episode, that they could be happy and energetic, and then something will trigger them to the point where they get super depressed, they cry. And that's like, oh, Brianna is

Zandra Polard 20:15
fine, yeah, no. And it's like, no, Brianna is not fine. Brianna's crying now, yeah. And

Unknown Speaker 20:20
it can lead to a quick decision of suicide. So that's why it's very you know recommended during manic episodes, for sure, that the person you know seeks treatment in a hospital or facility where they can be monitored and their moods can be monitored and they can be medicated to help with their symptoms. Okay, wow.

Zandra Polard 20:44
So if you feel or think you may have any of these symptoms related to bipolar disorder, do not self diagnose. Speak to your healthcare provider, start there and then seek out a therapist? Yes, absolutely. So now I want to move on to triggers. I'm sure everyone's triggers are different, but what do you mean for those who don't know what's a trigger?

Unknown Speaker 21:17
So a trigger is an event or an action that can cause a reaction in the person who's diagnosed. Okay? So, for example, when I first got diagnosed, change of season, like seasonal depression, I think that was part of when I got diagnosed, winter time. I was just like, Oh, I hate it. Like the sun is going down earlier. It's too much darkness, and that was one of the triggers for me. Okay,

Zandra Polard 21:43
okay. Now, what are triggers as it relates to verbal Yeah,

Unknown Speaker 21:53
like, for some people, that could be authority, authority figures, okay, like, for example, if I'm if I get stopped by the police and I'm a little manic, and if they say something to me that I don't like, I would react not in a calm manner. Okay? So for some people, it's like that.

Zandra Polard 22:10
That's why it's important for our police officers, officers to be educated in the mental health space, absolutely right? Because, I mean, they don't know, you know. I mean, we're happy for those who do yes, but there are many that don't absolutely and so I'm also grateful that we have a program in Las Vegas where mental health professionals go on 911, rides or calls with the police or ambulance to not talk down, but to assess deescalate. De escalate. Yeah, yeah. Situations, yes,

Unknown Speaker 22:51
yeah, because I know that is a fear for a lot of persons with when the police are called because of a mental health situation. Are they trained? Do they know what to do? Because for some, for some, you know, substance, you know, issues, it can look like a manic episode. It can look like psychosis, where the person is doing things that don't seem, you know, normal or very out of the ordinary, and you're like, what's going on? And it's like, this person isn't violent. They are just, you know, not in their right frame of mind, right?

Zandra Polard 23:21
And then there's also the issue of self, self medicating, yes, yeah. So then it's like, Oh, I feel better. I'm going to stop taking my medicine. Then I'm just going to smoke a blunt, or I'm going to have a couple of drinks, or I'm going to take this pill, and then your body reacts to that substance, yeah? And sometimes, for me, for the person that I was in support of, hey, they hit that joint, and it's like they went into a whole manic episode. Yeah, they didn't get relaxed. No, they got hyper. Yeah,

Unknown Speaker 24:02
that that has happened to me as well, and that's why I began my recovery journey, because I realized that substance use, whether it be alcohol or drugs, can influence, you know, the tradec, the trajectory of bipolar disorder, yes, like marijuana, for example, depending on the strain, can send you into a low or a depression. Same thing with alcohol. Certain alcohols can elevate you, and it's just it's never a good thing after a few days down the line, if you smoke or drink that Friday, but that Monday or even the next day, your body is going to react, because it's already enough going on in your system,

Zandra Polard 24:38
exactly. And Alcohol is a depressant itself, yeah, yeah, so, and I think that's why I'm because, you know, a lot of times, you know, I'll I gotta speak against marijuana. Don't hate me, y'all. But I do because of my experience, my experience dealing with someone who is on the spectrum, and. And seeing that reaction from that drug, you know, I'm just totally tippy toes scared of marijuana, yeah, so be careful out there. Just be careful first. Yeah, do you? But be careful, yeah? So we're talk. We've been talking about dbsa, depression, bipolar Support Alliance, which is a peer led group here in Las Vegas, and we've been talking about bipolar disorder mostly one, but there's a two and a three out there y'all. So I want to thank Brianna Heinz, who is the president of dbsa here in Las Vegas. Can you tell our listeners where to find these meetings?

Unknown Speaker 25:46
Yes. So we meet in person twice a month. We meet on Zoom every Thursday. Okay? We actually just started our supporters meeting. Okay, so that's 100% on zoom as of right now, but they meet the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. Okay? So we have in person. We have zoom every Thursday,

Zandra Polard 26:07
every Thursday at what time, six to 730

Unknown Speaker 26:10
I forgot about that. Yeah, all of our meetings are from six to 7:30pm

Zandra Polard 26:13
whether they're in person or online. Yes. And if they'd like to come in person, where do they go? Yes.

Unknown Speaker 26:21
So our in person meeting the first Wednesday of the month is the Henderson equality center that is at 1490 West sunset road unit, 120 Henderson, Nevada, our other location that meets every third Wednesday is Ross and Neal psychiatric hospital that is at 1650, community college, drive, Las Vegas, Nevada. And like I said, Zoom every Thursday, you can go to our website, dbsa, southern NV, for the meeting code and ID. And

Zandra Polard 26:54
I just want to add if you're having any feelings of suicide, or you're feeling really down and you need to speak to someone, there's always one 802 73, talk, yeah, all right. Well, I want to thank all our listeners for tuning in. I am Sandra Pollard, it's where I am. I'm here every Saturday at 7:30am and we'll be talking to you next week. Make sure you tune in. Thank you. Bye, bye. You

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