Rates Of PTSD and Bi-Polar Comorbidity

Studies of bipolar patients have documented elevated rates of PTSD. Based on our review, representing 1214 bipolar patients, the mean prevalence of PTSD in bipolar patients is 16.0% (95% CI: 14-18%), a rate that is roughly double the lifetime prevalence for PTSD in the general population. Risk factors for PTSD that are also characteristic of bipolar samples include the presence of multiple axis I disorders, greater trauma exposure, elevated neuroticism and lower extraversion, and lower social support and socio-economic status.

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What You Think of Me

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Sleep Dialing 9-1-1

While Bi-Polar and PTSD are truly intrusive on the lives of patients and friends it does have some lighter moments from time to time.
 

Several years ago my doctors had changed my medicines after I could no longer take lithium.  One medicine in particular says in the side effect listing that it will give you strange illnesses.  Just what someone who suffers from nightmares and daymares need right?

I had turned in for the night about 10pm or so.  Several hours later I began to dream that someone was on top of me.  I struggled but I couldn’t move my shoulders off mattress.  I remember rolling to my left and stretching for my cell phone.  I watched my fingers walk, no crawl, to the phone.

I flipped the phone open and I dialed 9-1-1.  It was a female dispatcher who answered the phone.

When she asked me what my emergency was I told her I was being held down to my mattress.  That I couldn’t breathe because I was losing the air to my lungs.  

She asked me if I could describe the person.  I told her it was too dark and he was either masked or my eyes were blindfolded I couldn’t tell which. I remember starting to gasp for air and she asked if the other party could hear me, was the phone on speaker?  I told her I didn’t think so it was so close to my ear. She told me to breathe with her counting and that there was help on the way.

Being a very small town with not a whole lot of crime many still leave their doors unlocked when they go to bed.  She asked me if mine was open.  I told her no (I can’t sleep unless I know everything is secure).  Since it wasn’t she asked me if there was any other way responders could enter.  

I told her I thought I could reach the lock on the window.  Still thinking I was fighting someone off I somehow opened the window.  She told me they were seconds out stay on the line with her until they got to me.  

My next recollection is a pair of hi-tech books coming through my window and using my nightstand as a step down.

Moments later I recall opening my eyes and at the foot of my bed there were two paramedics, two firefighters and two police officers.

I looked at all of them with surprise (I am told) and asked them what they were doing in my house.  They told me I had called 9-1-1 telling them there was someone in my house, did I know where he went.  I am told I my face showed nothing but confusion.  They asked me again and I told them I didn’t know.

One of the paramedics suggested I needed to go to the hospital and get checked out.  

I reached onto the nightstand and I showed them the “warning” labels that come with your medications.  I told them in the listings that it would cause strange dreams.  They checked me out just to be sure I had didn’t have any other reactions.  

I have never been so embarrassed in my tired life. 

It wasn’t funny that night, but I can laugh at it now.