Lit with Fire

A librarian's thoughts about #livingwithMS #bipolar and #drugaddiction

 

Hi, there,

After recently participating in a terrific Human Library event at Miami Dade College, I have been asked to reach out and share messages of hope with a wider audience.

As one who has suffered for many decades with severe physical and mental illnesses, as well as drug addiction as a young adult, I want to be open about these challenges so that others facing similar issues might see that there is a way out no matter how bleak life appears. Specifically, my goal is to educate and inform people suffering directly or indirectly with multiple sclerosis, bipolar disorder and drug addiction.   

Librarians by nature are inclined to share information. There is no agenda, no one wants your money. Just an old librarian who spends his free time scouring various science and medical journals searching for answers to many of life's puzzles. 

Over the decades, I have met only a few doctors who after medical school take time to read and study the current scientific literature. As a volunteer medical research librarian for NutritionFacts.org, I spend spend hours each week locating, organizing, and interpreting large amounts of data. 

Each blog post will address a serious topic and will have a link at the bottom that points to a relevant, evidenced-based scientific study for further review.

If there is something you would like me to research and write about that relates to one of the above-mentioned illnesses, please email me and I will consider it. theo@litwithfire.com

In the meantime, stay lit!

Sincerely,

Theo Karantsalis

 

 

 

Using high-potency marijuana on daily basis increases risk of psychosis, study finds

 

BY THEO KARANTSALIS

SPECIAL TO THE MIAMI HERALD

People who used high-potency cannabis on a daily basis — with THC levels exceeding 10 percent — were nearly five times more likely to have a psychotic episode, compared with those who didn’t, according to a new study in The Lancet Psychiatry.

In Florida, THC levels can be even higher in products sold for medicinal marijuana.

“The THC levels are as high as 90 percent on concentrated products and 30 percent on flower,” said Victoria Walker, a spokesperson for Trulieve, one of the largest medical marijuana dispensaries in Florida.

Trulieve was the first Florida dispensary to start selling cannabis flower after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law on March 18 that revoked a ban on smoking medical marijuana.

In the study, conducted by researchers at King’s College London, researchers collected data on 901 cannabis users, between 2010 and 2015, who were diagnosed with first-episode psychosis after presenting themselves to mental health services during this period. The 901 were culled from 11 study sites across Europe and Brazil.

The 901 were compared with 1,237 individuals in the healthier control group. The study participants were between the ages of 18 and 64.

The researchers concluded people who used low-strength cannabis on a daily basis — with THC levels below 10 percent — were three times more likely to have a psychotic episode, compared with those who had not used cannabis. These rates increased to five times more likely of having a psychotic episode if high-potency cannabis — with TCH levels of 10 percent or more — was consumed daily.

“Our findings confirm previous evidence of the harmful effect on mental health of daily use of cannabis, especially of high-potency types,” the study said.

The report from the United Kingdom comes as more states throughout the United States legalize marijuana for medicinal and recreational purposes. So far, 10 states and the District of Columbia have legalized small amounts of marijuana for adult recreational use, according to NORML, a marijuana advocacy group.

NORML officials said the study is premature and potentially flawed.

“Cannabis use has increased over the years, which puts doubt on the study as incidents of psychosis have generally stayed the same,” said Karen Goldstein, director of NORML Florida.

Added NORML’S national deputy director, Paul Armentano, in a blog post: “It remains premature at best, and sensational at worst to claim that a causal relationship exists between marijuana use and psychiatric disorders on the basis of this new paper.”

He added: “Subjects in the study self-reported their cannabis use. As a result, authors had no ability to verify the THC content of the marijuana consumed by participants.”

Others, however, say the study raises red flags and more research should be done.

“Unfortunately, marijuana has been classified as a Schedule 1 substance by the FDA, and thus hasn’t been studied completely,” Dr. Jennifer Treusch, an Arizona psychiatrist told ABC 15, an Arizona TV station. “We would greatly benefit from having studies done so that we could completely understand what marijuana is doing to the body and mind.”

News story: https://www.miamiherald.com/living/health-fitness/article228410199.html

Suggested reading: The contribution of cannabis use to variation in the incidence of psychotic disorder across Europe (EU-GEI): a multicentre case-control study 

Raising the roof, a manic flashback

 

BY THEO KARANTSALIS

Some past bipolar manic episodes, decades ago, were quite costly and here is an example of one that pushed the limits of safety and sanity. 

As with other periods of manic psychosis, I do not remember all of the details, but friends have helped me piece together parts of my past with old photos and bizarre tales.

Back home in the San Francisco Bay Area, during the '80s, I had a peculiar habit of cutting roofs off of expensive cars. And not all of them were mine. The photo shows a rare 1973 BMW 2002 tii which today, if in very good condition - and with the roof intact - could fetch upward of $35,000, or more.

But I didn't care. All that seemed to matter at the time was stripping naked and frantically smashing the windows of cars, chopping off the roofs, and then painting bizarre designs on them. Afterward, I would drive in circles around the block, smoke marijuana, and then head to the financial district of San Francisco in the wee hours and yell for all to strip down to fight our "repressive system." My rationale: the car roof just had to come off, as it, too, was "repressed." It just wanted to be free!

If this occurred in any other U.S. city, it may have set off a few alarms. But, hey, San Francisco. 

The feeling of the wind blowing my long, wild hair while flying across the Bay Bridge in excess of 100 mph seemed to put me in a trance, especially when I went through the lighted tunnel. It felt like I was manning a spaceship. Blasting defiant music, the only thing that mattered was going faster. And faster. And faster.

However, the trance faded away when the inevitable and deadly depression phase set in. In my case, it seemed that the higher I flew, the harder I fell. Periods of extreme emotion and unusual behaviors are common in people with bipolar when one goes out of bounds, it sometimes requires hospital care.

Photo: My best friend from childhood sits an old BMW 2002 tii after I cut the roof off during a period of manic psychosis. 

Suggested reading: Depression and Mania in Bipolar Disorder

 

Cartoons and suicide

 

BY THEO KARANTSALIS

The first time I decided to end my life was at age 12, in 1974, on a crisp spring day in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Weeks prior, I had been unable to sleep which exacerbated feelings of depression, hopelessness, and restlessness. Something inside my brain signaled that the only way out was death. There was no backing out.

As my mother primped her hair in the bedroom, I watched television while eating breakfast, which usually consisted of Cocoa Pebbles for me and Fruity Pebbles for my cute kid sister.  

Each morning, we would watch Cartoon Town before school and I usually had to fiddle with the rabbit ears to get Channel 44, a popular station for children. But this day was different, as once my shows ended, I grabbed a bottle of narcotics from the cupboard and skipped off to school.

Careful not to step on cracks, I took giant steps on the big squares and wriggled through the poles in the adjacent alleys without touching. If I messed up and stepped on a crack, it would force me to retrace my steps, and I didn't have time for that - I was off to die!

The feeling of my ensuing death was one of liberation, as I was going to a place where nothing could ever hurt me again. 

In my arms, a massive stack of books. They weren't for any specific class. Heck, they weren't even mine. I just collected them from the lost and found lobby, at school, and would carry them back and forth. 

As I approached the last block, I glanced left, then right, and kicked in a fence plank of a neighbor who had rubbed me the wrong way. And I did it just like Kung Fu did on television back then. Why not? It was my last day on earth, so I could do whatever I wanted. 

My favorite class was writing and I couldn't miss that. When class ended, I bolted to the fourth floor. Will C. Wood Middle School, in Alameda, only had three floors, but there was a staircase that led to the roof - a secret known only to me and the janitor. On the way, I stopped at the water fountain and shoved as many pills as I could down my throat. I was pretty sure that one tablet was plenty strong, so a handful would do the job. 

After about an hour, I felt dizzy, my mouth went dry and my ears rang. Outside, the sound of kids playing waned as they returned to class.  It was almost time to go to heaven, so I laid flat on the cold tile floor and got ready. Normally, I might have freaked out about it being dirty, but made an exception because I was going to a place where I no longer had to worry about germs, either.

I closed my eyes thinking that I might drift off to a final sleep but after a while opened them and everything was black.  Then a glowing green cave came toward me from up above. As I debated whether to step in our not, I started feeling very sick. My breathing became labored and I felt I was on the verge of passing out, and that is when I had regrets about what I had done. So, I decided to go home and cried for my mother on the way. 

No one was there when I made it home. Feeling confused, I went to bed without dinner and slept until the next morning. My ears rang for about a week and to this day I have partial hearing loss in my left ear that I have always blamed on loud concerts. I never told anyone and gave no outward signs that I intended to harm myself. 

Suicide risk among those with bipolar disorder is one of the highest of all mental illnesses. The earlier it strikes, the higher the risk. 

Photo: Theo Karantsalis at age 12, in 1974, shortly before attempting suicide for the first time.

Suggested reading: Suicidality in Pediatric Bipolar Disorder

Touched by an angel

 

BY THEO KARANTSALIS

Some of my earliest childhood memories include a series of fantastical colors and shapes in my mind that I have never been able to express. For example, each day of the week coincides with its own vibrant color and intricate design.

These complicated colors and designs do not ascribe to anything that I have ever witnessed in the real world.

At around age 8, in 1969, I had a life-changing vision. When I woke, still hugging a stuffed Snoopy that my Yiayia (grandma in Greek) gave me, a beautiful angel appeared in the corner of my bedroom, then vanished. It was magnificent!

Afterward, frightened by the sight, I did what any child might do - I ran and told my mother.

While it could be argued that this was an early episode of pediatric bipolar, I have always accepted this vision as real and Divine. It comforts me during life's tribulations as I continue to search for purpose and meaning in life.

Since childhood, I have searched for answers to many of life's questions. Where do we come from? Where are we going?

Research suggests that about one-fifth of children with bipolar disorder experience delusions or hallucinations during a mood episode.

Photo: Theo Karantsalis at age 8, in 1969.

Suggested reading: Bipolar Disorder in Children