Blog - Dr Antoinette Miric

16 Nov 2014

All about Lamotrigine/Lamictin for non-psychiatrists

Lamicitin is an antiepileptic which is registered for use for Bipolar Disorder 1- maintenance phase, and Epilepsy. It is commonly used by psychiatrists to treat Treatment-resistant depression, Bipolar Spectrum disorders and mood instability associated with Borderline Personality Disorder. Lamicitin works on voltage sensitive sodium channels and gated sodium and calcium channels / sigma opioid receptors. What do you need to know about Lamicitin which your patients are taking? Pros Generally considered to be one the best drug on the market for Bipolar Disorder II, due to its antidepressant and mood stabiliser effect. Weight neutral. One of the safest meds to […]

19 Nov 2014

Are Psychiatric Medications addictive?

19 Nov 2014

Coping with holiday stress

This time of the year is often hard for people who suffer from mental health issues since there are extra pressures on finances, relationships and reminders of loved ones who may not be with us. A few simple tips to cope 1) Sleep: One of the most important things for maintaining mood stability is ensuring good sleep patterns. If you have been my patient you know how much I emphasize this. This article by Dr Colinda Linde is one of my favourite on the topics. 2) Substances: It’s a very tempting time of the year, especially for those who struggle […]

19 Nov 2014

What do you need to know about your psychiatric medication?

19 Nov 2014

A tragic case of a depressed mother

Women’s Mental Health is once again in the spotlight after the sentencing of Tania Clarence for manslaughter for the deaths of her children. I can’t comment on that specific case, but it did make me think of a few things. One of the things that it highlighted was the need for support of women who are looking after disabled children. The amount of emotional strain they experience is unfathomable, especially in the face of a child with a terminal illnesses. Carer fatigue and depression is common, and mental health services can help a little to ease the carers suffering. Support […]

24 Nov 2014

What is the Bipolar Spectrum?

This article is primarily written for health professionals/mental health professionals who have some knowledge of psychiatric disorders. What is the Bipolar Spectrum? There are vasts amounts of research and literature around the Bipolar Spectrum concept, large amounts of it theoretical and academic. Even when studying for my psychiatry exams I found it a very confusing topic. In a nutshell, the Bipolar Spectrum is the spectrum between two polar ends of Major depressive disorder and Bipolar disorder. The concept of having either a Bipolar disorder I or II or a Major Depressive disorder is no longer black and white, and there […]