Michael Dow Of Dow Creative Enterprises On The Benefits Of Using A Family Approach For Treating Bipolar Disorder
An Interview With Stephanie Greer
People with bipolar disorder can sometimes choose to be hypomanic or go into a manic episode because they may feel that their creativity is at its maximum during those times. Family members need to keep a watchful eye and calmly advocate for a quick doctor’s appointment if a relapse is about to occur.
Bipolar Disorder, a condition that affects millions around the world, not only impacts the individual diagnosed but also their surrounding family. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the journey towards mental wellness is not solely an individual pursuit but a collective one. Incorporating family perspectives and integrating a family approach in treatment methodologies can be pivotal in achieving holistic healing and stability. As a part of this interview series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Michael Dow.
Michael Dow is a Registered Nurse practicing in an inpatient psychiatric hospital and holds three Masters degrees. Michael is the author of the multi-award winning Nurse Florence® series which introduces kids to some medical words in every book. Michael is also the author of the Nurse Dorothea series which is about mental health for teenagers and young adults (www.NurseDorothea.com).
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we start, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your background and your childhood backstory?
My mom is from the French Speaking area of Canada (Quebec) and my dad is from Alabama. They met by happenstance. My dad was working a lot, so I learned French as my first language from spending so much time with my mom. I unfortunately was not very well-prepared for kindergarten for English, so my mom and I watched a lot of Sesame Street, Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Rogers to get my English up to speed. This was the first of many times in my life I was brought out of my comfort zone and had to grow. I was, at best, a mediocre student in High School and then dropped out of college because I felt I was wasting my parents’ money. I later went back and developed a laser focused attention on my studies and excelled. I like to joke that my punishment from the universe for dropping out of college and stressing my parents out was to get 5 college degrees. I was getting my second bachelor’s and planning for medical school and then the events of Sep 11, 2001 happened. I chose to change my career direction and put in an application to the US Air Force. Again, I was moved out of my comfort zone as evidenced by old friends saying that I was one of the most pacifists they knew. I served 8 years in the military. I then, luckily, landed into my second career as an Army Wounded Warrior Advocate. I served 8 years in that position helping combat PTSD Veterans access all of their benefits and resources. I then used my GI bill, which was about to expire, to go through an accelerated nursing school program at the University of Arizona (15 months Master’s level program to be able to take the NCLEX). I graduated, passed the exam and then started working immediately as an inpatient psychiatric nurse and am loving it (the job does have challenges like every job has challenges, though).
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Florence Nightingale said, “Let us never consider ourselves finished nurses…we must be learning all of our lives.” My 5 college degrees are evidence I am a believer in this life quote. There is so much to learn in all parts of our lives as well as skills that need to be refined that we have a better chance of success if we are always learning and improving.
Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. Can you tell us a bit about your background and your professional career treating patients with bipolar disorder diagnoses?
I have been an inpatient psychiatric nurse for the last 4 years. Every day, we encounter people with severe mental illness and bipolar disorder is one of the diagnoses that we must help manage. I give medications as ordered by the Psychiatrist to help people with bipolar disorder manage their illness. I lead nursing groups to help give people motivation and increase their insight into their lives as well as their disorders. I try to increase the amount of healthy coping skills people can use to manage their condition. I choose transformational leadership as a floor nurse as a great tool to lead a unit and ensure patient safety as well as a therapeutic milieu.
When you work with patients, I understand that you often integrate family or friends into the treatment process. What do you consider the 3 primary benefits of including family?
Having a strong support network is crucial for anyone with a mental illness. The first primary benefit for people to have family in their lives who are supportive is to help prevent relapses. Family members can quickly identify declines in mental health and advocate that the person get an intervention as needed to stabilize. Another benefit is personal integrity. What I mean by this is that a person usually has a past without mental illness and their current self that will be dealing with the illness for the rest of their life. Having someone in your life that has known you all your life and still accepts you and encourages you to grow is essential for the integrity of self. A third benefit of having family in a person’s life is that the person can possibly more easily maintain strong and healthy relationships. Every family is different regarding possible substance abuse and mental health struggles, but there is a possibility the person with bipolar disorder may have strong and healthy relationships with people that may be free from a severe mental illness.
What are some of the challenges you run into when working with families? How do you balance responding to the needs of the family with the needs of the patient?
Compassion fatigue is a common problem. This is why all people should practice self-care so that they have the energy and patience to help those around them since we all will eventually interact with someone with a disease or illness. Patients come first and as a nurse, I am there to provide emotional support to help them adjust to their new normal if they are newly diagnosed or be a role model as someone using healthy coping skills. Families are only told about care and treatment plans if Release of Information are signed by the adult patient for the other adult including family members. Sometimes, a patient does not want family members involved in their plan of care so we must respect that decision.
Family dynamics can greatly vary depending on the sociocultural backgrounds of the individuals involved. How do you tailor your family approach to respect and incorporate different sociocultural perspectives and values?”
It is true that different cultures approach mental illness in different ways. It is just part of a psychiatric nurse’s job to try to understand different cultures that are presented and respect other perspectives and values. It is hard sometimes. It seems a better way of approaching psychiatric nursing is to live in the land of ambiguity where the nurse is neutral about many things.
Likewise, inter-generational dynamics can sometimes play a significant role in the therapy process. Can you share any insights or experiences on how inter-generational understanding and communication facilitate the healing process?
Past generations seem to have avoided open discussion about mental illness and may have tried to force a “tough” stance of be strong, don’t cry, suppress your emotions, push through, and deal with it by yourself. When parents and family members learn that their support can be instrumental in the progression of acceptance and proper management of bipolar disorder, then relief can come to all involved in patient care including the patient. Bipolar disorder is a severe mental illness and needs to be addressed with empathy and concern to do what is best for the patient and the family as a whole. Family members can join support groups and discuss the challenges they face with their loved one so that compassion fatigue is avoided. Joining a support group will also help increase the medical vocabulary that needs to be developed to be informed and make educated decisions.
Many mental health professionals don’t have training in working with families. How did you learn the techniques you use and what would you recommend to professionals that want to learn more about this approach?
I grew in this knowledge first be helping combat PTSD veterans and their families with their benefits in my second career. The Army gave excellent training courses on proper caring of our veterans. Being around so many different people with varied diagnoses at my inpatient psychiatric hospital also let me see what worked and what didn’t regarding therapeutic environments and effective care. I recommend people in this line of work as well as family members caring for a person diagnosed with bipolar disorder to read as much as they can about the subject and talk to experts to always be learning.
Caring for a family member with bipolar disorder can sometimes be challenging and might lead to caregiver burnout. How does your approach incorporate strategies for self-care and support for family members who are involved in the caregiving process?
I advocate for self-care for all people. How can you be patient with others when you are burnt out and having nothing else to give. Self-care helps to replenish one’s peace, confidence, hope, and motivation. An excellent article about self-care by Harvard can be found at https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/self-care-strategies-for-success. Harvard also produced a book about self-care which can be purchased at https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/self-care.
Preventive education is often seen as a powerful tool in managing bipolar disorder symptoms. How do you integrate education and awareness for family members within your family approach to treating bipolar disorder?
I spend more time with patients rather than family members. In the little time I spend with family members, I encourage them to read everything they can on the subject and to contact NAMI which can provide further resources. Their website can be found at https://www.nami.org/.
What are 5 things you wish more people knew about people navigating life with bipolar disorder?
1 . There is hope that someone with bipolar disorder can live a full, promising, and happy life if they are properly medicated, have a strong support network, engage in therapies, practice self-care often, identify triggers for relapses, and share info to help others struggling since helping others can help yourself.
2 . Lithium is a common medication for those with bipolar disorder. Do not take NSAIDS which includes ibuprofen if you are on that medication since it can trigger lithium toxicity and require emergency medical care.
3 . A person with bipolar disorder needs to have a partnership with their psychiatrist so that if they become hypomanic, they coordinate the adjustment of their medication so that a manic episode is avoided.
4 . People with bipolar disorder want people to sincerely check-in on them and ask if everything is going well for them.
5 . People with bipolar disorder can sometimes choose to be hypomanic or go into a manic episode because they may feel that their creativity is at its maximum during those times. Family members need to keep a watchful eye and calmly advocate for a quick doctor’s appointment if a relapse is about to occur.
There is a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to mental illnesses, especially involving psychosis. What do you wish more people were aware of either in the professional field or the general public?
Stress can trigger an episode of psychosis so technically, we are all one life event away from needing psychiatric care. Be kind to others especially since you may be on the receiving end of care at some point in your life.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them. 🙂
Warren Buffett
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Dow Creative Enterprises® publishes new Nurse Dorothea books every 5 weeks. These are interactive books meant for families to read together, outpatient clinics to do as group activities, or to be read alone for those shy about disclosing their feelings. The books can be found on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/s?k=nurse+dorothea+michael+dow&crid=3DCMQS5CU8BN3&sprefix=nurse+dorothea+michael+dow%2Caps%2C163&ref=nb_sb_noss_1 and book reviews are linked on the main website at www.nursedorothea.com.
Thank you for your time and thoughtful answers. I know many people will gain so much from hearing this.
Michael Dow Of Dow Creative Enterprises On The Benefits Of Using A Family Approach For Treating… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.