I'm a patient of your son's (Josh) in Maryland. I've been seeing him for 8 years, since age 20, for bipolar disorder II and severe ADHD. My moods usually follow an SAD pattern, and he has had me using light therapy in the winter for years, as well as worked with me very closely in managing my medications and treatments, currently Adderall, Lamictal, and Wellbutrin. (this is a throwaway account for me, as my main one is not so anonymous)
First, I just want to say, you must've been quite an influence on your son, because he is a truly fantastic doctor. He is attentive, treats me like an equal partner in managing my disorder, discusses treatment options with me in depth instead of just telling me what he's going to try next, clearly stays extremely informed and up-to-date in his field-- he's the only psychiatrist I've ever had, but I know I got lucky with him. So kudos to him, and to you, for everything you both do! I've looked into your background with light therapy for SAD a bit in the past-- Dr. Rosenthal (Josh) actually never mentioned that his father pioneered the practice, so I was fascinated to find out and read about it!
I'm really interested in your new ventures into non-medication based interventions. What place do you think meditation could have in the treatment regimen of someone like me? Obviously a reddit AMA answer is not how I will make huge decisions about my treatment, but I'm curious what your thoughts are about this specifically, especially regarding its conjunction with medication and if you think somebody with bipolar disorder could ever manage long term without medication.
takeyourcrazypills35 karma
Hi Dr. Rosenthal!
I'm a patient of your son's (Josh) in Maryland. I've been seeing him for 8 years, since age 20, for bipolar disorder II and severe ADHD. My moods usually follow an SAD pattern, and he has had me using light therapy in the winter for years, as well as worked with me very closely in managing my medications and treatments, currently Adderall, Lamictal, and Wellbutrin. (this is a throwaway account for me, as my main one is not so anonymous)
First, I just want to say, you must've been quite an influence on your son, because he is a truly fantastic doctor. He is attentive, treats me like an equal partner in managing my disorder, discusses treatment options with me in depth instead of just telling me what he's going to try next, clearly stays extremely informed and up-to-date in his field-- he's the only psychiatrist I've ever had, but I know I got lucky with him. So kudos to him, and to you, for everything you both do! I've looked into your background with light therapy for SAD a bit in the past-- Dr. Rosenthal (Josh) actually never mentioned that his father pioneered the practice, so I was fascinated to find out and read about it!
I'm really interested in your new ventures into non-medication based interventions. What place do you think meditation could have in the treatment regimen of someone like me? Obviously a reddit AMA answer is not how I will make huge decisions about my treatment, but I'm curious what your thoughts are about this specifically, especially regarding its conjunction with medication and if you think somebody with bipolar disorder could ever manage long term without medication.
Thanks!
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