- With Mayo Clinic psychiatrist
Gabrielle J. Melin, M.D.
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Gabrielle J. Melin, M.D.
Gabrielle J. Melin, M.D.
Dr. Gabrielle Melin, board certified in general psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine, is looking for ways to empower patients and families dealing with chronic mental illness. She encourages patients to commit to working together with their physicians and health care teams.
Dr. Melin completed medical school at the University of Minnesota. She completed both her psychiatry residency and consultation-liaison fellowship at Mayo Clinic before joining the Mayo Clinic staff in 2001. She is medical director of Mayo Clinic Psychiatry Emergency Services in Rochester, Minn. She has special interests in emergency psychiatry, adult psychiatry and addiction psychiatry.
"Instilling hope is one of the most important things we can do for patients and families. Mental illness can be chronic and significantly impacts lives. Our goal is to provide the best treatment and education so that patients can manage their symptoms more effectively," she said.
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Depression blog
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Aug. 22, 2008
Bipolar isn't simple; there can be many sets of symptoms
By Gabrielle J. Melin, M.D.
Bipolar affective disorder is a disorder of mood that involves a depressive phase and a nondepressed or manic phase.
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The specific set of symptoms is important as some medications, such as Lamictal, are better for a mixed bipolar episode. Medications used to treat bipolar (mood stabilizers) are different than medications used to treat depression.
The manic phase is characterized by elevated or irritable mood plus 3 to 4 of the following symptoms happening during the same time period (at least one week continuously):
- Decreased need for sleep (feeling refreshed on little sleep)
- Decreased appetite
- Grandiosity (inflated sense of self worth)
- Distractibility
- Excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences (buying sprees, sexual indiscretion, foolish business ventures)
- Flight of ideas (talking and thinking that jumps from one topic to another-racing thoughts)
- Increase in activities involving school, work or social life
- Agitation
The person may also experience psychosis, which means being out of touch with reality. The manic phase is a change in previous life functioning that is not caused by drugs or alcohol. The manic phase alternates with a depressive phase.
The Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) is a self-screening tool that can be used in conjunction with a visit to a mental health provider. Mood swings alone do not mean you have bipolar. Borderline personality symptoms can look like bipolar and other mental illness, too. Time and accurate information help to make the correct diagnosis and provide the best treatment.
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