War And Peace

War And Peace

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Isaiah 26:3

When we think of peace, we often think of a world without war or violence. But for some people, the war that rages isn’t in a foreign country somewhere; it’s in their heads. When Kari came to see me, her thoughts were warring against her body.

“I don’t know what’s going on,” she said. “I can’t sleep. My mind keeps running over things that I should have done, should be doing, or have done wrong. I keep obsessing about this or that. I’ve tried counting sheep, but then I obsess about how the sheep look. I have so many crazy thoughts running through my mind.”

As Kari spoke, her words seemed to race in motion with her thoughts.

“Let me ask you a few questions,” I said. “First, are there ever times when you feel overly energetic, even though you may not have slept in the preceding three or four days?”

“Yes!”

“Do you have habits of checking, double-checking, and maybe even triple-checking the same thing?”

“How did you know?”

“Have you also had days or seasons with no energy and feelings of doom or dread?”

“Yeah, but I just figured I’m tired from all that I’ve got going on.”

“Kari, I think you may be struggling with bipolar disorder.”

A fairly common disease, bipolar disorder affects 2.6 percent of the population. Many people struggle for years with undiagnosed or misdiagnosed bipolar disorder. And often the typical symptoms of depression are what cause a patient to finally seek a doctor’s help.

In Kari’s case, we started her on one of the newer atypical antipsychotic medications, which helped her thoughts become more streamlined and less chaotic. As a result, her mind quieted and peace was restored—something she hadn’t experienced for years.

The last time Kari was in my office, she said, “I thank God for this new life he’s given me. My thinking is no longer scattered like the wind, and at night, I can finally rest. My life now has a sense of peace and tranquility that I didn’t even know existed.”

TODAY’S RX

If your life is like a seesaw, always up or down, and you can’t seem to balance out, it may be time to see your doctor.

Father, be with those who are fighting an illness right now. Take away their distress, and give them peace of mind. Thank you for seeing the bigger picture and knowing their route to recovery before anyone else.