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THE MOOD TREE
Did you ever think about the phrase, "I'm in a mood?" Did you ever think about what it means? There are many reasons to be in moods: improper diet, chemical imbalance, stress, physical problems, manic-depression. Everyone has mood swings; the problem starts when the moods are too extreme. Pathology is a matter of degree, direction, and timing. Rosalyn Newport-Olsen said that mood disorders are more prevalent today, but there is help for patients. Several years ago, Olsen, who holds a master's degree in social work, is a licensed clinical social worker, and a board-certified diplomat in clinical social work, started to notice that her clients were not being heard or observed fully in terms of their range of problems. There were many symptoms that needed treating that weren't being treated.
Olsen believed she could make a tool that patients could use to better express what they feel so they could receive a more comprehensive diagnosis and more complete treatment. An affective disorder is a problem with your emotions, moods, energy levels, and view of yourself. Extreme mood swings are often caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. Mood disorders can also be kicked off by environmental or circumstantial things, she said. "Basically, the real problem lies in the physiological make-up of your genes. If you have a propensity for going too high or too low in your energy, lack an adequate sense of self, or feel inappropriately good about yourself, it becomes a disorder. Usually people around you notice changes in your behavior before you are aware of them. The problems can start as early as childhood. Babies can be depressed and maybe even manic," Olsen said. What is bipolar? "It is a new term for manic depression. Manic means high energy, high perspective; depression means low energy, low self-perspective. Manic-depression is the more familiar term. "Childhood bipolar (disorder) is just now being recognized, researched, and written about. "Sometimes people are diagnosed as schizophrenic, especially if they are in a psychotic state." The Development of The Mood Tree "Whenever someone asks me ... how I got the idea for The Mood Tree, I really have to say it was God-given," she said. "I was looking for a visual concept and over the years in attending the manic-depressive support group (as a family member), I heard people say things in this group that they wouldn't say in their therapist or doctor's office. "There were very fine details that verified what I thought I was seeing and perceiving. I began to get a feel for what I wanted to do. I chose a tree because everyone knows a tree and it has a distinct high end and a distincr low end. The high end of the tree doesn't look like the low end. I could also illustrate the two extremes, the too highs and the too-lows, were rooted in a mood disorder. I developed an apple tree with the apples that demonstrated the symptoms, including psychosis and paranoia. These are often related only to schizophrenia, but actually also appear in bipolar. The birds represent other diagnosis [according to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual] so the birds live in the tree, but are not actually a part of the tree the way the apples are. "What has happened too often is that when the diagnosis of schizophrenia was given that was the end of it for the patient, as far as further testing was concerned. But, I feel it is important to show that it is possible to be psychotic and manic-depressive also. "In 1992, I went to a lecture at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, by Chief of Psychiatry Dr. Louis Brodsky on bipolar. He made some very profound statements about schizophrenia -- about how it is made up of so many other things. I practically stood up and said, 'Bingo! There's somebody else thinking along the same lines I am.' There were two other doctors in the room, one of which I was working with. Dr. Head, he agreed Dr. B was right on the money. "His quote about patient care was something like this: 'The medical community was upset with Dr. Robert Joslin, who put information about diabetes into the hands of patients. And they will be at this too, but go ahead, it needs to be done.' He referred to information available for patients with bipolar mood swings." The next few years were put into research, development, and patenting the Mood Tree. Research Projects "At the same time I was compiling research from users and other clients. The Florida State Hospital was doing a role recovery group to prepare clients to return to the community. There were three sections of classes; there were people with learning disabilities, there were people who couldn't read or write. Many of them would participate if we would read the names on the apples and tell them what the words meant. "We were able to find out that one man didn't know the difference between homicidal and suicidal. When we described the words, we found out he was suicidal. "Another man who could not read or write put his apples up with our help and he talked about his feelings. He was getting out in six days and he didn't want anyone to know what he was really feeling. So we learned that The Mood Tree should be used when they come into the penal system. The words used are at a sixth-grade level, with simple phrases that are easily understandable. "The Mood Tree is in use in more than 25 states ... mental hospitals, doctor's offices, psychiatric units, prisons, schools, Veterans Affairs hospitals, drug rehab and eating disorder clinics, and various support groups." |
Olsen said that when she tried to tell the physician she was working with that she saw different symptoms than he had noticed, he wouldn't listen to her. "He was quite haughty with my findings and refused to take another look," she said.