Kerry Katona – former Atomic Kitten and a regular in the TV reality genre, particularly British reality TV – will be airing a reality series this spring on MTV One about having bipolar disorder.

Apparently in October she took some really bad heat over a trashed interview on iTV 1’s This Morning show – a television broadcast company and show in the UK. Julia Raeside, a blogger on guardian.co.uk, described Kerry as “looking distracted and at times confused, slurring her words and almost unable to string a cogent sentence together.” There was a lot of flack and speculation following this about Kerry relapsing into drug and alcohol use.

However, today The Sun reported that Kerry is attributing this behavior to chlorpromazine, an antipsychotic she is taking for bipolar disorder. The article notes, “She wants to explain how her condition and medication affect her work and relationships.”

So I’m torn. I think, if handled correctly, this could be really interesting and illustrate how difficult bipolar disorder can be. But, I’ve watched Survivor and Big Brother. It is always the worst and most dramatic scenes that are aired so I think this has the potential to really cast those with bipolar disorder yet again into a bad stereotype. How do you feel about this? ~ Kimberly

I thought you might be interested in a poll being conducted by Kristina Duda, the Guide to Cold and Flu. She writes, “The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) are two very important government agencies responsible for different aspects of public health. They regulate vaccines, food, medications and a host of other things that impact the health of the American people. However, there are a lot of people that feel these agencies are not necessarily operating in the best interest of all Americans.”

Many of us take handfuls of pills everyday so the work of these agencies directly impacts us. How do you feel? Do you trust the FDA and CDC? Or are you questioning their motives and efficacy?
~ Kimberly

Hustler publisher Larry Flynt hit the headlines today when he and Girls Gone Wild CEO Joe Francis sent out a press release saying that they were asking the federal government for a $5 billion bail out of the pornography industry. “People are too depressed to be sexually active,” Flynt says, “This is very unhealthy as a nation. Americans can do without cars and such but they cannot do without sex.”

Figures show that revenues are down for adult DVD sales and rentals. “With all this economic misery and people losing all that money, sex is the farthest thing from their mind,” Flynt says, “It’s time for congress to rejuvenate the sexual appetite of America. The only way they can do this is by supporting the adult industry and doing it quickly.”

While there is no confirmation that Larry Flynt is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, his name is frequently included on internet listings, and his personal history includes behavior consistent with bipolar mania. Read about the man who made big business out of pornography.

Full Press Release Regarding Bailout Request

Photo: Scott Gries / Getty Images

A lot of people with bipolar disorder are interested in alternative or supplemental therapies to prescription medications. Mimosa, a member of our Forums, recently shared that she was thinking about this. “Has anyone on this board used amino acids, vitamins, any other types of supplements to treat their bipolar symptoms? I'm having trouble with my new meds not working so well and am interested in other treatments.”

These are great questions and should be discussed with your doctor. Before adding any supplements to your treatment plan, before changing or stopping your prescriptions, please consult your physician. There are so many alternate medications and supplements out there that can interfere with your current prescriptions, can exacerbate your symptoms or even threaten your life. All of these non-prescription options are actually drugs themselves (See What Is a Drug? ) Be safe and be well. ~ Kimberly