Bipolar disorder

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Breuer started things off in what seemed like the typical style of a mental health therapist, gauging the mood of her patients by going around the circle they had fashioned with their chairs, asking each woman to talk about how she was feeling at the moment.

Breuer quickly learned the general mood was decidedly upbeat, with responses like, "I feel great," "I feel happy," "I'm glad I'm living." To match the mood of the group, Breuer popped in a best of Michael Jackson CD and cranked up the volume.

With Breuer as their guide, the women spent the next 40 minutes expressing their happiness, exploring the concept of giving to others and figuring out if they were more comfortable in the role of leader or follower.

But instead of using only words to get their various points across, the women snapped their fingers, clapped their hands, tapped their feet, sashayed rhythmically and, at one point, rocked out to Jackson's "Beat It!

" Breuer was engaging the women in dance/movement therapy, a form of what's collectively known as the creative arts therapies, which also include music therapy, drama therapy, art therapy and psychodrama.

A former professional dancer who performed in regional musical theater before earning her master's degree in dance/movement therapy, Breuer is based at Barnert Hospital in Paterson.

There are about 850 dance/movement therapists from around the country who are registered with the American Dance Therapy Association, according to Sally Tote...

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With any mental illness, Moore says, the time to seek help is when it interferes with your functioning.

One of his clients, for example, was able to live with his illness for years and years with no problems.

The man didn't seek help until it kept him from being able to carry out parts of his job, Moore says.

Mental illnesses usually require long-term treatment.

"It's not like giving an antibiotic or doing a surgical procedure," Moore says.

On the other hand, when the illness seems to have a situational rather than genetic cause - such as depression linked to an event, then treated with medication and lifestyle changes - the patient may be fine later without medication.

Moore suggests that someone who has symptoms talk first with his or her family doctor.

Increasingly, he says, referrals are coming from church counselors as well.

Mental illnesses These are among the most common mental illnesses, according to psychiatrist James Moore, vice president of medical services at Prairie View.

Depression: A mood disorder.

Symptoms may include sadness, guilt, irritability, hopelessness, loss of energy, loss of desire, a state of anguish.

It also may show up in physical symptoms including slowed mental activity, an increase or decrease in appetite, or excessive or difficult sleep.

Anxiety: Extraordinary nervousness, most likely unrelated to anything you can put your finger on.

Physical symptoms may include sweating, palpitations, diarrhea, nausea and headache.

Obsess...

...ba href=/bipolar disorder/a/b, had been staying at the Norman C.

Sleezer Youth Home in Freeport since January and was working at Country Kitchen there.

When she didn't return to the home after her shift ended at 4 p.m.

March 12, the home put out a missing persons report, Ms.

King said.

No one saw her leave with anyone, or take her usual taxi back to Sleezer, Ms.

King said.

"She puts herself in dangerous situations.

I need to know she's safe." This isn't this first time Ms.

Meyers has been missing.

She used to leave home when she lived in Silvis, but almost every time, someone would see her and call her mother, Ms.

King said.

"If even one person would have seen her, my phone would be ringing off the hook.

My phone doesn't ring at all." Ms.

King said her daughter was staying at Sleezer because of her ba href=/bipolar disorder/a/b and because she's on parole for assault charges, Ms.

King said.

"She works better in a structured environment.

If you've ever have lived with a person with ba href=/bipolar disorder/a/b, you know there's ups and downs.

"Since she was in Sleezer, she was making a lot of progress," she said.

"We really thought this was the turning point for her." Ms.

King drove to Freeport earlier this week in hopes of finding some answers.

She said her daughter's co-workers told her Ms.

Meyers didn't have any boyfriends and kept to herself.

All of her things still were at the home.

Ms.

Meyers had talked about saving up money to get her own apartment, Ms.

King said.

"There was no indication there wa...